John E. Senate, age 93

John Elijah Senate (1836-1929) lived to be 93-years old. He was the father of Charlottie Senate Rector (1861-1952), Oklahoma territorial pioneer.

On this day, almost one hundred years ago, John Senate passed from this life to the next.

Obituary

JOHN E. SENATE DIED AT THE AGE OF 93 YEARS¹John E. Senate Obituary. Milan (MO) Republican, September 26, 1929, page 1, column 6.

He Had Been A Resident Of Milan For Past Thirty-Two Years And Was One Of The Oldest Citizens In This Section

John E. Senate was born in Christian county, Ill., April 24, 1836. Died Sept. 19, 1929, aged 93 years, four months and 25 days. He was married to Margaret Hawkins. To this union four children were born, the oldest dying in infancy. Those surviving are Mrs. Lottie Rector, Buffalo, Okla.; John C. Senate of Lamar, Mo., and Mrs. Floss Smith of Milan, Mo.

He with his family moved to Missouri in 1880, living in Milan for 32 years. He has been confined to his bed since July 4th, failing rapidly a week prior to his death.

He was a faithful member of the Masonic order for about 45 years. Filling the office of Tilar [sic Tyler] for Seaman Lodge No. 126 for over 30 years until the time of his death. He was a member of three other Masonic bodies namely: Milan Chapter No. 103 R. A. M. [Royal Arch Masonry], Solomon Council No. 26, R. S. M. [Royal and Select Masons], and St. Bernard Commandry No. 52, K. T. [Knights Templar] He was also a member of Olive Chapter No. 65 O. E. S., [Order of the Eastern Star] filling the office of Sentinel.
Masonic funeral services were held at the M. E. First church by Seaman Lodge under the escort of the Knight Templars, with Olive Chapter No. 65, P. [sic] E. S., attending in a body.

He was also a beloved member of the M. E. church for more than 65 years. The funeral services were conducted by the pastor of the Milan M. E. First church, Rev. Wilson Bentley. The body of our beloved brother rested amid a bank of beautiful floral offerings. The text of the funeral oration was taken from 2nd Samuel 3:38 and Job 3:17. “Know ye that a great man is fallen Isreal [sic] today.” There the weary are at rest.” Burial in Oakwood cemetery.

Farewell, dear father, ’tis hard to say
For we shall meet no more,
‘Till we be raised with Christ to dwell
On Zion’s happy shore.
Our hearts feel sad for we see you not,
Nor hear the voice we love,
But the sweetest thought amid our grief
Is this, We’ll meet above.
We miss you when we come from store,
For the one we loved we see no more,
But Jesus Christ, our father’s God,
We reverence, love and adore.
The character you built on earth
Will live and grow more sweet,
And many souls through your dear life
Will meet at Jesus’ feet.
Now we will say amid our grief,
And from a gloom refrain –
Our father we shall meet above
And see his face again.
– Rev. Wilson Bentley, Pastor.

Genealogy Gems

This obituary is chocked full of information about John’s life. Each of these details is a clue showing one where to dig for confirmation of his life story.

Where can we find confirmation of his:

• birth in Christian County, IL on April 24, 1836?
• middle name?
• death in Milan, MO on Sept. 19, 1929?
• marriage to Margaret Hawkins?
• burial at Oakwood Cemetery?

Next Week

We’ll look further into the life of John E. Senate.

SOURCES

• 1
  John E. Senate Obituary. Milan (MO) Republican, September 26, 1929, page 1, column 6.