Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-09-17
PIONEER DIES At FAIR
CAPT. VIA. c. SWAIN SUCCUMBS 70
AP0PLEXY ON GROUNDS.
Was Wei Known JOB Printer OF City
and Sprang from Prominent
Colonial Family

MILWAUKEE. Wis, Sept l6..
Capt. William c. Swain. one of Mil
Of the war between the states, and Il
prominent member of the Masonic bodicS
of Wisconsin. died suddenly of apopleNy
al the hospital OH the state fair grounds
on Wednesday evening MIR. Swain was
II years of age and for several years
had been an inmate of the Milwaukee
branch of the National Soldiers home
Capt. Swain WAS stricken about /
O'Clock. He was conveyed To the hos
pital conducted under the fair manage.
ment. where he passed away two hours
later.
William Chester Swain was a native
of Halifax, VT. where he was born
April 22, 1882. and spraug from noted
Colonial family. His parents were Chip
man and Dency (GilberO Swain. who
traced their lineage i'll an unbroken line
to Jeremiah Swain, who came To MnsSa-
chuSetts III 1858, settling in Charleston
IN that year. Maj. jeremiah Swain WAS
prominent actor in King Philips war
and was wounded 1T tn, Nara ansett
light. The grandfather OF w. &.
Swain, Rev. Joseph Swain. was in 1877
chaplain of Co. Paistel'~ regiment.
raised in Essex county, Mass. ON the
expedition to Grown Point His Grand
father. Joseph Swain. put the arsenal
at Concord i'll repair previous to the hght
and served as ar artisan in the patriot
army during the Revolutions
At the age of 10 years. w c. Swain
entered 4 printing Office and learned tie
trade, working on various papers in his
native state and later being employed on
the New York Post when William Cul-
len Bryant, the poet, was its editor. In
1898 he went to Albany and was there.
employed as foreman of Il daily paper
for two years. going from there to Pitts
field Mass, tN take charge Of n lob
printing establishment. He entered The
army in 1861. enliSting in Co. II. Ninety
third regiment, New York volunteers
He became Il second lieutenant and was
later promoted successfully To first lieu
tenant and captain. He served during
the Peninsula campaign. and participate
ed III many of the notable battles ut
Williamsburg. Antietam, Frcdericks-
burg, ChancellOrvile and Gettysburg. In
July. 1863, he was sent on detached ser
vice to the draft rendezvous ut Hart
island and was made chief engineer Of
the island. At the end of three years
he was mustered out. but in the follow
ing spring he accepted a captains com
mission in the Twenty-fourth colored
infantry. and was engaged in guarding
prisoners at Point Lookout,
Md.
lie retired from the army in October.
1865, and came to Wisconsin. For three
years he engaged i'll farming in Sank
county. He came to Milwaukee in Jan
uary, 1869. entering the employ of the
old Daily News. In 1878 he formed Il
in the job printing business
with John Symes under the name of
Symes, Swain x Co. Samuel Z. Tate
entered the firm i'll 1884, and the name
became that of Swain & Tate, and rs
an incorporated company it was con
Quoted until several years ago. when
Mr.. Swain retired on account of Door
health. Mr.. Tate remaining in the firm
Mr.. Swain became Master Mason i'm
1868 in st. Nicholas lodge, No. 321, New
York city In Wisconsin he occupied 4
number Of prominent positions in the
fraternity, having been master of a
lodge, high priest of chapter, and COM
mander of the Knights TemDlar. He
served as grand high priest of the grand
chapter of Wisconsin in 1S77-7S and
was grand master of the grand lodge of
Wisconsin in 1893. He was also an
officer of the general grand chapter Of
the United States and was widely known |
the Masonic world. He was |
a thirty-secOnd degree member Scottish !
rite bodies. He was also Il MEMBER of
the military order of the Loyal Legion
and was in 1886 president of the Wis
consin Society Of Sons of the American
Revolution.
Mr.. Swain was married June II 1917.
to Olive Egerton Brayton They had
three children, Katherine Egerton, Mary
Brayton and George Chester Swain. |
Mrs. Swain and one daughter are dead.