Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Cecil, James Francis January 9, 1890 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Suzy Ward Fleming wardflemin@aol.com February 28, 2014, 9:59 am The Landmark January 10, 1890 The Landmark January 10, 1890 Captain James F. Cecil, the agent of the Norfolk and Western Railroad in this city and the commander of Pickett-Buchanan Camp of Confederate Veterans, died at his residence, corner of Bute and Boush streets, yesterday afternoon at 1:45 o’clock. Captain Cecil may be put down as the first victim in this city whose death may be directly traceable to la grippe. He was taken with this now prevalent disease last week and was quite a sufferer. Monday last he went to his office though not free of the symptoms of the disease and feeling far from well. He went back home in the afternoon and was not out of bed after that time. Wednesday night his attack developed into pneumonia, and despite every effort of skilled medical attention he continued to grow worse, rapidly until yesterday, when all hope was relinquished and the worst hourly expected. Captain Cecil was one of the charter members of Pickett- Buchannan Camp, and was elected to membership December 4th, 1883. He was in his 47th year of his age at the time of his death. He was born in Pulaski County and entered the Confederate service April 23rd, 1861, as a private in Richmond. He was assigned to Company C of the Forth Virginia Regiment, of Jackson’s division of “Stonewall Brigade” of the second corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, and served under Captain N.N.Bosang. He took part in the following engagements: First Manassas, McDowell’s, Franklin, Front Royal, Winchester ’62, Hall Town, Cross Keys, Port Republic, Cold Harbor, Savage’s Station, Frazier’s Farm, Malvern Hill, Cedar Run, Second Manassas, Ox Hill, Harper’s Ferry, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Cloyd’s Mountain, and several skirmishes and light engagements in the Valley and Southwest Virginia. He served the first year of the war as a private, and the second and third as a lieutenant, and the forth as captain and provost marshal. He was wounded in the right thigh at First Manassas and wounded in the left thigh and disabled for field duty at Chancellorsville; hence he served the last year of the war in Southwest Virginia as provost marshal under Generals Breckenridge and Echols, and surrendered with General J.E. Johnson’s army at Greensboro, N.C., Mary 2nd 1865. Captain Cecil began his connections with the transportation business at Dublin, in Pulaski County, in April or May of 1868, with the old Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad, where he continued until 1874, when he came to Norfolk as agent of the company here, in which position he remained even under the change of management when the road became the Norfolk and Western. He has always taken a deep interest in the welfare of our city, and has been long recognized as one of our foremost citizens. In the affairs of the Confederate Veterans he has always taken a very lively part in the comradeship of all of the care of those who were impoverished by the fortunes of war. Captain Cecil married about 1877, Miss Louisa Reid, a daughter of the late Robert Reid, and she remains to mourn the loss of a devoted and loving husband. He was a gentleman of handsome and commanding appearance, genial in manner, and very popular with a large circle of our citizens. At the last election of officers of Pickett-Buchanan Camp he was elected to commander and that position he held at the time of this death. He was a first cousin of Lieutenant-Governor J. Hoge Tyler. He was a member of Norfolk Council No. 228, Royal Arcanum; Norfolk Lodge No. 956, Knights of Honor, and of Ruth Lodge No. 89, A.F. and A.M., all of which with Pickett-Buchanan Camp, the Ladies Memorial Association of the Camp, and probably and escort from the Forth Virginia Regiment, will attend the funeral which will take place Sunday, the time and place to be announced. ***************************************************************** Norfolk Virginian January 11, 1890 The funeral of Captain James F. Cecil, whose sad and sudden death was noticed in The Landmark yesterday morning, will take place tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon at 3 o’clock, from the First Presbyterian Church. It will be perhaps, the largest funeral in Norfolk for a long time. In respect to his memory the flags were placed at half-mast yesterday, on all of steamers, the transportation offices, and wharves, and also on many of the public building in the city. ****************************************************************** Norfolk Virginian January 12, 1890 Funeral of Capt. James F. Cecil, whose death Thursday afternoon has already been noticed, will be laid to rest this afternoon at 3 o’clock with imposing ceremonies. The service will take place at the First Presbyterian Church, and will beyond doubt, be very largely attended. In addition to Pickett-Buchanan Camp of Confederate Veterans, of which Capt. Cecil was the Commander at the time of his death, the military companies of this city will participate in the funeral, as well as the civic organizations of which he was a member and the Ladies’ Memorial Association of Pickett- Buchanan, and a volunteer force of colored men who were employed through Capt. Cecil as agent here of the Norfolk and Western Railroad. The following will be the order of formation of the funeral cortege: Forth Virginia Regiment, Companies A and B; and the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. Pickett- Buchanan Camp of Confederate Veterans. Stonewall Camp of Confederate Veterans of Portsmouth. Masonic and other civic organizations Volunteer force of colored men. The Ladies Memorial Association will join the others at the church. Additional Comments: Elmwood File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/norfolkcity/obits/c/cecil4898gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 6.2 Kb