Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-03-30
John Wesley MilIlsack.

John Wesley Millisack, was born in
Leesville, Carroll county, Ohio. August
4, 1927 and died in Ottumwa, Iowa,
March %, 1918. He was son of
Jacob, and Sallie Holmes Mlllisack,
long residents of Ottumwa and who
were reckoned among the notable
people of the town by the early settlers
His mother died in 1884, and his faith
er In 1891 at the remarkable age of
SO years.
When young man, John Wesley
Millisack became merchant in his ma
tive town and followed that business
for many years. In 1852 he was united
in marriage with Catherine Overholt.
In 1871 they came to Iowa and located
on farm near old Ashland in Wapello
county. Mrs. Millisack died April 8,
1908. Since that time. the deceased
has made his home with his daughter
Mrs. Ida M. McCarroll, just north of
Ottumwa. He left surviving him the
following children: Naaman Millisack
of Douds-Leando; Thomas F. Millisack
of Hutch, Colorado; Ida M. McCarroll
of Ottumwa; Cassius NJ. Millisack Of
Goodland, Kansas and Sallie F. Hay
dock of Eldon. One son, Charles S.,
died in 1908. Three brothers survive
him, Jacob of Ottumwa; Wilbur F. of
Oskaloosa and Edward of Hill City,
South Dakota. During his early man
hood there arose in this country one of
the greatest moral and political con-
flicts that could come to thinking
people. A conflict which developed in
to the war for the preservation of the
union, war that lasted for four years
and in which more than a quarter of
million men persisted from slaughter
upon the battlefield and wounds and
disease Human slavery had so en-
trenched itself among the~accepted In
situations of men that it found de-
tenders not only among the political
pit. The word "abolitionist" began as
a name Of reproach. John w. Millisack
was regarded as a political disturber,
unreasonable and fanatic. Into that
|seething political pot his early man
hood was plunged. He defied the in
fanny of the Fugitive Slave law. He
was an abolitionist of the abolitionists.
He not only called and attended their
meetings and conventions but frequent
ly addressed them In those days he
became personally acquainted with
such antislavery men as Wendell Phil
lips. Parker Pillsbury, VIM. Lloyd Gar
rison and Fred Douglas. And such anti
slavery women as Abbie Kelley Foster
and Lucretia Mott and in later life he
took great pleasure in recalling the in
cidents of that great moral battle and
the circumstances of his acquaintance
with these notable persons. His poll
tical activities also brought him the &C
quaintance Of such statesmen as Sal
mon P Chase, Ben F. Wade, John A.
Bingham and more than once has he
been an honored guest in the home Of
the latter. 1t is said he had shaken
the hanG of every president from Lin
coin to Wilson At the age of IS in
February, 1913, he undertook the trip
alone from his home In Iowa to witness
the Inauguration of President Wilson.
He felt he must not forego the sight
of the Inauguration Of the man in
whose candidacy he was so greatly in
terested. Another thing which strong
ly impelled him to go was to greet and
witness the elevation of his warm
friend, William Jennings Bryan to the
cabinet position he holds.
1t was too strenuous an undertaking
for one of his age. During the latter
part of that trip, on his way home he
became slightly paralyzed and from
this he never recovered This is the
man whose body we have laid in it's
last resting place. He was a good and
true friend to those who won his con-
fidence and it was his ambition to DC
serve the reputation of an honest man.
While he was somewhat peculiar in
his thinking. he was always faithful to
his ideals. He stood by his convictions
with answering fidelity There is one
thing we may say about his religious
convictions. He was firm believer in