Dubuque-Jones County IA Archives Obituaries.....Langworhy, James L. March 14, 1865
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Ken Wright wright@prestontel.com December 14, 2010, 2:21 am

Dubuque Herald, Mar. 15, 1865
Dubuque Herald, March 15, 1865

DEATH OF JAMES L. LANGWORTHY
The Oldest Settler of Dubuque Struck by Apoplexy
The city was startled yesterday afternoon by the intelligence of the sudden 
death of James L. Langworthy. He was known to everybody hereabouts, not only 
from the fact that he was the oldest resident of the city, having come here at 
a period earlier it is believed than any other white man, but from the fact 
that he had been up to the day of his death an active man.
He left home Monday morning apparently in his usual good health to attend to 
some business at Monticello. He arrived there safely and passed the night with 
his half brother, William Langworthy, who resides there. Tuesday morning he 
went to the house of Mr. J. L. Davenport by invitation to breakfast, and had 
been there but a few minutes engaged in conversation and as he stooped down to 
remove his overshoe suddenly uttered a cry and at once sunk away into 
insensibility, and died in a very few minutes. His disease is reported to be 
apoplexy. It was shortly after 7 o’clock when he died.
The body was brought home on the train yesterday, accompanied by his brother 
and Mr. Davenport, and upon its arrival was at once transferred to his 
residence. The time of the funeral is not yet fixed.
Mr. Langworthy was born in Vermont in the year 1800, and was consequently at 
the time of his death 65 years of age. His parents removed to New York when he 
was a mere child, and in that state the rest of his brothers were born. He 
came to this country as early as 1828, long before the Indians relinquished 
their possession, and was with others driven across the river where they 
remained until the Indian title was extinguished, when he at once returned. 
This was in 1830, and he has resided constantly ever since. He and his brother 
Lucius obtained the claim to most of the land on which the City of Dubuque now 
stands, it is said for $700. They resided in the upper part of the city and 
their land was mostly in that direction, embracing all of the Couler Valley 
and Langworthy Hollow. They entered at once into mining and probably struck 
the first rich lead. They held onto the real estate, and in the flush times of 
1856, the two brothers were reported to be worth three millions. But the crash 
of 1857 went hard with them as it did with all landholders, and James had 
never fully extricated himself from it. During several years they ran the bank 
of J. L. Langworthy & Bros., now occupied by the German Savings Bank, which 
block is, in fact, owned by the Langworthys.
J. L. Langworthy was married in Galena in 1840, and leaves a wife and four 
children, one son and three daughters. One daughter is attending school in 
Chicago and has been telegraphed to return home. Mr. Langworthy was a generous 
hearted and open-handed man, with some faults, no doubt, like all of us; but 
now remembered only as the good citizen and the old pioneer.


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