Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-12-24
r. c. CARPENTER AT REST,
Death Of the Aged and venerated
Citizen Of Viola Township.

r. C. Carpenter died at his home in Viola
township at 5 o'clock Tuesday morning De-
cember 18th, 1896, from a complication of
ailments. He had been a man of wonder
full strength and vigor; but late in the sum-
mer, owing no doubt to the advance of
years, his health began to fail and early in
November he was confined to his bed. From
the start he WAS impressed with the fact
that he would not recover, and, in fact,
months before he was taken sick he advised
the family that he was approaching a seige
of sickness from which he would not re-
cover, During his long, weary weeks of
intense yet patient suffering he was watch
ed by his family and friends with the great
est tenderness, pity and devotion with the
hope of restoring him to health. But it
availed nothing. In the ear J morn of a
bright and c:oudless day his spirit took the
wings of the morning and winged heaven
ward.
Robert Campbell Carpenter was born in
Bath county, Kentucky, near the city of
Paris, on June II, 1924, and at his death
was seventy-two years six months and three
days old. His parents were both of German
descent and were born in Kentucky. In
1880 they moved to Morgan county Indiana,
where they resided until 1851, when they
came to Powesheik Co. Iowa and settled on
a homestead near Grinnell Here he lived
until the spring of 1873 when he came to
Audubon county. One year later he bought
the farm in Viola township on which he
has since lived, except from 1891 to 1895,
during which time he served as County
Attorney and lived at Audubon.
On June Is, 1916 he was happily joined
in marriage with Mahalah Thurman at
Mooresville, Indiana, and the event of their
Golden Wedding was celebrated at their
home last June. OF their nine children
Anderson c., Laura E. and Levi T. are
dead The surviving ones are F. NJ, J. C.,
R. NJ. and Sarah C. Carpenter and Mary
f. Griffin and Melissa A. Shelley. John
Hooker, was reared from infancy in the
family of the deceased and shared with his
children his tenderest affection.
In l849 he was converted and has since
lived a consistent Christian. In his reig-
ious faith and practice he was pre-eminent-
ly practical man, as indeed he was in all
the affairs OF life. 1t inspired him to good
deeds. He disliked hypocrisy and was
charitable in all things. Courageous al
ways in defense of what he believed to be
right yet as tender-heartsd and affectionate
as a child. He was charitable as to the
faults and frailties of others and marked
out no path of duty for them that he was
not disposed to follow himself. The clos
ing days and hours of his life were a fit
climax of life of practical virtue. He
was anxious to be summoned home and the
scores who visited him in his last days will
see in his life and death grand triumph of
the pure system of Christian faith that he
professed. Death came peacefully; and
with mistaken trust in God he was sustain
ed and soothed, as the material universe
darkened, and approached the grave as one
who wraps the drapery of his couch about
him and lies down to pleasant dreams.
Though deprived of the advantages of
an early education he was a strong friend
of education and considered it the strong
est pillar Of civil liberty. He believed that