, 1865-02-05

from the Bloomington Pantos1aph, February H.
Our county Is called upon to mourn the
loss Of tTo Of its Oldest and most respected
citizens. Gu the morning Of Sunday, January
29th, Hon. Isaac Funk, and his wife, died in
this city.
We understand that 1tr. Funk left h,s seat
in the State Senate little more than week
before his death. He spent day or two at
his home in Funk's Grove, and on Monday,
the 9th, came 10 Bloomington to attend IN
important meeting Of the Superior Court,
His health had been quite poor for some days,
and in fact it seemed to fali from the first
week Of his attendance upon the Legislature.
On his arrival in toWn on the 24th, he WAS
taken sick and grew rapidly worse, SO much
sent tor. She seemed to have preseutiment
that he you'd not live, aud not long before
his deah remarked that should he die, she
felt that she could not long survive him, On"
the morning Of Sunday, January 2ota, Mr, F.
hrcathed his last, and 4 few hours later the
spirit Of bis rife followed him to the other
world. Mr.. Funk's disease, erysipelas, de1el
the utmost efforts Of our best physicians.
Mrs. F. seemed to 1abur under nervous pro5-
tration and probably did not suffer from aay
particular disease, although there were some
symptoms Of lung fever. It is seldom that
death affects community In Z more marked
aLd striking manner.
Isaac Fink was born in Clark county, Ky.,
Nov. II, l7W. In 1900 his parents removed
to Fayette county, Ohio, where ha lived till
1924. In May oil that year he arrived in this
State in company with his brother Absalom,
and settled in what Was afterwards called
Funk's Grove. Ills worldly goods we're few,
Alr. Funk was q hard working man and a
good farmer, and in short time paid of all
debts, md began to be considered u th1Iyin.-
and prosperous settler: ~o
In 1926 he married his wife T.
y. Peeria was then orr - - teoria conn
bride tour acr- lung couple made their
neer style -vsa the prairfes alone, in pio-
sett1~ =. During all the early days Of the
-en9nt OF Central Illinois, 81. Funk wus
uIe Of the hardest and best known Of thc
pioneers. No labor was too hard for him,
and no exposure too severe, Ills business
! WAS the Rising aud feeding Of hoeshud cat
tie. Sometime the stock was driven to Ga
lena, Killed and sold to the lead miners,
sometimes 1t was taken to Chicago, killed
and packed there By the brother Funk, and
often it was driven to Ohio or St. Louis and
The winter Of deep SNOW Is the most cele.
brated Of any in the annals OF Illinois. Mt.
Funk was on the road to Chicago With q
thousand head Of hogs. The snow was so
deep that he was obliged to drag logs great
part Of the way to make path which could
be Travelled by the hGas. The cold was in
tense and the labor very severe. This Is but
ore among many instances that might be
given, showing his great energy and pegse-
yeIance In overcoming obstacles.
Mr: Funk always followed the regular stock
growing and stock iattenfng business, and al
though he lived through several periods Of
great speculation, he never participated In
any Of them. In his business dealings be wos
strictly honest, aud after his first two or three
years IN the county, his word WIS as good rs
his note. So pEoyerbial was his honesty that
be has long been known as "honest farmer
Funk" His great energy, perseverance and
forethought were rewarded by the accumula-
ton Of one Of the finest estates In the nation.
At the time Of his dcath7hc owned twenty
tWo thousand acres Of land in one body.
which constituted the " home farm," and
twelve thousand acres In other parts Of the
county.
1t vas common thing for him to own and
In addition to this he shcared thousand
sheep, pastured one or two hundred mules,
and sometimes fed thousands of hogs His
estate is now worth million and half, and
US he left no will, It will be divided equally
between the nine children, eight of whom |
are Sons.
In politics Mr.. Funk was an nn1inching
Wing. He was elected to the Honse Of Rep
resentatiyes in the remarkable campaign Of |
1s40 The district be represented in connec-
tlon with Gen. GridleY, was composed Of Nc
Lean, and parts Of Logan, De Witt, Wood
ford md Livingston counties. When the |
Wing party broke up, Mr.. Funk went where |
bis eympathtes and liberty loving principles /
naturally led him, and became m earnest and |
n1dent Republican. In 1863 he was elected
to the State Senate from the 10lh Senatorial
District, to flll the vacancy caused By the res
jgnatfon Of Richard j. Og1esby, who left his
seat In the Senate to take command of the |
5lh Illinois regiment Of volunteers. His ser
vices during the winter Of 16G2-63 will never
be forgotten By q grateful people, and have
made his name SO historical and national that
we do not need to refer to Them here.
At the November election in 1864, he was
again elected to the State Senate to serve for
The term Of four years.; and his Ecycrc lnbors
rs Legislator, together with tho Irregular
hours incident to such life, SO weakened his
Failfng strength, that he was unable to bear
he attack Of disease. Ever since 1858 be has
3een valuable member Of the Board of Su-
pervisors, and has held many other offices of
Trust.
The State did not contain a truer or more
honest man than Isaac Funk. His heart was
'pen to the calls Of charity, and many and
have been lis gifts. His death
Ytu be sincerely mourned by a very lnrge cir
lie ofrclativcs, and by the whole community |
n which he lived, to soy nothing Of the |
thousands who knew him only by reputation.
IL Of whom will feel that the nation has lost |
brave defender and 8 sincere and earnest
.otriNt |