James Crawford Garten 1857-1909
Submitted by Sybil A. L. Viehweg
The Medicine Lodge Cresset
09-Apr-1909

Jim Garten Dead
Died at his home five miles northeast of Lake City, Friday, April 2nd, of gangrene of the lungs, James C. Garten, aged 51 years, 6 months and 16 days. Mr. Garten had been ill about four weeks and at no time had there been very strong hopes for his recovery.

He was born September 18, 1857, in Clark County, Kentucky. He came to Kansas in 1874, and was
married to Sarah E. Nurse December 31,1882, at Mingona. Eight children were born to them, seven of
whom are living. Mrs. Garten died February 24, 1902.

Mr. Garten leaves a mother who lives in Medicine Lodge, two sisters, Mrs. Nannie Garten of the
Lodge and Mrs. Mary Williams of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and two brothers, Charles and
Henderson, who live in Oklahoma, and seven children, Mrs. Nellie Smith, Claude Garten, Mrs. Myrtle
Strickland, Mable, Ruby, Frank and Lena Garten.

Mr. Garten was a member of the Woodmen Lodge in which he carried an insurance of $1000. He was also a member of the Odd Fellow Lodge, who had charge of the funeral. He was buried Sunday at two o'clock, a short service being held at the grave by Rev. Shamberger, after which Rev. Owens of Belvidere, took charge. He was laid to rest by the side of his wife in their private burying ground on the farm of Newt Martin.

The Odd Fellows were down from Coats and it was an impressive sight as the sprigs of evergreen were dropped into the grave, showing that although their comrade was gone yet he would live forever in their memory.

It was Mr. Garten's wish that G.G. Shigley of Lake City, should be administrator of the estate,
knowing that if he accepted his children would be left in the best of care. He had been making a number
of improvements on the farm just completing a large barn before his illness.

Mr. Garten was a good man. He had no enemies. No one has ever been known to say a word against
him, honest and upright in all of his business affairs; a good son, a loving husband and kindest of fathers, loved and honored by his friends and neighbors and seldom has Barber County witnessed so large a funeral, there being somewhere between three and four hundred people present. The deepest sympathy is extended by all to his relatives.

"And we cannot say, and we will not say,
That he is dead - he is just away,
with a cheery smile and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unkown land,
So think of him still as the same I say:
He is not dead-he is just away."



© 2003 Ed Rucker for KSGen Web Project