The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-10
OBITUARY NOTES.
Watson V. Coe.

watson ss Cce.
 MT. Coe was the son of Bella Coe and
 Hannah Ward, his wife. He was born
 February 2S, 1874, in the parish of Mid
 dlefield, town of Middletown, Conn.,,
 and was educated in the district schools
 of the parish and in the higher schools
 of Middletown. Being the son of ster-
 ling New England parents, he received
 careful religious training from his in-
 fancy, which resulted in his giving his heart to God and uniting with the Con- gregational church in MiddlefieId on
 the profession of his faith at the early
 age of thirteen.
 | In 1887 he was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Bacon, daughter of Ma
 thaniel Bacon and Abigail, his wife, of Middletown. A few months later the young couple migrated to Illinois and settled on a quarter section of govern ment land near Ottawa. During their
 residence there they increased their
 holdings to one thousand acres, all of which they eventually put under pro-
 ductive cultivation.
 Being an Abolitionist of the most conscientious and uncompromising 1 type, Mir. Coe, during that period of his life, enjoyed frequent opportunities to
 prove the genuineness of his faith and the fibre of his courage by works of
 righteousness and mercy, and many a l bondman on his perilous way from
 Egypt to the promised land of liberty i in Canada owed his deliyerance, in no
 small degree, to his courage and sym pathy and the fleetness of his horses. During their residence at Ottawa MT. and Mrs. Coe were active in, many forms of Christian service, as well as in the cultivation of their large ma terial holdings. They were foremost in lorganizing two of the churches in Ot- tawa and in providing each of them
 with commodious house of worship,
 the first being the Presbyterian church, for which they sacrificed freely of their
 means, their time and their strength.
 A few years later, when the slavery
 question became acute and divided the town and the church, they again ,help-
 ed organize the Congregational church and to provide it with a suitable house l'of worship. !n- | While residents of Ottawa four chill Idren were born to them, three sons and one daughter. Like other parents.
 however, they were early made to ex- lperience the sorrow of death as we'll as
 the joy of life, for two of their sons died there-Theodore, babe of six
 months, and Clarence, an Interesting lad of two years.
 Tx, oft Af o,I, life as large farmer, MT. Coe sold all
 his landed interests and removed to
 Chicago, where he spent twelve busy
 years in the grain. commission busi- ness.
 At Chicago, cordially supported by his good wife, MT. Coe soon became &C., tive and prominent In the First Con- lgregational church, which he served
 faithfully and efficiently as a highly
 honored deacon until the day of his re-
 moval to New Haven, in 1864. While residents of Chicago Mir. and
 Mrs. Coe were called to suffer and to
 mourn. the loss of their first-born and
 only surviving son, Walter, promis- ] ing young man of eighteen. That loss left a sore in their hearts which time and the vicissitudes of life never fully healed. When they arrived in New Haven in 1884 they brought with them the tender memories of the three loved ones who had gone to that bourne whence no traveller returns" and an : only daughter, Miss Nellie l.. Coe, who some years later became the wife of Rev. Robert G. s. McNeille, then pas- tor of the Humphrey Street church in this city.
 Since he came to New Haven Mr. Coe had for over forty years led a busy fruitful life, although nominally 're- tired'' from business for considerable part of that long period. But he was
 possessed of too much energy and ini- tiative power to be "retired' except in a nominal way. During all these years besides looking after his numerous in- terests, he had been deeply interested in various forms of practical Christian service, especially Sunday school and temperance work. He also threw him. self with characteristic zeal and energy in evangelistic work in connection with
 the Young Mems Christian associations Of the state. His name, and face, and voice, and words are still gratefully re- membered by many in the various
 churches throughout the state which
 were visited and served by those de- voted and efficient delegations" which the Young Mems Christian associations
 of the state sent forth to perform true evangelistic service during the seven- ties. Mr Coe was generally d member
 of some one of these delegations" and always one of it's most prominent and effective speakers, for he took genuine interest in it and put his whole soul in his message.
 When the Goes settled in New Haven they first connected themselves with the old North church, but later trans ferred their membership to the Center church, where they felt much at home for many years. At length, however,
 the remoteness of the Center church from their home and the multiplying infrmities of age, added to their desire
 to enjoy the full privileges of the sanc-
 tuary as long as. possible, led them in 1889 to transfer their membership to