THORNTON, Joseph - Putnam

The (Benjamin) Bilbo tragedy recalls to mind the accidental death of an older brother, Joseph Bilbo, which occurred some 30 years ago. He was working in a gravel pit on the old Aaron VanCleave farm, getting out gravel for the road leading north from town to the Shades. It happened that he came late on that particular morning, and said to the pit boss: "Are you going to dock me? If you are, I won't go to work." The boss replied that so far as he was concerned there would be no docking. Mr. Bilbo then struck a few licks with a pick when an overhanging stump fell, carrying a slide of earth that covered him. He was dead when dug out. Joseph Thornton, a brother of the mother of the Bilbo boys, was killed by a train at Guion about the same time.