The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-05-25
Memorial Services Held For
Late Rev. T. M. Edmands.
BURIED AT HIS OLD HOME
Life Work of Former Mankato Preach
er and Reference Made to
His Tragic Death.

From Thursdays Daily.
The following is an article relative
to the late Rev. r. Nj. Edmands, former
ly of Mankato, and who met his death
by drowning at Wahpeton. The Pond
Island, VT, Herald says:
For many generations the Edmands
family has been known in Massachusetts
and the Merrill family in New Hamp-
shire. The father of Thomas Merrill
Edmands was born on farm which had
been owned by the family for about a
century, and he married daughter of
Thomas Merrill, Esq, of Conway, n. H.,
whose name was given the son born at
East Chelmsford, almost a suburb of
Lowell, Mass, January ID, 1853. Mer-
rill as he was called by the family,
while working on the farm, sought an
education, and when seventeen years
old graduated from the Howe School
at Bilerica, Mass. The following year
he united with the Kirk Street Congre-
gational church at Lowell, of which the
family were members and constant at
tendants, and where he had been bap-
tized in infancy. For the next few
years he studied hard and taught, to
pay his expenses, graduating from Dart
mouth in 'S3, and from Andover Theo-
logical Seminary in 'SS, after which he
Immediately went west as home mis-
sionary.
During his student vacation in 1885
he supplied the pulpit of the Congrega-
tional church at Island Pond, and by a
place the first sermon he wrote, TWEEN
ty-one years prior to the Sunday fol-
lowing which his funeral services were
held in the same place.
His first year in the west was at
Webster, S. d., from whence he was
called in 1889 to Wadena, Mimi. In
the autumn he came east, and on Aug
ust p, ne was united in marriage with
Jennie Edna, daughter of the late Dea-
con Alvin Bartlett.
For three years their home was at
Wadena, and during that time the
church became Independent of mission
airy aid. He supplied a few months at
Park Rapids, and then accepted call
to the city of Brainerd, where he
preached some four years, and then to
Mankato for five years, and then to
Wahpeton, n. d., March |, 1903. While
living in Minnesota, four children were
born to them, two sons and two daugh-
tiers, of these, three were taken, and
only one, Amy Harriet, survives.
During last summer Rev. and Mrs.
Edmands visited the old home scenes in
the east, and he took his child to many
historic places in Massachusetts, and
spent some time in camp with former
classmates. On their return west he
entered into his work with added zest,
and during the early winter engaged in
some special meetings at outlying mis-
sion stations. In December he was
somewhat worn out, and at the conclu-
sion of Sunday service he lost con-
seriousness for a few minutes in his
pulpit In a few days he had recovered
from this and had given birthday par
ty to his daughter, entering heartily
into the enjoyment of the young peo-
pie, in whose company he was at all
times happy. The next morning he pro-
cured his mail from the postoffice, per-
formed a kindly service for an unfortu
nate man at the hospital, and went
down on the Red River for walk. 1t
was December 81, cold and frosty-a
most beautiful morning. He was pre-
sumably reading a letter, afterward
found there, when he walked on to the
thin ice that had formed over hole
for watering cattle and went through
into the swift current of the river. Ev
cry possible effort was made by diving
and other methods to recover the body,
but not until the ice went out this
spring could this be done, and then it
was found some six miles below the To-
cality of the accident. The watch,
which he bought with the first money
he earned teaching, thirty years ago, had
stopped at 1925, which was about the
time in the forenoon when it was
known he went for his walk.
On Saturday, April 81, Rev. A. G..
Young of Wahpeton started east with
the body, via Wadena, Mimi, at which
place the bodies of the three children
were placed on the train. Mr.. Young
reached Island Pond on Tuesday and all
four caskets were taken to the old
homestead of the Bartlett family.
On Thursday "a service of prayer
was held at the house at two o'clock,
followed by the funeral in the Congre
gational church, in charge of the pastor,
Dox- Thomas He'll who made rafaronoa