Owens - James
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Review, Jan 3, 1908 p 1
If there is a man in the United States older than he, actively engaged in clerical work in a bank, James Owens of this city does not want to hear from him for at his time of life he would not like to lay down the claim to being the oldest bank clerk in the country.
Although he will be 82 years of age on the 12th day of next October, Mr. Owens is still as active in his line of work as he was 20 years ago though he is physically feeble and at some times nearly helpless. For 29 years he has been engaged as book keeper in the Citizens National Bank and for that many years he has been doing the same thing day in and day out year after year and he will probably retain the position until he dies. He is said to be so accurate that no mistakes are ever found in his work and he can add a column of figures as rapidly as his eye will traverse them. He will ad from 5-7 columns of figures and write the answer at the end of the addition instead of at the completion of each single column.
In the 29 years he has worked at the bank he has pursued the same line of work and most of that time he has seen his beloved books through the same pair of heavy gold rimmed spectacles. He used the same pen for years but only a short time ago some careless person dropped it and he had to accept a new one. If there is anything in the business line that he cannot tolerate it is to have some one else work on his books or even to make a small mark on one of them. He has never taken a vacation even for a day. Last spring he was sick for 11 weeks but that was the only time he has ever been absent from duty. In 36 years he has not been on a train nor out of the city except on short drives close to home. His business does not require him to talk to customers and so he rarely speaks to any one during the day. There is a strong attachment between Mr. Owens and a large maltese cat which has been a family pet for 9 years. All day long the cat will lay on one chair by
the stove but when he hears the approach of the master’s footstep returning
form the bank in the evening will walk sedately to the front door to meet
him. The cat has done this regularly for
years and just as regularly as he goes to the front door he receives 5 cents
worth of meat which Mr. Owens invariably brings home for the purpose.
Prior to his employment in the bank, Mr. Owens was book
keeper in the AF Ramsey wholesale house and when Mr. Ramsey opened the bank he
placed Mr. Owens there in charge of the books. He also served as clerk in the
post office and in the county treasurers office. - transcribed by kbz
Source: Weekly Review June 26, 1908 (this and article below were right next to each other on page 2
The funeral of the late James Owens was held at 3 o'clock Sunday afternon at Masonic Temple, conducted by the Odd Fellows & Knight of Pythias Lodges, to both of which Mr. Owens belonged. Each lodge gave its beautiful ritualistic service, the Odd Fellows giving their service first, followed by the K of P. There were no officiating minister. The casket was placed in the center of the Temple and in reciting the services, the members of the lodges stood about the casket. Numerous beautiful floral tributes were banked about the casket. Interment occurred at Oak Hill. The pall bearers were P.C. Somerville, Charles Goltra ,AW Johnson, John B. Rice, WW Washburn and WK Martin, all officials or employees of the Citizens National Bank.
The funeral of James Owens, who died at his home 225 South Washington Street Friday afternoon wwill (19 June) be held at the Masonic Temple Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock. The services will be in charge of the K of P, Masons and Odd Fellow, to all of which orders Mr. Owens belonged. Mr. Owens was a native of OHio, having been born in that state October 17, 1825. Had he lived until next October he would have been 83 years of age. He was married to Laura B. Gilkey of Greencastle in December 1864 and came here to Crawfordsville immediately. He has lived here continuously ever since.