Payette County ID Archives Obituaries.....Shawhan, Capt. Joseph H. 1911
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Cheryl Hanson ihansonb@fmtc.com December 7, 2005, 4:59 pm

Payette Enterprise 5-4-1911
Payette Enterprise
Payette, Idaho
Thursday, May 04, 1911

CAPT. JOSEPH H. SHAWHAN

Last Sabbath afternoon the citizens of Payette with a large number of friends 
and acquaintances of the family from Weiser, Boise, Caldwell and other 
neighboring towns in Southern Idaho, paid their last tribute of love and 
respect to this stalwart citizen and with sad hearts tenderly bore his remains 
to Riverside cemetery and laid them at rest. The immense throng that sought to 
gain admission to the Methodist church where the services were held, the 
wealth of beautiful floral offerings and the largest funeral cortege ever seen 
in Payette were all evidences of the universal love and respect in which 
Captain Shawhan was held when alive. The funeral services were conducted by 
Rev. George W. Turner, who took for his text "Thou Shalt Be Missed Because Thy 
Seat Shall Be Empty." Rev. Turner paid a glowing tribute to the life of Capt. 
Shawhan speaking of his royal quality of manhood, his cheerful optimistic 
nature and of his life long labor devoted to making those near and dear to him 
happy. It was a beautiful tribute paid by a man whose knowledge was of a close 
personal acquaintance.

W. T. Sherman Post G. A. R. and the Women's Relief Corps had charge of the 
remains at the church and one impressive part of the arrangements was the 
draping of the casket with the flag he had fought to defend and perpetuate. 
After the services at the church the members of Washoe Lodge No. 28 A. F. & A. 
M. took charge and at the cemetery the simple but impressive burial service of 
the order were observed.

When the last rites were performed and just as the large concourse of people 
were sadly departing from the last resting place of this worthy citizen, taps 
blown by the bugler of Company I was a fitting close to the touching 
ceremonies of the afternoon.

Joseph H. Shawhan was born in Rush county, Indiana, August 10th, 1838, and 
moved with his parents to Sigourney, Iowa, in 1845 where he grew to manhood 
and 1861 was united in marriage to Miss Mary Adeline Jackson. In October 1862 
he enlisted in Company B 33rd infantry of Iowa as lieutenant and served until 
March 1863 when he was forced to resign on account of utter failure of health 
induced by the severe service in the southern swamps. In November of the same 
year he had so far recovered as to feel able again to go to the front and 
enlisted as Captain in Company K of the Ninth Cavalry Iowa Volunteers in which 
company he served until the end of the war returning to his home in Sigourney, 
Iowa, where he engaged in business until 1880 when he moved to Kansas settling 
at Clay Center. There he remained until 1895 in which year he came to Payette 
Valley being one of the original Plymouth colonists and living at New Plymouth 
for a time. Later he purchased and cleared the sage brush, leveled the land 
and planted the present twenty acre pear orchard near Payette which is the 
pride of this valley and noted all over the northwest as a typical, well kept 
pear orchard. He was one of the few men, possibly the only man in this valley 
who planted an orchard and had the faith and courage to stay by it until it 
was bearing and paying. As a horticulturalist he ranked with the leading ones 
of the state, was president of the State society, Vice-President for the state 
of Idaho of the National Horticultural. Congress and was also a member of the 
State Horticultural board. In matters pertaining to the advancement of fruit 
culture Capt. Shawhan was always a leader and in every movement for the 
betterment of conditions along all lines was always to the fore in the work.

He leaves to mourn his loss his faithful wife, four sons, Hon B. P. Shawhan of 
this city, Rev. H. H. Shawhan of Danville, Illinois, W. J. Shawhan, Dr. G. E. 
Shawhan of Boise and two daughters, Mrs. H. J. Sommercamp of Weiser and Mrs. 
T. E. Jones of Payette, all well known in their various communities and with 
legions of friends who with them mourn the passing of one of Payette Valley's 
most loved and respected citizens.

Mrs. Shawhan and children desire to express their sincere appreciation of the 
sympathy and many acts of kindness which so helped them in their time of 
sorrow. 

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