Kauai County HI Archives Obituaries.....Lydgate, John Mortimer November 20, 1922 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/hi/hifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K KM hawaiizeis@gmail.com February 6, 2015, 11:15 am The Garden Island, Lihue, Kauai, Tues., 11-28-1922 LYDGATE, JOHN MORTIMER J. M. LYDGATE PASSES AWAY - KAMAAINA AND ONE OF KAUAI'S BEST-LOVED CITIZENS PASSES. John Mortimer Lydgate died last evening at Lihue hospital after an illness of about three months. On Saturday evening he passed into a coma and never recovered consciousness, the end coming very quietly at 9:00 o'clock on Monday evening. As organizer and first pastor of Lihue Union Church, which position he held for 24 years, Mr. Lydgate's influence has done much to promote a better spiritual and religious understanding in the community. As a citizen he has been active in all works of civic betterment, his energies being spent along activities to preserve for the public the various natural scenic wonders on Kauai. John Mortimer Lydgate, son of William and Anne (Blezard) Lydgate, was born at Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada, December 12, 1855. He came with his family to Hawaii in 1865 by the way of Panama. The Civil War was raging at the time that the family made the trip, and on the next trip the vessel that they traveled on was captured by the Confederate navy. On the arrival of the family at Hilo, the first news that they heard was the assassination of President Lincoln. His boyhood days were spent in Hilo. He attended Punahou school and after graduating attended the University of Toronto where he took a course in modern languages. He graduated from the university with many high honors. Later he took a theological course at the Yale Divinity school, receiving his B. D. from that institution. He continued his theological work at Edinburgh and after a year at that university, he attended the University of Berlin in Germany. His first pastorate was in Seattle and later was in charge of church work in the State of Washington. In April 1896 he organized and became pastor of the Lihue Union Church, which position he held for 24 years, retiring in 1920. During his youth, he was for many years a government surveyor, which profession he followed from time to time. He was recently appointed government land agent for the island of Kauai, which position he held up to the time of his decease. He held a high reputation as an authority in botany, his specialty being Hawaiian flora. He assisted Mr. Hildebrand in collecting data on his work on Hawaiian flora. He is survived by his wife, who was formerly Helen Elwell, the marriage taking place in Honolulu on January 11, 1898, and four sons - - John Mortimer Jr., Homer, Percy, and William Anthony. The funeral services were held this afternoon at the Lihue Union Church. Committal services were conducted by Rev. M. E. Carver, an old-time friend of Mr. Lydgate. The pallbearers were E. H. W. Broadbent, J. H. Hall, H. D. Sloggett, K. C. Hopper, Walter Sanborn, and William H. Rice. Additional Comments: posted by rms File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/hi/kauai/obits/lydgate620gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/hifiles/ File size: 3.4 Kb