Walter Timms Obituary, Johnson County, TX =============================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. =============================================================================== Submitted by Virginia M. Finley Obit - Cleburne Paper, March 4, 1935 87-Year-Old Pioneer of County Dies Walter Timms Follows His Wife in Death by One Week Burial at 3:00 Today Retired Jeweler Came to Texas in 1860 from England Walter Timms, 87, pioneer Texan and retired jeweler of Cleburne, died at 12:55 p.m. yesterday at his home on North Anglin Street, following his wife in death by exactly a week. Both had pneumonia. Services will be conducted at 3 p.m. today by Claude Canterbury at the Episcopal Church. Mr. Timms will be buried in the Prince Albert wedding suit he wore 55 years ago. His wife was buried in her wedding dress last Monday. Pallbearers will be vestrymen of the church. Mr. Timms was born in Moreton, Glouscestershire, England in 1847. When he was 13 years old, he came to America with an aunt on the sailing vessel, "The W. B. Travis," the voyage taking nine weeks. From Galveston they traveled up the bayou to Houston in a small barge. Mr. Timms lived with his aunt and uncle in Bosque County not far from Kimball. When 14, he began working for Jacob DeCordova, large promoter of Texas lands. Later, during, during his life among the frontiersmen of the new West, Mr. Timms had many varying experiences, adventures and hardships. Ran Ferry At one time he was a freighter; at another time he ran a ferry across the Brazos at Kimball where the cattlemen crossed with their cattle when going up the trail. He was once deputy constable of Bosque County. In 1871 Mr. Timms was married to Mrs. Eliza Payne Lancaster and they had one daughter, Mrs. Charles Stevenson (Lena Timms). After the death of his first wife, he took his two-year-old daughter and returned to his father's home in England where he learned the jeweler's trade and the art of fine watchmaking. After his return to Texas in 1878, Mr. Timms sold out his holdings in Bosque County and moved in 1879 to Cleburne where he established the firm, W. Timms Jeweler. Married in 1880 Mr. Timms was married to Miss Ada H. Tracy in 1880. Their only child died in infancy. In 1900 he retired from the jewelry business in Cleburne that he might indulge his life-long hobby of raising race horses. Until past the age of 85, he rode horse-back or drove a two horse wagon almost daily to his farm. Surviving are his daughter, Mrs. Stevenson, a grandson, Walter Finley; and three great grand-daughters, Evelyn, Rosemary and Virginia Finley; three nephews, Dr. L. E. Dickson, General Tracy Dickson, Fred D. Dickson, and four nieces, Mrs. R. A. Thompson, Mrs. Frances D. Abernathy, Mrs. H. H. Teaff and Mrs. Comer Haynes; a brother, Harry Timms, and two sisters, Mrs. Healy and Mrs. Frank Page, all in England. ________ Couple Buried in Wedding Clothes Mr. And Mrs. Walter Timms spent 55 eventful and happy years in marriage. In death they wore the clothing they had for their marriage ceremony. Mrs. Timms died February 24 and was buried in her wedding dress. Mr. Timms died Sunday and Monday was buried in the suit he wore when he was married. Mr. And Mrs. Timms also were the first people to ever be married in the Episcopal Church of Cleburne. ___________ FUNERAL IS HELD FOR CLEBURNE RESIDENT CLEBURNE, March 5, 1935 Funeral services for Walter Timms, 87, who died at his home here Sunday after a two-week illness with pneumonia, and one week after the death of his wife, Mrs. Ada Tracy Timms, of the same ailment, were held at the Church of the Holy Comforter Monday afternoon. Burial was beside his wife in Cleburne Cemetery.