Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Skellenger, William  April 4, 1900
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com January 30, 2014, 8:20 pm

Belding Banner - Thurs. April 19, 1900

William Skellenger of Smyrna, The Oldest Resident of Ionia County is Dead. 

“Uncle” William Skellenger is no more. For one of his age he had retained all 
his faculties to a most remarkable extent, being spry and active to a degree 
far beyond most men of twenty-five years younger up to the time he was stricken 
with paralysis, last week Tuesday morning. He made his home with his son-in-
law, A.J. Dicken, and on that morning he was heard to arise at an early hour, 
and Mr. Dicken told him that it was too early to get up and advised him to go 
back to bed. He replied that he couldn’t, and he believed he had suffered a 
stroke of paralysis. It was soon found to be only too true, the right side 
being affected, and he was placed back in bed and medical assistance summoned. 
But there was no help for him and he steadily grew worse until death called him 
on Saturday evening.

It was a remarkable coincidence that he was born on the same date as Abraham 
Lincoln and died on the same day of the month as did Lincoln. He was always a 
staunch republican. The funeral was held at the Smyrna church Monday afternoon, 
Rev. John Klose officiating.

William Skellenger was born in Tompkins county, town of Dryden, state of New 
York, on February 12, A.D., 1809. In 1827 he moved to the town of Canadice, 
Ontario County. Nine years later, with his wife and family, in 1836, he removed 
to the town of Armada, County of Macomb, Michigan. In 1861 he moved into the 
town of Otisco, Ionia County, where he has since resided. Mr. Skellenger was at 
the time of his death, therefore 91 years, two months and two days old, having 
passed the limit of “three score years and ten” by over twenty years. In 1832 
he was married to Miss Mary Ann Barmister, in Canadice, New York, and eight 
children were born to the couple, of whom six, three sons and three daughters, 
survive the aged parent. The wife died in 1849, in Macomb county Michigan. Mr. 
Skellenger leaves as the issue of his marriage, besides his sons and daughters, 
twenty-seven grandchildren and twenty-seven great-grandchildren. He has served 
as constable and deputy sheriff for forty two years, both in Macomb and Ionia 
counties, which shows him an acceptable and faithful officer in the eyes of the 
people among whom his life was passed; was again elected on April second last 
sworn in on April 9th, stricken with paralysis on the morning of April 10, and 
found his rest at 6 o’clock p.m. April 14. While living in Armada, the subject 
of this sketch became converted and in 1838 joined the Methodist Church. But 
later, when a resident of Otisco, he became identified with the Congregational 
church of which organization he remained a member until the local church 
disbanded. These data are mainly copied from a paper written not long ago by 
Mr. Skellenger and placed by him between the leaves of his treasured bible, and 
to them he added: “I still live in good faith that I shall in the end receive 
the crown laid up for me in heaven.”






Additional Comments:
Certif. #7
Wm. Skellenger -d. 14 apr. 1900 – age 91 yr 2 m 9 dy
B. Feb. 11, 1809- N.Y.
Son of Samuel Skellenger
Smyrna Cemetery


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/s/skelleng23833nob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/

File size: 3.7 Kb