OBITUARIS FOR SARAH ELLEN MOFFITT, SARAH JANE NEWMAN, HENRY BURGESS, COL. J. CLEMENT SMITH, MICHAEL S. BURGESS, J. J. LEE, WALTER BURGESS, FRED BURGESS, LILLIAN BURGESS, COL. JAMES BURGESS, CLAIRE BURGESS, MRS. ORVILLE W. SANDERS, AND MRS. MAGGIE BURGESS Submitted by Shirley Brier, copyright January 2002. ============ KSGENWEB INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY COPYRIGHT NOTICE: In keeping with the KSGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. =========== Topeka State Journal January 21, 1908, pg. 7. col. 2. Mrs. Sarah Ellen Moffitt, aged forty-six years, wife of Pat Moffitt, died at nine o'clock this morning of pneumonia at her home, 1324 College avenue. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon from the house at 3 o'clock and interment will be made in Topeka cemetery. Mrs. Moffitt was the matron of the Kappa Theta fraternity house and was a sister of R. K. Graham of this city. Mrs. Sarah Jane Newman, wife of T. W. Newman, died of gall stones this morning at her home, 2617 Buchanan street. The funeral will be held tomorrow at 10 o'clock and the burial will take place in Topeka cemetery. The deceased was 62 years of age. Henry Burgess, the father of Walter Burgess of this city, died yesterday in California. The body will arrive in Topeka Friday on Santa Fe train No. 2 and interment will follow in Topeka cemetery. The funeral of Colonel J. Clement Smith was held from the home of his nephew, Dr. L. Anton Smith, 1710 West Tenth avenue at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The services in accordance with his wishes consisted of an address by captain J. G. Waters, a poem by his friend, Dr. H. W. Roby, and his own funeral poem revised by him in his 89th year entitled, "The Life Eternal," was read by Thomas F. Doran. Mrs. N. P. Neilson offered a prayer and music was furnished by a quartet composed of H. L. Shirer, Mrs. Frank S. Thomas, Mrs. L. S. Ferry and F. S. Crane. The pallbearers were M.F. Southwick, T. F. Doran, John F. Stitzer, George Overmyer, H. E. Ray and L. L. Kiene. The body was placed in a vault in Topeka cemetery and will later be sent to washington, D. C. for final interment by the side of the wife of Colonel Smith who died 15 years ago. Topeka State Journal February 15, 1908, pg. 12. col. 5. Micheal S. Burgess, father of John Burgess and residing at 314 Chandler street, died at 10 a.m. February 14, of neuralgia of the heart, at the age of 45 years. He was well known on the East side, operating a grocery store at the corner of Fourth and Locust streets for many years. The funeral will take place at 2:30 p.m. Saturday from the Third Christain church and interment will be in the Topeka cemetery. A telegram from Portland, Ore., was received last night by Mrs. J. J. Lee, announcing that the body of her husband, who died in that city or vicinity on Thursday, has been forwarded to Topeka and it is expected to reach here tomorrow or Monday morning. No additional news has been received to throw light on the cause of Mr. Lee's death. A letter written by him Monday and received last night stated that his health was excellent. Topeka State Journal February 12, 1909, pg. 9. col. 3. WALTER BURGESS DEAD Well Known Topeka Society Man Victim of Bright's Disease Walter J. Burgess, a well known Topeka society man, died Monday at the Glendale sanitarium, Glendale, Cal., of Bright's disease at the age of 41 years, after an illness extending over a period of about one year. Although a sufferer from the disease which ended his life Monday for a year, his condition has been considered serious only since last July. Since that time he has traveled extensively in hopes of regaining his health. Mr. Burgess has lived in Topeka the greater part of his life, his early boyhood having been spent at his parent's home in North Topeka. For the past four years he has traveled for the Smith Drug company of Atchison and for a number of years prior to that time was employed in the drug store of George W. Stansfield. The body of Mr. Burgess will arrive in Topeka over the Santa Fe and will be accompanied by his brother, William, who was with him at the time of his death. Mr. Burgess has been a member of Topeka lodge of Elks, B. P. O. E. for a number of years and it is possible that the ceremony will be held in the lodge room of this order Sunday afternoon, though no definite arrangements have been made. Topeka State Journal October 7, 1909, pg. 3. col. 5. TOOTHPICK CAUSED DEATH Fred Burgess Died From Effects of One Swallowed Months Ago Sterling, Kan., Oct. 7. ---Fred Burgess, 30 years old, died at the family home, four miles south of here. The cause of the young man's death was most peculiar. About seven months ago he became troubled with frequent sharp pains in the abdominal cavity. At first he thought nothing of them, but, as they grew continuous, he decided that he had better be operated on, and accordingly this was done. it then was discovered that Burgess at some time had swollowed a toothpick and that the latter had penetrated the wall of his tomach and worked its way into the muscles of the abdomen. Since the first operation two others had been performed but complications that set in weakened Burgess to such an extent that his recovery was hopeless. At a post mortem held yesterday, it was found that the toothpick had caused inflammation, which afterwards took the form of tubercular disease. Topeka State Journal December 15, 1909, pg. 6. col. 14. Lillian Burgess, the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A, Burgess, died this morning at the home of her parents, at 312 German avenue. Pneumonia was the cause of death. