Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-09
IOWA AOURNS ALDR'CH
Curator Of State Historical De-
partment Passes Away at
Home in Boone
HAD BEEN I'LL SEVEN WEEKS
Pioneer Newspaper Publisher, Lesis-
Iator and Historian-Body to Lie in
State in Historical BuiIdins-lnter-
ment to Be at Webster City
Sketch Of His Career.
Special to Times-Republican.

a Special to Times Republican.
Boone, March 9.-Sunday mornin
at Sis o'clock at his little home j
this city occurred the death of Cura
tor Charles Aldrich. of the state histor
, ical department. the death occurrin
after seven weeks of illness, whic
started with severe attack of tn
grippe. Saturday night late. he los
consciousness and fingered until tn
hour mentioned above. At his bedside
short time ago complication o
kidney and heart troubles set in, bu
it was hoped that he would get wei
and that his life would be spared
The death caused wave of sorrow t.
4 sweep over the city and Sunday {
stream of callers visited the home anG
offered words of sympathy and condol-
ence to the heartbroken widow. Mr.
Aldrich's condition some time age
\ SCSiIISo " NC Improving ana ne lldu
hopes of soon returning to his work in
Des Moines in the historical building
He longed for that time in vain.
Arrangements have been completed
for the funeral. Private services will
be held from the house in this city
| Tuesday afternoon by the Rev. Seth
| nj. Wilcox. pastor of Grace church. The
remains will be taken on the evening
| Milwaukee train to Des Mones. and
Wednesday will lie in state in the
state historical building. On Thurs
day the body will be taken to Web
ster City for burial and the remains
will be inferred by the side of his first
wife. He leaves. besides the widow.
one brother. Hiram Aldrich of Cedar
Rapids, two sisters. Mrs. Mary Kettell.
of Cambria, Wyo. and Mrs. Jane Lee,
of Clean, n. Y. One niece, Mrs. f. A.
Warren, also survives residing in this
city.
Sketch of His Life.
The founder and curator of the Iowa
state historical department was born
Oct g 1928. in the town of Ellington
Chautauqua county. New York, son
of Stephen and Eliza (Nichols) AID
FlCI. ne Is III lne HIUlU
from the immigrant ancestors, George
Aldrich, of Derbyshire England who
arrived in Boston, Mass, Nov. 6 1881. His
father was a blacksmith in early life,
and afterwards merchant lumber,
man and farmer. He had been fonored
as county supervisor and justice of the
peace upon the organization of the
town of Goldspring. Cattaraugus coun-
ty, New York His mother died in
1880. and was buried in New York.
The elementary education of Mr..
Aldrich was such as the common
schools afforded, and at 16 he attended
jamestown academy for a year, but
his real education began in June. 1916,
when he entered the printing office of
the Western Literary Messenger in
Buffalo, N. Y. In this office he served
an apprenticeship to the printers art,
and after working in the villages of
Attica and, Warsaw. n. Y. and War
rem, Pa. in June, 1850. established the
Cattaraugus Sachem. weekly paper,
at Randolph. N. Y, which he conducted
one year. A file of the Sachem is in
the Iowa historical department. Re-
moving to Olean in the same county
lie eSld D1lSlleu lIlc =" iiiSil IN
conducted five years, and then returned
to his home farm in Little Valley
where he remained until he removed
west in 1857.
Launches Iowa Paper.
1t was in June of this latter year
that he set up a modest office, The
Hamilton Freeman. at Webster City,
Iowa. The press, type, and office fix
lures had been hauled across the coun-
try from Dubuque. over the prairie
roads, and thru "sloughs without bot
tom" The prospect republican pa
per in village of 200 inhabitants, the
county all told having 1900 inhabi-
tants, and the official patronage in the
hands of the democrats-was not the
most encouraging to one with less
vigor and confident hopefulness.
He came quite naturally to be re-
publican for he was freesoiler long
before his majority. AT the age OF ~
he was chosen secretary Of the first
Freesoil (anti-slavery) convention held
in Cattaraugus county. New York. 1t
was in the midst of the discussion of
the slavery question and words were
not minced on the frontier in politics.
The result. to The Freeman and it's
patrons, justified the venture, and par
tv lines We're soon readjusted on a
more satisfactory basis. Subsequently |
Mr.. Aldrich was connected with the
and editing of the Dubuque |
Times. the Marshall Times, for three
years, and as writer for the Chicago
Inter Ocean and many other papers.
A Pioneer Legislator.
He has served the state in five OF
Is legislatures. He was chosen chief |
clerk of the house of representatives
in 1860, 80, '66 and 20 and was elect
ed a member of that body from Ham
lton county, in 1851. serving in the
session which began in the following
January 1t was during this session
that he introduced the bill to prohibit
the issuing of railway passes by the
to public officers. This bill
vas favored by two or three of the
eading members and opposed by 9TH
ars. 1t became the exciting topic of the /,
session and was holly debated on the
floor of the house and in the newspa-
oers Mr. Aldrich's remarks in its de-
'ense We're copied by the leading jour
lals thruout the country from New
York to San Francisco. No speech of
my Iowa man has ever had so wide a
circulation But the bill failed to be-
zone a law. This topic was discussed