Truman Kirkpatrick (1853 - 1918)

Husband of Emma (Shonkwiler) Kirkpatrick — married 11 Oct 1883 in Putnam County, Indiana, United States

Descendants

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Biography

Truman was born about 1853. He passed away in 1918.

LOCAL.

Hon. Truman Kirkpatrick, joint representative for White and Benton counties, was married last Thursday to Miss Emma Shonkwiler, of Raub.

The Monticello Herald, Monticello, Indiana, Thursday, 18 Oct 1883, Front Page. 1st column on the left.

Marriage Licenses.

The following persons have been licensed to marry by Clerk Smith since Sept. 25, 1883:

T. Kirkpatrick to Emma Shonkwiler.

Fowler Benton Review, Fowler, Indiana, Thursday, 25 Oct 1883, Page 5.

TRUMAN KIRKPATRICK

Truman Kirkpatrick, son of David M. and Mary Kirkpatrick, was born in Iroquois county, Ill., January 23, 1853, and died at his home in Raub, Ind., Dec. 23, 1918, aged 65 years, and 11 months. His father and mother and his sister, Wealthy Johnson, have preceded him in death, while his four brothers, Chalmer, Wallace, Willis and Corwin still survive.

In 1865 he moved with his father’s family from Iroquois county to Benton county, Ind., to the farm west of Raub in which community he has lived all the rest of his life.

He received his school training in Iroquois county and the York township public schools, and in the Kentland high school. But his school training formed the smallest part of his education. Throughout his life he was a careful observer and thoughtful student of affairs and an eager reader of books until he became one of the best informed and most widely read men of his county.

On October 11, 1883, he was united in marriage to Emma Shonkwiler, daughter of William and Mary Shonkwiler, who still survive him. To this union were born five children all of whom are living, Mrs. Addie Wilhite and Mrs. Mabel Fleming of Raub, Blaine of Greencastle, Omer of Deadwood, S. Da., and Leland, who is now with the American Army of Occupation. He is also survived by two sons-in-laws, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren. His life was spent for the most part as a farmer and grain dealer. He taught school for a number of years, served for a times as deputy auditor of Newton county, and was elected in 1882 for one term as a representative in the Indiana state legislature. He served from 1906 to 1912 as trustee of York township and was elected for a second term in the November elections of 1918, upon which duties he was preparing to enter when called by death.

To those who knew Truman Kirkpatrick most intimately, a number of elements of character stand out in vivid memory.

He was a man of keen and wide-awake mind. The breadth of his interests and information was often a source of surprise to his friends. He was constant reader of books, magazines and daily press, and his mind seemed to reach out with insatiable hunger for new information. As a consequence, there were few subjects with which he was not familiar, and upon which he could not speak with unusual intelligence and insight.

Again he was always marked by great fairness and judgment. Many men are ruled by their prejudices and seem incapable of forming a calm and unbiased judgment on the basis of the facts of the case. There seemed to be no such word as prejudice in his vocabulary. Always he was marked by fair weighing of fact by breadth of mind and by a keen sense of fairness and justice.

While his judgments were always as just as he knew how to make them, they were also charitable. He believed in his fellowmen; he often continued to believe the best concerning them, even when all the evidence seemed to point the other way, and it was only with the greatest reluctance that he would believe evil of any man. He seemed incapable of cherishing a grudge or remembering a wrong done him. His mind was too big to entertain a spirit of revenge, and perhaps this fact often led unscrupulous men to take advantage of him; but when they did, one would be compelled to learn of it from some other source than from him.

Furthermore, few men have shown themselves possess of a finer capacity for sympathy than did he. A plea for help always found a ready response in his heart. Many men have said that they never went to him for sympathy and aid that they did not receive it. He seemed able in an unusual degree to put himself in the place of the other man, and to see things from his point of view. It was perhaps that formed the basis for his splendid generosity. He was generous almost to a fault, if such a thing is possible. In his determination to be helpful and considerate to others, he would so forget himself as to work detriment often to his own interests. He preferred to be rich in goodwill of his fellows, and in the memory of kindly and helpful ministries rather than in paltry material things, and the fortune which he succeeded in accumulating of gratitude and esteem among his neighbors and friends amply repaid him.

He was a man of sterling integrity. No man ever questioned his honor. His word was as good as his bond. Few men have ever enjoyed so universally the confidence and trust of his fellows as did he.

Furthermore, he was a man of deep affections. He loved his family and his home and took pride in giving to his children many of the advantages which had been denied to him. He was not greatly demonstrative in his affections, except as he demonstrated them in the best possible ways, in kindly thoughtfulness, in generous provision and in constant sacrifice of himself in helpful ministry in need.

Funeral services were held at the church Thursday at 2 p. m., conducted by Rev. T. A. Griffin of Veedersburg, Ind., a former pastor, assisted by the local pastor, Rev. Geo. F. Cramer. Interment was made at the Fleming cemetery.

The Fowler Benton Review, Fowler, Indiana, Thursday, 2 Jan 1919, Page 2. 3rd column from the left.

Newspaperarchive.com access 22 Nov 2014. 189781633.pdf

On October 11, 1883, Emma Kirkpatrick married Truman Kirkpatrick in Putnam County, Indiana. ^[1]

In the 1900 Census, the household was in York, Benton, Indiana, United States. ^[2]

In the 1910 Census, the household was in York, Benton, Indiana, United States. ^[3]

Burial: Fleming Cemetery, Benton County, Indiana, United States ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ "Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFWV-JNG : 3 December 2014), Truman Kirkpatrick and Emma Shonkwiler, 11 Oct 1883; citing reference Vol 1 p 24-25 Cn 158; FHL microfilm 1,955,065.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMB8-63K : accessed 16 October 2017), Truman Kirkpatrick, Parish & York Townships, Benton, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 8, sheet 3A, family 44, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,360.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKL1-K4N : accessed 16 October 2017), Truman Kirkpatrick, York, Benton, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 12, sheet 1A, family 9, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 340; FHL microfilm 1,374,353.
4. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 21 March 2019), memorial page for Truman Kirkpatrick (1853–1918), Find A Grave Memorial no. 50801291, citing Fleming Cemetery, Benton County, Indiana, USA ; Maintained by T.V.F.T.H. (contributor 46496806) .

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKL1-K4N : accessed 16 October 2017), Truman Kirkpatrick, York, Benton, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 12, sheet 1A, family 9, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 340; FHL microfilm 1,374,353.