Denman - Joel - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

On a Christmas day more than thirty four years ago, a child was born unto Moses and Jemima Denman. This child was christened Joel L Denman. His early years were happy ones, and no sorrow came to the home of his parents until Joel reached the age of six. At that age a frightful accident occurred that snatch from them the father of the household leaving a widowed mother and eight children to mourn for him. Of these Joel was the youngest but one other. Because of an encumbrance on the farm and providing for a large family, it became necessary for each individual member to do his best. And thus early was inculcated into Joel (and all the rest of the family for that matter,) a self reliant integrity nurtured by the industry which accomplished so much for this remarkable family. Thus early Joel learned the great lesson that industry is the corner stone of prosperity. From that day to this he never shirked a duty. Up to the age of twenty he attended public schools winters and worked very hard through the summers on the farm. His education was completed at the Alamo Academy where he ranked at the head of his classes. Joel was a great lover of music and devoted much of his spare time in acquiring a proficiency in this accomplishment. What he did in this line was characteristic of the man, he did it well. He sang excellently and was master of several musical instruments. He was at one time a member of the Alamo band and for several years was connected with the orchestra at that place. He also taught singing several terms. In the year of 1895 he was married at the age of thirty two, to Miss Mary Hastings. That union has been blessed by one child, a bright boy now two years old.

Joel was not identified with any church, but believed firmly in the teachings of the Old School Baptist. He believed in all churches and in their good work and indeed in anything which tended to better society. As was stated in another part of this short biography, it seems that Joel early learned the great truths which are so essential to the welfare of man. He was industrious and at the time of his death he had accumulated some property. He was kind and generous to a fault. If every any man applied to his every day life the practical teachings of the Golden Rule, Joel did. He had a great loving heart that went out to every one and when in his daily work he saw a man with a hard task he jumped into the work and helped his neighbor out. This sort of thing has been his practice since he reached the years of accountability.

Search all the country around Alamo and you cannot find a better man or one that would be missed more in the community where he dwelled. He was always jolly, with a kind word for everyone. He did not have one bad habit and in his case, as Shakespeare says: “When he come to die all the world could stand up and say, “There was a man.”

He had a fixedness of purpose and a determination to do right and deal justly with his fellow men and he held to this notion to his death. Of his death and its cause all are familiar, how he was devoting his time to the public good, how he was staying till the last load of the day was finished, and how when it was almost done and in two minutes more he would have gone rejoicing to his happy home; how at that awful moment those cruel, terrible tons of dirt came upon him with all the suddenness of lightning crushing out his young life in the twinkling of an eye. Such is a short sketch of Joel M. Denman’s life. His life was a short and busy one, but his good deeds will live a long time in this community. His funeral was held at the Methodist Church at Alamo August 29, at 11 o’clock. Rev. Miller, of Waynetown, of the Old Baptist persuasion delivered the sermon, the great concourse of people being only outnumbered by one other occasion that being the death of Mr. John A. Clark, Mr. Rush and Mr. Green, all killed when the Alamo hack was run into by the I. B. & W. train in 1883. Mr. Denman was an enthusiastic lover of orchestra music and at the request of his wife the boys played two selections. Sad indeed it was to see the flower laden coffin supported by his mourning nephews to the solemn Andante by the orchestra. Much praise is also due the choir. We remember one song, “We Will Meet You in the Morning,” having heard Mr. Denman’s clear tenor sing it in times past. To the friends and relatives those words are a consolation.

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 3 September 1897

Last Friday just as work was closing at the gravel pit near the Denman homestead two miles southwest of Alamo, Joel M. Denman met his death by the caving of the bank. Several teams had been at work there during the day, and Mr. Denman’s team was the last one left under the thirty five foot bank when the day’s work closed. He was standing between the wagon and the bank; just preparatory to starting out, when the cave-in was announced by the falling of some stones and dirt. Mr. Denman made a frantic effort to leap over the wagon, but was too late. The mighty avalanche of stones and earth fell upon him with crushing force, pinning him down across his wagon bed and literally mashing his life out. The bulk of the cave-in fell upon the wagon, and the frightened horses, although heavily stuck, lunged forward, breaking loose from the wagon and escaped. The workmen at the pit quickly rushed to the rescue and in a short time the body of Mr. Denman, which lay beneath about two feet of the debris, was extricated. Life was extinct, however, and death had evidently been almost instantaneous. Mr. Denman was about forty years of age and lived with his wife and one child on the old Denman farm. He was a brother to auditor Denman, of Putnam County, and of Mrs. William Bowers, of south of town. He was a man highly esteemed by all who knew him, and was in all regards an excellent citizen. - thanks to S for all the obit work