Vermilion County IL Archives Obituaries.....Pollock, Alexander May 5, 1894 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Daniel Allen daniel.r.allen@comcast.net September 27, 2011, 12:50 am Danville Daily News - May 8, 1894 LAST OF EARTH Funeral Services Over the Remains of Dr. Alexander Pollock The large auditorium of the First Presbyterian church was filled to its greatest capacity yesterday afternoon a the last sad rites over the remains of Dr. Alexander Pollock; and that large gathering alone gave evidence of the esteem in which this man had always been regarded by his fellow citizens and warm friends. Before the casket, as it was borne down the aisle, walked Mayor Sloan and the members of the city council of which body Dr. Pollock was formerly an honored member. The casket was almost hidden with the great number of beautiful floral offerings, and besides those on its lid, many pieces were borne by the pall bearers. With Prof. Stoddard at the organ, the quartet composed of Messrs. Charles Smith, C. L. Kelley, A. R. Samuel, and E. X. Leseure, beautifully rendered “Rock of Ages,” “Thy Will be Done,” and “Home of the Soul.” Rev. S. H. Whitlock, of Kimber M. E. church, opened the services by reading a passage of scripture, after which he offered prayer. Rev. W. E. Andereck, of the First Baptist church, who, in the absence of Rev. W. E. Parsons, the pastor of the First Presbyterian church, officiated, took for his text Job 14:14: “If a man die, shall he live again?” The discourse was a most eloquent and touching one, and during the time in which it was delivered, there was hardly a dry eye in the room. The minister spoke of the resurrection of Christ as the real heart of Christianity. When the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb, the hope of his disciples perished. His tragic death was a well known and tragic fact, and the broken seal, and other silent witnesses of his resurrection remain unchanged today. The story of the visit of the women to the tomb, and the subsequent appearances of Christ were related. That resurrection of Christ was thereafter their key note in their work, for then they knew. And his resurrection assures us of our own, and when God rolled away the stone from His tomb, sp he will rend the gates that hide our dead. The speaker said that he felt any words of eulogy he might give would be far too weak to express his true feelings. He spoke of Dr. Pollock’s unifying work in behalf of temperance and the good of society of our city. For over thirty-two years he has been with you, and many have said to me, “we do not know what we will do without him.” Morally and religiously he has given us a beautiful example, and I do not doubt but he has heard the words of his master, “well done.” Rev. Whitlock then spoke a few words concerning his relations with this man, and of the great personal loss sustained by all. The remains were then borne to Springhill cemetery, followed by a long line of friends and neighbors. The following were pall bearers, Chauncey Lewis, A. A. McDonald, W. J. Calhoun, C. M. Swallow, Park T. Martin, P. J. Walker, A. C. Daniel, and W. A. Payton. No one who knew him feels the least restraint in saying that Dr. Pollock was a good man; yes, a noble, a modest, a pure, a charitable, a sympathetic, gentle, helpful man. For twenty odd years the writer has known him most intimately and can say with hundreds of others, “very lovely thou was unto me, my brother.” He had severe trials and heavy crosses, but he bore them heroically and never failed of hope, never was too heavily burdened to aid and cheer others. No wonder so many of the large audience wept as Bros. Adereck and Whitlock spoke so tenderly of him. Whatever be the reward of the true, the beautiful and the good in life to which his manly soul has passed, that will be the reward of Dr. Pollock to whom in sorrow we say farewell, but not forever. Although it was pretty generally known that Dr. Alexander Pollock had been confined to his home, 305 West Seminary Street, for several days, by rheumatism, the news of his feath, Saturday morning at 8:15 o’clock, was a shock to the whole community. The Doctor himself did not regard his sickness as serious. And Saturday morning made the remark to the members of his family that he felt much better than at any time since his illness. He ate a hearty breakfast at an early hour, and soon afterward prescribed for a patient who called. A few minutes later he was seized with a fainting spell and was removed from the chair to his bed. He was conscious and assured the loved ones about him that there was no occasion for alarm – it was only exhaustion. The words had scarcely passed his lips when he died. There was no movement of a muscle or the least indication of pain. The Doctor passed away as if falling into a peaceful slumber. During a residence of many years in Danville, Dr. Pollock did not make an enemy. He was one of the kindest hearted of men and was never so happy as when “going about and doing good.” “If any man in Danville was ever universally loved by the people, that man was Dr. Pollock,” remarked an old citizen, Saturday. All classes liked him and all will miss him. Dr. Pollock was born in Philadelphia, May 27 1829, and is of Scotch-Irish lineage and lived here since the fall of 1860. His youth was spent in his birthplace, which he left for the west in 1852, locating in Springfield, Ill., where he taught school for a short time. He studied medicine under Dr. R. E. Adams and in the year 1860 was graduated in St. Louis from the Homeopathic Medical college of Missouri. He shortly thereafter located in Danville. In 1862, he enlisted in company C, 125th Illinois Infantry, as first lieutenant and served until 1864, when he resigned his commission and returned to this state to practice medicine. He practiced at Decatur for about nine months and then removed to Danville, where he had since made his home. In Decatur, he married Miss Sarah Wood, who bore him two children, Charles, who now resides in Decatur, and Mrs. Will Purcell of Urbana. He afterward married Mrs. John Culbertson (NOTE: this should be Wilkinson), nee Miss Davis, a sister of the late Judge O. L. Davis, who survives him. By this union, there were three children, Oliver D., Miss Lucy, and Scott. Mrs. R. W. Gillett is a step- daughter of the deceased. Dr. Pollock was a member of the Wabash Valley Homeopathic Medical College society and a member of the First Presbyterian church. Additional Comments: When my great grandmother clipped this obituary, she did not save or record the name of the newspaper or the date. Since my 2nd great grandfather, Alexander Pollock, died on a Saturday, I am making the assumption the funeral was held on Monday and the obituary published on Tuesday. I am also making the assumption this was the Danville Daily News. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/vermilion/obits/p/pollock444gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 7.3 Kb