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning from the residence at 10 o'clock and interment will be in the Topeka cemetery. Topeka State Journal February 21, 1912, pg. 7. col. 5. COL. BURGESS GONE. Well Known Pioneer Citizen of Topeka Passes Away. Col. James Burgess, one of the pioneers of Shawnee county, who has been active in political life, who has held a number of important positions of trust, died at his home at 216 Tyler street about 4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. His death was due to old age and resulted after having been confined to his bed but a few days although he has been failing rapidly for several months. Col. Burgess has lived in or about Topeka since 1868. He was born in Ohio, August 1, 1826. He was living with his parents in the vinicity of Danville, Ind., when the civil war started. He enlisted in the Seventh Indiana volunteer infantry and served his country four years. He began as a private but was promoted from time to time and eventually became lieutenant colonel under Col. Benjamin Harrison, who was later president, in the Seventh Indiana regiment. He was colonel of the Twenty-fourth Indiana volunteer infrantry when he was discharged at the end of hostilities. Col. Burgess came to Shawnee county in 1868 and settled on a farm in Soldier township, where he lived about twenty years and then moved to Topeka where he became prominent in public life. He was a member of the city council for twelve years and was a member of the legislature one term. He was connected with the post office department for several years, during which he had charge of the West side station for two years and had charge of the station in North Topeka from 1881 to 1885. This was during the administration of Maj. T. J. Anderson as postmaster. He was the first superintendent of the mail carriers' district in North Topeka. He was elected register of deeds in 1886 and served two terms. He was married to Elizabeth M. Irons in May, 1846, and is survived by his widow, and two daughters, Mrs. John Van Vechten and Mrs. Sadler J. Hodgins. He has been a member of the Odd Fellows and Masonic bodies for more than fifty years. The funeral will be held at 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon at the home of the family. The funeral will be private. Topeka State Journal April 8, 1915, pg. 8. col. 2. The funeral of Mrs. H. E. Fletcher who died Wednesday morning will be held from the residence at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 11. Interment in Rochester cemetery. The deceased leaves seven sons and three daughters, as follows; Henry Fletcher of Childress, Tex.; Will Fletcher of Little Rock, Ark.; Herbert Fletcher of Toppenish, Wash.; John Fletcher of Lincoln, Neb.; Elbert and fred Fletcher of Muskogee, Okla.; John Fletcher of Kansas City, Kan.; Mrs. E. E. Miller of Muskogee, Okla.; Mrs. D. W. Alden, and Mrs. Dan Blair of Topeka, besides two brothers, Fred and Henry Betke, of Kalamazoo, Mich., and a sister, Mrs. Henry Ramaker of Chicago. Mrs. Claire Burgess, mother of Miss Stacey P. Burgess, formerly of this city, died in El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, April 7. The body will be brought to Topeka for burial. Funeral to be held from Penwell's chapel Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock. Interment in Topeka cmetery. The funeral of Mrs. Orville W. Sanders, who died at Wichita, Kan., last Tuesday afternoon at 3 o'clock, will be held from Euclid Avenue Methodist church, corner Seventeenth and Lane streets, Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock. The body was brought here late Wednesday. Mrs. Sanders was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram S. Johnson, 1800 Highland avenue. She was born at Clifton, Kan., 28 years ago. Until recently she and her husband lived in Topeka, where he formerly owned the City Iron Works. They are well known in the College Hill neighborhood. Interment will be made at Mount Hope cemetery. Topeka Daily State Journal July 17, 1918, pg. 2. col. 2. WOMAN IS KILLED Three Other Persons Injured In Grade Crossing Accident. Santa Fe Train Hits Auto Containing the Burgess Family. Mrs. Maggie Burgess, wife of T. A. Burgess, a carpenter at the Santa Fe shops, was instantly killed when the motor car in which the Burgess family were riding was hit by a southbound Santa Fe passenger train at the Eighth avenue crossing about 7 o'clock Tuesday night. T. A. Burgess, who was driving the car, was badly cut about the head and arms. A daughter, Fern, 16 years old, was badly cut about the head and bruised about the body. A son, Harold, 3 years old, was cut and bruised about the body. Physicians at the Santa Fe hospital, where Burgess and the two children were taken immediately after the accident, stated today that they were "resting as well as could be expected." According to persons who witnessed the accident, both the train and the Burgess motor car were running slowly, but owing to the cross vision at the crossing Burgess apparently did not see the train as he drove onto the crossing. The locomotive hit the car and carried it about fifty feet and hurled it, a mass of wreckage, to one side. Mrs. Burgess, it is said, attempted to jump from the car as the train hit it. Her body was found at the edge of the crossing. Burgess, who was semi-conscious had found the body, and persisted in claiming that his wife was not dead. When the car was found the gears were set in high speed, Burgess evidently having no opportunity to back up or go forward faster. Of Burgess and the two children, the daughter is probably the most seriously injured, it is stated. She was unconscious when found and remained so for several hours. Dr. O. F. Marcotte, county coroner, said today that an inquest into the accident would be held at 9 o'clock Thursday morning.