Obituary: Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Alex REED ************************************************************************ Submitted by Kathy Grace, July 2004 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Daily Northwestern December 13, 1890 A.H. Reed at Rest The Death of An Old Settler The Clerk of the Probate Court of Winnebago County Breaths His Last This Morning. A.H. Read, on of the pioneers of Oshkosh, died this morning. Mr. Read has been in feeble health for some time. During the fall he has suffered now and then, but he was found at his office in the court house every day and though he never complained his friends saw that he was not as before. He kept a t work until a few days ago when he was suddenly attacked with what seemed a kind of heart disease, and almost before his family and friends realized how serious his case was, death carried him away. Mr. Read was one of the men who saw Oshkosh in its youth. He came here from Waukesha in 1848. He was born in the east on February, 1832, New York being his native state. He was sixty-eight years old in February, 1890. He was unmarried when he came to Oshkosh, and he went to work immediately as clerk in Cheasley's drug store. Later he started a general store which he ran for several years. He sold out, however, and went into the shingle business. This was his last business venture. Mr. Read has held a number of offices both in the city and county. He was city treasurer at one time and for many years he was clerk of the board of supervisors. Early in the seventies he was the chief enrolling clerk of the assembly and for the last thirteen years he has been connected with the office of the clerk of the court. He was appointed deputy clerk by T.D. Grimmer and he served in that capacity for ten years. Three years ago the office of register of probate was created and Mr. Read was appointed to fill the position, so that for three years he has held both positions. He was at one time United States guager in this city. He has held various other public offices. He was appointed agent for the Menominee Indians by the Grant administration, but the new law went into effect before he qualified. There is probably not a man in the city better known than was Alex Read. He was kindly disposed toward everyone and he was seldom heard to say unkind things of even those whom he disliked. In his work he was careful and trust-worthy and he had the respect and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. He is survived by a wife and three children, Mrs. Thomas Vaughn, of this city; Fred, of Dakota, and Ben, of Oshkosh. Most of his relatives reside in the east, though he had relations at Lake Geneva and Waukesha. The funeral will probably not be held before Wednesday, so as to give his son time to arrive. Daily Northwestern December 15, 1890 Funeral of A.H. Read The funeral of the late A.H. Read will take place Wednesday afternoon at two o'clock from the First Congregational church. The services will be under the auspices of the Odd Fellows, and the Rev. Edward H. Smith will also officiate. The singing will be by Mrs. R.F. Kellogg and William Herbert Dale. Daily Northwestern, December 17, 1890 Buried Today The Funeral of the Late A.H. Read was Held This Afternoon The funeral of the late A.H. Read was held from the First Congregational church this afternoon. The services were conducted by the Rev. Edward H. Smith who preached an excellent sermon. Mrs. R.F. Kellogg and William Herbert Dale sang a few selections, Winnebago Lodge I.O.O.F. attended in a body and nearly all the members of the bar were present. The offices at the court house were closed and circuit court adjourned out of respect to his memory. The large attendance of friends at the funeral showed the esteem in which Mr. Read was held.