Obituary of REV. DR. JOSEPH B. COTTRELL, d. 1895, Lake County, Florida File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Karen Cotter, cotterkaren@yahoo.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, 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 presentation. This file may not be removed from this server or altered in any way for placement on another server without the consent of the State and USGenWeb Project coordinators and the contributor. *********************************************************************** Louisville (KY) Courier - Journal March 8, 1895 DROWNED SAD DEATH OF REV. DR. J. B. COTTRELL IN FLORIDA OVERCOME BY EPILEPSY Fell Headlong Into Lake Dora While Fishing Tavares, Fla., March 7 -- (Special.)-- The Rev. Dr. Joseph Cottrell, of Russellville, Ky, was drowned in Lake Dora yesterday evening. Dr. Cottrell had been spending the winter here with his stepson, Hon. H. H. Duncan, Circuit Court Clerk. The venerable divine was very fond of fishing, and yesterday afternoon went to Lake Dora, on the outskirts of town, to enjoy an afternoon's sport. Dr. Cottrelll was standing on a half-sunken barge on the shore of the lake when he was attacked with epilepsy, to which he was subject. He reeled and fell face downward in the lake. There was no one at hand to give him assistance, and he was drowned almost within sight of his stepson's home. It was two hours before the body was recovered. Dr. Cottrell was a member of the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He had may friends throughout Florida and in every Southern State. The remains will be sent to Russellville for interment. ---------- Dr. Cottrell was a noteworth indstance of a man's perservering in the comparatively poorly renumerated calling of a preacher of the gospel in spite of strong inducements to abandon it for the prospect of a brilliant career at the bar or in politics. He was a powerful and attractive speaker, and had more than once been urged to become a candidate for congressional honors, which, it was thought, would sit well upon a Southern man who, in 1861, had stumped the State of Alabama in the cause of secession with no less distinguised a politician than Jefferson Davis for his colleague, and had earned from the President of the Southern Confederacy the encomium of having made the best secession speech he -- Mr. Davis-- had ever heard. Joseph Benson Cottrell was born rather more than sixty- four years ago in South Carolina, from which State his father removed to Alabama not many years later. Dr. Cottrell joined the iternant ministry of the Methodist Church in December 1852. His talents as a speaker were so highly appreciated by the members of his denomination in Alabama that he was, not only a member of many annual conferences, but was sent by his district as a representative of the two successive General Conferences at New Orleans in 1866, and at Memphis in 1870. The brillliant record which he made in both those assemblies is still remembered. In 1870 Dr. Cottrell came to Kentucky and was stationed successively at Owensboro, Bowling Green, Franklin, Russellville. From Russellville he was removed to this city, taking charge of the Twenties and Jefferson street Methodist church. In 1890 failing health compelled him to abandon the regular ministry, but from that time until quite recently he preached occasionally, besides continuing to contribute to the pages of the religious press. It was evident, however, to his intimate friends that his lease of life was made precarious by the epileptic attachs to which he latterly became subject. It was early in last January that he left Louisville for a visit to Florida. Dr. Cottrell was twice married, but died a widower. His second wife was a sister of Dr. J. Marion Sims, the famous gynaecologist, who was very proud of and warmly attached to his preacher brother-in-law. He leaves two sons and two daughters. The latter are both married, one in Colorado, the other, Mrs. Short, at Cloverport, Ky. Charles Cottrell, a photographer and highly successful crayon artist, is settled at Russellville. It was to visit the other son, Joseph Cottrell, Jr., that the venerable preacher went to Florida last January. This son, Joseph, with his step-brother, Henry Duncan, have for years been settled near Yajala, Fla., where they own and manage an extensive orange-grove and farm, and have both served as members of the State Legislature of Florida. Dr. Cottrell was in Louisville last fall and made two speeches during the political campaign. 3.1 JOSEPH BENSON COTTRELL, JR. Son of Reverend Joseph Benson Cottrell, Sr. and Unknown Born: Died: Buried: Married: At the time of the death of Reverend Benson Cottrell, he was operating an orange grove in Yajala, FL with his stepbrother Harry Duncan Per letter to Reverend Ben C. Gray from Hugh Blair Cottrell dated 16 February 1906, Brother Joe’s (children) were in Florida which apparently verifies the Lynn Niedermeier information. 4.1 FLORENCE COTTRELL Daughter of Joseph Benson Cottrell, Jr. and unknown Born: 1883, FL Died: Married: Lynn Niedermeier is interested in Florence because she attended a young ladies’ college in Bowling Green at the turn of the century and she is researching its history. There was a huge scandal (at least for those days) when some local boys put a ladder up against the college building one night to help Florence and four other girls sneak out of their dorm rooms for a midnight date. The President discovered them in the act and he and the boys shot their guns at each other but no one was hurt. However, the girls were expelled. Lynn thinks Florence spent some time with her aunt and uncle in Cloverport, KY after leaving school, then may have gone back to Florida.