DOWDEN, William Matthias - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Yeddo, March 5-- Prof. WIlliam M. Dowden, age 55 years died at his home Thursday night in Lansing, Michigan where he was president of the Lansing Business University. He was the son of Dr. and Mrs. JW Dowden and was born and reared in this community. Mr. Dowden's mother, formerly, MIss Clodfelter of Crawfordsville died when he was six years of age, leaving Mrs. Dowden with four small children without means for their support. Thus the children were left alone much of the time and William was what we would call a self-made man that rose to high position he occupied at the time of his death. Marion Clodfelter prominent attorney of crawfordsville in his day was an uncle of the deceased, being his mother's brother. WH Myers of this place was his first teacher in the year 1883 in the Yeddo public school. In the year 1900, FM Shell, postmaster of this place then township trustee gave him hisi first school teaching job in the Harveysburg school. Mr. Dowden has lived in Michigan for the last 25 or 30 years but has made trips back to Indiana for special occassions such as Mens Day and Old Settlers meetings at which he was one of the main speakers two years ago. Mr. Dowden was married to Miss May Redenbaugh who survives. There were no children. The body was borught to Kingman Sunday and burial will be in Harveysburg Cemetery at 2 p.m. Monday.