Sanders - Thomas D.
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 6 October 1899
Georgetown (O.) Argus: Captain Thomas D. Sanders was born near Bentonville, Adams County, Ohio, Nov. 2, 1826; died at his home in Decatur, Brown County, Ohio, Sept. 5, 1899, aged 72 years, 10 months and 3 days.
He was married Dec. 16, 1852, to Sarah Pickerill, who survives him and is still occupying the same farm on which she was born and raised. To this union were born eleven children, seven of whom have preceded their father to the spirit land, leaving only four—Abbie, William, James and Eliza—still living.
The subject of this sketch has lived in this community more than forty years, and was a well known man. The writer of this sketch has been acquainted with him for nearly that length of time as a neighbor, comrade, and friend. He was a man of many sterling qualities, a man of strong sense and deep convictions. He was a Christian—what more need be said? He embraced the religion of Jesus many years ago, and to the day of his death was ever faithful to his cause and true to his church and was always ready to defend and give a reason for the faith that was in him. As he lived, so he died, expressing with almost his last words his desire to depart and be with Christ, saying the childlike faith, “I know in whom I have trusted.” He was ever true to his family, to his country and to his God.
Thomas D. Sanders was a patriot and a soldier. He came of a family of soldiers and was always very proud of the fact that his kindred and himself has rendered service in the cause of their country. His grandfather, Mason, was a soldier of the Revolutionary War. His father, John Sanders, was a soldier of the War of 1812. Our comrade was a soldier of the Mexican War, being a member of the first regiment of Indiana volunteers, of which the afterwards famous Jim Lane, of Kansas, was colonel. He went from Crawfordsville where he then lived and General Lew Wallace was captain of his company and Major General Milroy, of Civil War fame, was a young officer of the same regiment. Captain Sanders and no less than six of his brothers enlisted and bore honorable parts in that terrible struggle. One brother, William, was killed at the Battle of Nashville, another, Zephaniah, died in the hospital in Washington, D. C., another, Joseph, though still living, is suffering from wounds received in battle that have ever since rendered life a burden. Captain Sanders, himself, was an officer in the 162d Ohio volunteer infantry and acquitted himself with honor and distinction. It has been estimated that the military service of the remarkable family from the grandfather down would make in all 24 years of continuous service for one man. Little wonder then that our comrade was proud of his record and that of his family as soldiers. Little wonder that he carried his soldierly instincts into all the walks and affairs of his life. He looked on life as a battle. He regarded the Christian religion as a warfare and had little patience with what he conceived to be error and wrong. But he has laid down his armor, he has fought the good fight, he has finished his course, he has kept the faith; henceforth he will wear the crown.” - thanks so much to the guru obit gal for this one - "S"
