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That Dahlgren has lost one of her foremost and best
citizens is the concensus of opinion as the news spread over the town
Sunday morning that A. M. Grigg, who has been sick for so long and whose
recovery so many have hope, passed away.
Abner
Monroe Grigg was born
in
Cleveland Co., North Carolina
February
27, 1837, departed this
life at
Dahlgren, Illinois, January
21,
1910 at the age of 72 years 11
months
and 24 days.
He
grew to manhood in his native county and learned the trade of
blacksmithing
and machinist and
was engaged in a cotton factory
until
his removal to the Confederate
Army
where he was wounded and was honorably discharged for disabilities and
returned to his home in Cleveland Co.
In
1867 he removed with his
family
to Hamilton-co Illinois
and
settled on a farm about 6
miles
south of Dahlgren where he
followed
farming for seventeen
years
and accumulated considerable
property.
In 1884 he began merchandising in Dahlgren and that
date
marks the beginning of the
business
growth in this village
and to
the push and energy of A.
M.
Grigg the town is largely indebted for the prominent place it
now
holds as a leading business
center.
In his business
his buildings and much of his
stock
has twice been destroyed by
fire
but his ability, his indomitable
will
coupled with the confidence
reposed
in him by all who knew
him,
enabled him to rally from
these
reverses and again take
front
rank among our hustling
business
men.
Mr.
Grigg was implicitly trusted
by
those who knew him and in
official
capacity has repeatedly
served
them as school director,
assessor,
collector, justice of the
peace
and four terms as supervisor
in
which capacity he was serving
them at
the time of his last illness, and the poor and the needy,
the
suffering and the afflicted had
no
better friend than he. Tenderhearted
as a child he was ever
responsive
to the appeals of those
needing
help and was liberal of
his own
means for their relief.
They
will miss him.
He
was closely identified with
the
business of the town and
county
and was a liberal supporter
of
charitable and religious organizations and in the forefront of
instrumentalities
for the betterment of humanity and as an officer
was
especially watchful for the
conservation
of the financial interests of the people, as was clearly
shown
by his action as chairman
of the
finance committee and
board
of supervisors, which
resulted
in a more careful management of the affairs of the county.
He
counted among his enemies, if
he had any, those who would have
accumulated by wronging the people; he counted among his friends all who
delight in uprightmanhood.
In
politics he was a Democrat
but was
so independent that he
would
not support a bad man for
office,
and detested all unfair or
questionable
methods for any
purpose
but continually asserted
that
any party which advocated
wrong doing ought to be defeated.
Summing
up all his qualities we may
Truly
say “He was a man”.
On
February 28, 1856 he was
married
to Phoebe Davis in
Cleveland
County, North
Carolina.
To this
union
were born fourteen children
some of
whom, D. F., John R.,
Charles
F., Albert M., Sarah J.
now Mrs. Porter, Mary E. now
Mrs.
Jones, Martha J. now Mrs. Whited, Minnie N., now Mrs. Wood and
Addie B. now, Mrs.
Morgan,
with the widow, 28 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren
and a
large circle of friends are
left to
mourn their loss.
About
thirty years ago he made
a
profession of religion and joined
the
Baptist church at Sugar Camp
from
which he got a letter which
was not
handed in to any other
organization
but his life has been
the
warrant for his correct thinking and shortly before his death he
expressed
a good hope for the future
and a readiness to go when
called. On Friday night he
asked
his
wife for his money and said,
“I am
going home.” Immediately
he sank
and in a few seconds he
breathed
no more. The spirit had
fled.
The frail tenement of clay
was
left. The mortal remained.
Although
not unexpected yet we
are
never ready for the change,
the
loss of our dear ones comes as
a
shock.
The
funeral services were held
Sunday
at the Baptist church,
conducted
by Rev. J.D. Hooker,
assisted by Rev. W. C. Harms
and
Rev. J. H. Allen. In his
sermon Rev. Hooker paid a glowing tribute to the deceased as a citizen
and
especially as a man and his
tribute
was ably seconded by both
the
other speakers. The church
could not accommodate the large crowd
even with standing room
and a
large procession followed
the
remains to Richardson Hill
where
internment was by the Odd
Fellows
of which order Mr. Grigg
was an
honored member and to
whom
they acknowledge the debt
of
having saved the charter of the
lodge in the years of its struggle
for
existence. He was a charter
member
of the Rebeka lodge here
and
that organization was out in
full to
do him honor.
Dahlgren
has lost a man whose
place
it will be hard to fill. |
