Greene County, NC - Newspapers File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Christine Grimes Thacker Wilson Daily Times Janurary 24, 1914 In Memory of THOMAS HAYWOOD BEST Rarely, if ever, does it fall to the lot of one man to write memorials or obituaries of six brothers, but that has come within the province and experience of the writer of these lines. In 1881 when he moved to Greene County there were living the six brothers; Robert W., Capt. Henry H., William E., B.J., R.E., and Tom Best. They were large, tall, stalwart men, each one was more than six feet tall and each one was weighed more than two hundred pounds, and were the sons of Mr. Henry and Mrs. Maria Best, large land owners and as ____ and noble sire and matron as ever lived. The sesons inherited large estates from their father and mother and all, save Robert W., the elder, who had gone into political life, being at one time Secretary of State of North Carolina and afterward held official position in the Pension Department of the government at Washington, lived on their lauded estates near Snow Hill and were engaged in agricultural pursuits, the three younger, Jim, Rufus and Haywood devoting a part of each year, for a number of years, to traveling for large whole sale mercantile houses of Baltimore. One by one these fine, stalwart, brainy, brawny men passed across the mystic river. Robert W. was the first and of him this writer wrote a memorial, then Rufus E., then W.E., then B.J., then Capt. Henry H., all of them prominent and influential in the political and material upbuild and advancement of county and State, and now he takes up pen to pay tribute, meager though it be, to the memory of the last one of those fine men, the lamented and beloved Thomas Haywood Best. He was born on the 7th of November 1844 and was happily married January 20th 1876 to Miss Mollie J. Blount, the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Blount, formerly of Nashville, N.C., but who, at that time were residents of Wilson. Three children were born unto them, the two daughters being called to the Higher Home years ago, little Maria in her childhood and Lida Leigh in the beauty and splendor of her brilliant, young womanhood and the son, Dr. Henry B. Best now a learned popular, successful physician and splendid gentleman and citizen of Wilson, is spared by the Divine One to be to his fond, devoted mother her stay, her comfort and support in the great, whelming sorrow that has come to her in her declining years. Though reared on the farm with all rural advantages surrounding him, he was allured therefrom by the commercial life and a fine proposition being made to him by the Boykin and Carmer drug house of Baltimore, he accepted the same as its traveling representative in Eastern Carolina, became a member of the firm and was until the death of the two senior members, Drs. Boykin and Carmer. After this, Mr. Best retired from active business life, became a courtant and permanent resident of Wilson to which town he had moved his family a few years before and there spent his remaining years. Some six of seven years ago he had a stroke of paralysis, several other strokes followed making him an invalid and helpless. During the last three years he was unable to walk or talk but his mental faculties were happily retained throughout the infliction that rested on him like an iron hand, but he did not murmur or complain, was always cheerful, always considerate of those about him and to the fullest he enjoyed the coming in of his friends, showed by nod of head, by smile and other indications that he was appreciative of the topics discussed. About three weeks before the silent, noiseless Messenger came, Bright's Kidney disease made its attack on his frail system and to this he succumbed in the early morning of the 10th and tranquilly quietly, gently as a child falls on sleep he entered the ever lasting rest and the sweet peace vouchsafed by the crucified one to the tired and weary ones of earth. The next afternoon, followed by a large crowd of sympathetic friends, his remains were taken to the Coast Line station thence to Snow Hill and on Sunday morning were laid away in burial under the sod of his own choosing over which a family monument he himself had erected and by the side of his sleeping daughters. En route to Snow Hill at Goldsboro and Kinston, sorrowing friends were gathered with their floral offerings to pay affections tribute to the beloved friend of olden days then on his way to the tomb. At Snow Hill another large crowd had gathered at the station and these were his old home friends and the tear-filled eye and tremulous hand told in unspoken speech that the dead was fondly beloved and that their hearts were athrob with tendcrest sympathy for the grief-stricken and bereft ones. Of that splendid original Best family there is one sister now living, Mrs. Bettle Frant who lives almost in sight of the old home and she is one of the best and noblest of that county's splendid womanhood and to her countless hearts send loving sympathy in the speechless desolation hovering to the memory of loved ones gone and to tears. But there is a promised reunion beyond this vale of tears and the blessed doctrine of there surrection and of immortal life now soothes and lulls aching hearts into holy calm and resignation. Peaceful be the sleep of our friend and God bless his immortal soul. J.W.B. Typed by JENNIFER LEE PATE =========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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