Obituary of Stephen Ferguson HALE, Macoupin County Illinois 22 March 1998
Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives ©1998 Suzanne Hale Howard


Name of Deceased: HALE, Dr. Stephen Ferguson
Name of Newspaper: The Daily Enquirer
Date of Obituary: January 28, 1901 
Obituary: Died at his home in Bunker Hill, Ill. on Saturday, Jan. 26, 1901, at 11:30,
Stephen F. HALE, aged 77 years, 10 months and 8 days. The funeral services will
be held at his late residence on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 2 o'clock p.m. under the
auspices of Bunker Hill lodge, No 151, A.F. & A.M., Rev. E. FRAME, pastor of
the Congregational Church, officiating. Dr. Hale was born March 18, 1823, near
Farmington, MO. After finishing school he read medicine with Dr. SCOTT at Potosi,
MO., and completed his studies at the old McDowell College, St. Louis. After
finshing his medical course he enlisted and experienced active service in the Mexican
War under General PRICE. At the close of the war he returned to Missouri and
located at Warsaw and engaged in the practice of medicine. He was then 25 years
of age. During the "gold fever excitement" in California he crossed the plains in the
fall of '49 and returned to Missouri via Panama and Boston. He again crossed the
plains and was fairly successful. In due time he returned to Missouri. On the 5th of 
February, 1852, he united in marriage with Miss Eliza P. HILL, daughter of Dr. HILL
of Warsaw, Mo., where he located and practiced medicine until the breaking out of
the Civil war. He enlisted in the early sixties. He was in Gen. PRICE's division and
took an active part in a number of important engagements, the most notable being 
Wilson's Creek where he was almost mortally wounded. He was paroled in St.
Louis and in the spring of '64 moved to Woodburn, Ill., with his family where he
followed his profession until the winter of '65. He moved to bunker Hill and opened
a drug store and continued actively in business until the fall of '74, when on threat
of impaired health he disposed of his drug store. In 1878 he started a private bank,
under the name of the HALE Bank. This business did not seem congenial to him
and he soon abandoned it. In 1877 he purchased a lumber yard of Capt. H. M.
PEDAN, at that time the only one here. In 1880 an oposition yard was purchased
by F. W. CROSS & Co., which was purchased by Dr. HALE in 1882, and in 1884
he disposed of his lumber interests to Andrew CRANDALL, and retired from active
commercial life. Since then, though his health has not been very good, he has
occupied his time in looking after his large and varied real estate interests. In
financial affairs the Doctor was highly successful, due in a large measure to his
indomitable persistance and frugality, coupled with the fact that he was naturally
a man of excellent judgement. He was courteous to all, exact and scrupulously
honest in his dealings. In matters of local enterprise he could always be depended
upon to do his part--in fact was for Bunker Hill's interest at all times and under all
circumstances. In him the deserving poor ever had a faithful and sympathizing friend.
The Doctor never identified himself with any church. He was a consistent member
of the Bunker Hill lodge No. 151, A.F. & A.M. In politics, he was a Jeffersonian
Democrat, and firmly believed that the perpetuity of civil and religious liberty in this 
country solely depended upon the sucess of his party's principals. His widow, Mrs.
Eliza P. HALE and the following children survive him: Jas. B. HALE, Centerview,
Mo.; Gustavus A.HALE, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Thomas HALE of this city; Mrs.
Mamie C. REINHARDT, Roberts, Ill.; Samuel B. HALE, Carlyle, Ill.; Mrs. Nellie
DAVIS, St. Louis; Stephen A. HALE, Carlyle, Ill. Our friend Serenely to his final
rest has passed, While the soft memory of his virtues yet Lingers like twilight hues
when the bright sun has set.


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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Suzanne Hale Howard.
(© 1998 Suzanne Hale Howard)