The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-12-05
In Mem0riam.
COL. JOHN BECKWITII,

Formerly of Somerset, died in Column
bus, Ohio, Dec 3rd, 1873, in the SD year
of his age. He came to Ohio from
Pennsylvania in the year 1905, and to
Somerset in 1910.
Col. Beckwith was one of the Pioneer
Settlers of Somerset. Before Perry
county, was formed, and while Somerset
was mere paper town, known as Mid
dletown, he came here and made per-
manent settlement, Somerset, was all
in the woods at that time. We have Of
ten heard old father Swinehart, who
died some two years ago, tell of "cutting
the lumber from the stump" to build a
house for Col. John Beckwith, which
said house when finished was occupied
by Mr.. Beckwith as Dry Good Store,
one of the first ever opened in Somerset,
if not the very first.
Subsequently it was proposed to form
Perry county, out of portions of Fair
field and Muskingum counties. A por-
ton of our people were then obliged to.
go TO Lancaster, and the remainder to
GAINESVILLE, to transact their public busi-
ness. This was then very troublesome
and expensive. Hence the proposition
to form new county by detaching for
the purpose portions Of the two counties
named. Col. Beckwith was one of the
most ardent and active supporters of the
project To no one citizen then in the
county was the public more indebted for
the success of the movement, than to
Col. Beckwith. Thus was he one of the
makers of Perry county, and as such, as
well as for his many private virtues is
he honored in this article.
Afterwards, and in times when person
al honor and integrity, and general MT
ness were considerations of weight and
account in the matter of selecting pub
lie officers, Col. Beckwith was chosen to
represent this county in the State Legis-
lature; position he occupied during
two official terms, and in which he per-
formed his duties to the advantage of
his constituents, and honorably to him
SELF We know nothing of his political
affiliations in those early days, bu; we do
know that he SO bore himself in the
Legislature as to command the respect
of that body, and secure the warm ap-
probation of the people he represented,
and that is much.
After he retired from the Legislature,
he served the people of Perry county
for more than twenty years as County
Clerk, position in which he was dis
tinguished for courtesy, urbanity, fdeli-
ty, ability and honesty. This is high
praise, but only the plainest statement
of the fact During the long period of
his public service, in an office affording
abundant facilities-perhaps more than
any other county office-for abnormal
practices, no word of suspicion that
aught was unfair, was ever uttered
against him.
And through all his long life among
us, he bore this unsullied reputation. In
private life he was conspicuous for all
the social and domestic virtues. Kind,
hospitable and generous, his friends al
ways met genial welcome; and from
his door the friendless or suffering, or
destitute never departed unrelieved. An
earnest professor of Christianity, he
made it no disguise to conceal sordid sem
timents or doubtful practices, but faith
fully attempted to live up to his pro-
fession.
This much we have deemed it proper
to speak to the memory of an old and
honored citizen who spent his active
life in our midst, as one of us, whose
funeral dirge the bells are tolling sadly
as we write, and whose venerable re-
mains friends are laying gently and
tearfully in the grave, where he becomes
once more one of us, and forever.
P. H. B.