OBIT: William T. BLACKBURN, 1922, Altoona, Blair County, PA

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W. T. BLACKBURN CALLED BY DEATH

Ex-Coroner, Former Sheriff and Prominent Republican Dies After Long 
Illness from a Complication of Diseases.

  Following an illness which extended over a period of three years, 
during which time he was confined to his home most of the time, William 
Thomas Blackburn, ex-coroner, ex-sheriff and prominent Republican and a 
retired Pennsylvania Railroad company shopman, died at his home, 508 
Second avenue, last evening at 8 o'clock.
  Mr. Blackburn was born at Pleasantville, Bedford county, May 27, 
1850, the son of Thomas [Martin - ed.] and Mandella Blackburn. At the 
age of 14 the father died, leaving the son the only support of his 
mother, so that the young man started early on a long career of 
usefulness.
  The father was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war and 
was taken prisoner by the rebels and confined to the Andersonville 
prison, where he died of starvation.
  Mr. Blackburn came to this city in 1869 and on Jan. 31, 1872, entered 
the employ of the Pennsy and helped erect many of the shops. He then 
entered the freight shop where he served under Andrew Kipple, Newton 
Cunningham and William P. Geib. Previous to his retirement he was 
transferred to the store house at Seventh street.
  Owing to impaired health, Mr. Blackburn was retired from the service 
of the company on Oct. 1, 1918, after a career covering a period of 
almost forty-six years, although he worked but little during the last 
two years before retirement owing to ill health. 
  Mr. Blackburn was elected coroner of Blair county in 1904 and was 
reelected, serving in all three terms of three years each and one term 
of four years, retiring the first Monday of January, 1920, when his 
successor, Chester C. Rothrock, who had been his deputy for a number of 
years, succeeded to the office.
  Under a Pennsylvania law which makes the coroner the successor to the 
sheriff in case of a vacancy, Mr. Blackburn assumed the duties of 
sheriff of Blair county upon the death of Sheriff G. Thomas Bell, 
filling out the unexpired term of that official.
  In politics, Mr. Blackburn was a Republican. He was a member of the 
United Brethren church, the Knights of Pythias, the Jr. O.U.A.M., and 
the Pennsylvania Railroad Relief association.
  He is survived by his wife and the following children:  Mrs. W. W. 
Power of Philadelphia, Mrs. G. V. Woody of Wilkes-Barre, Mrs. G. A. 
Eberle, Mrs. John J. Ulrich and H. H. Blackburn, all of this city, 
thirteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and two brothers 
and one sister, Mrs. Annie Ripley, of Roaring Spring, Jacob C. [Jacob 
E. - ed.] Blackburn of Pleasantville, Bedford county, and Nathan C. 
Blackburn, a prominent miller, residing in Omaha, Neb.
  Private funeral services will be conducted on Thursday afternoon at 
2.30 o'clock at the home. Private burial will be made in Rose Hill 
cemetery.

Altoona Mirror, Altoona, Pa., Tuesday, February 7, 1922