Peirce - R. B. F.
Source: Jamestown Press, 9 Dec 1898, pg. 4 R.
B.F. Peirce (sic) manager of the ID & W Railway died very suddenly at his home in Indianapolis Monday. His body was taken to Crawfordsville, his former home, Wed. for interment. He recently resigned his position as received of the Clover Leaf system. He was the man who brought that road and the ID & W up to what they are today. -k
Source: Logansport Pharos-Tribune Tues 6 Dec 1898 p 20
Indianapolis, Dec 6 – RBF Peirce general manager of the Indiana, Decatur & Western RR, died suddenly at his home in North Meridian Street while reading the paper yesterday morning. Peirce resigned the receivership of the Clover Leaf railroad a few days ago because of ill health. He was an ex-member of congress and was formerly prominent in Indianapolitics. Sunday night he had three attacks of heart trouble and his son, Edward B. Peirce, who slept in a room next to his, had to go to him three times. A Little after 7 o’clock in the morning he entered his son’s room and lay down on the bed with him. They talked for some time and in answer to his son’s inquiry Peirce said that he felt much better. They got up and Peirce took a bath after which he seated himself in an easy chair in his son’s room. Edward brought him newspapers and his father said, “What is this?” Those were the last words he uttered. Robert B. F. Peirce was born at Laurel, Frankin County, Ind Feb 17, 1843. His father’s ancestry was English and his mothers whose family name was Frazier was scotch. His paternal ancestors settled in Massachusetts before the revolutionary war. -- kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 9 December 1898
Wednesday at 10 o’clock a.m. in Indianapolis there was a short funeral service at the home of the family of the late R. B. F. Peirce in Indianapolis, the service being conducted by the Rev. Dr. M. L. Hains. For two hours previous to the ceremony the body laid in state and was viewed by hundreds of friends of the honored dead man. After the service the body was taken to the Union Station, where a special train was waiting to take the funeral party to Crawfordsville. In the baggage room of one of the cars a catafalque had been fitted up and buried beneath a mound of flowers the body rested on this during its journey.
The pall bearers in Indianapolis were: Gen. Harrison, Gen. Lew Wallace, Col. Ivan N. Walker, A. L. Mason, John N. Carey, E. H. Nebeker, Samuel E. Morse, John S. Lazarus, Harry C. Adams, and John W. Chipman.
The special train was heavily draped in mourning and was made up of the Clover Leaf private car No. 59 and the I. D. & W. private car No. 75, with a day coach, and the combination coach. It was run via the I. D. & W. to Roachdale, and from there to Crawfordsville over the Monon. John S. Lazarus, traffic manager, and Superintendent Graves had charge of the train.
Before the arrival of the funeral train in Crawfordsville a special arrived from Frankfort bearing two hundred and ___ Clover Leaf employees and prominent citizens of that place. On the funeral train, which reached here shortly after 2 o’clock, came nearly two hundred more of the friends of Mr. Peirce from Indianapolis. A large delegation from this city met the train at the Monon station. The pallbearers here were: John S. Brown, Prof. J. L. Campbell, H. H. Ristine, F. M. Dice, Benjamin Crane, Henry Perry, T. H. Ristine, and Prof. A. B. Milford.
The cortege moved from the station to Center Church via Green, Main and Washington Streets and upon the arrival there found the church already full. There was not room for the great concourse which gathered and the high regard in which Mr. Peirce was held was mutely attested by the assembly to do honor to his memory. The Knights of Pythias in a body and also the Crawfordsville bar attended the service. The floral designs were magnificent and numerous, those given by the railroad officials and employees being especially exquisite. The service was opened by Center Church quartette singing “Rock of Ages.” This was followed by a prayer by Dr. Alexander. The quartette then sang “Sometime We Will Understand,” after which Dr. E. B. Thomson made a few appropriate remarks. He dwelt upon the life of Mr. Peirce as a citizen in Crawfordsville and spoke as from the standpoint of a fellow citizen and friend. He concluded with a scriptural reading and then introduced the Rev. Dr. William P. Stratton, of Tiffin, O., who preached the funeral discourse. Dr. Stratton was formerly past of Center Presbyterian Church and was very intimately associated with Mr. Peirce, they being close friends not only during their residence here, but in their after lives. Dr. Stratton spoke as a friend, and his remarks were both touching and beautiful. Following the sermon there was another selection by the quartette and the service was closed by a prayer by Dr. J. F. Tuttle. The body was then taken to its last resting place at Oak Hill. - thanks so much to S for all her work on the obit pages
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 9 December 1898
Indianapolis, Dec. 5, 1898—R. B. F. Peirce died suddenly this morning at his home, 1150 North Meridian Street. His son, Edward and his daughter, Mrs. Lois Hughes, who were present, saw their father lurch forward while reading his paper. He was dead when the doctor arrived. His death is ascribed to apoplexy. Recently Mr. Peirce was strangely stricken at Cincinnati but apparently recovered from that attack.
Robert B. F. Peirce was born February 17, 1843 at Laurel, Franklin County, Indiana. His father, Henry Peirce, came of Puritan stock, and was born in Massachusetts. He came to Indiana at an early day, settling first at Fairfield and afterwards moved to Laurel. The family was large, consisting of seven boys and two girls, and the father failing in health, when Robert arrived at the age of seventeen, was too poor to assist him into business or in getting an education. But he made up his mind to have a full collegiate education, and in September, 1860, entered the preparatory department of Wabash College. Being without funds, he supported himself by working during his spare time, sawing wood and doing such other work as he could obtain; and for the first two years of his college course he sawed all the wood used by one of the hotels in Crawfordsville. The war broke out soon after he entered college and as the different calls were made for soldiers, one after another of his brothers entered the service until he, the fourth and the only remaining one old enough to enlist, volunteered and was chosen second lieutenant of his company. He remained in the army until the close of the Atlanta Campaign, when his regiment was mustered out of service. He then returned to college and renewed his classical course. In July, 1866, he went to Shelbyville, in this state, to read law in the office of the Hon. B. F. Love, and although a comparative stranger, was at once elected to fill a vacancy in the office of city attorney, but the unanimous vote of the city council.
He was married November 20, 1866, to Miss Hattie Blair, of Crawfordsville, daughter of John W. Blair. She died October 28, 1878. They became the parents of three children: Lois J., Frank H., who died in 1881, and Edwin B.
Several years ago he was married to Mrs. Van Valkenburg, of Plymouth, who survives him and who is now abroad.