The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-06-22
LATE CAPTAIN RANKIN
Interesting Facts From His Most
Eventful Life.

Concerning the late w. A. Rankin,
5, colonel of the $50 Iowa Regiment u.
S. ", succeeding The late John F.
Lacey, the Orange, Illinois Leader &
Review, date of June 8, has the fol-
lowing of local interest concerning
the man and veteran. r
William Alexander Rankin, son of
Thomas and Catherine Warfield Rank.
in, was born at Lexington, Indiana,
! August IL, 1888, and died at the Pres
byterian Hospital, Chicago, at las
o'clock p, m, Tuesday, May 30, 1916,
aged II years, 9 months and 18 days.
Soon after his mothers death which
occurred when he was about eight
years of age, he went down the Ohio
River and up the Missouri by boat to
a point near where Independence, Mo-,
now,sis. There he spent year and
half at the home of his grandpar.i
ents. His father having remarked he
3returned to Lexington and the family
shortly moved to Mahaska County,
Iowa, where he lived and where he
grew up until the outbreak of the
B Civil War. AT the age of "a years he
enlisted as q private in Company K
4 33d Iowa Infantry. He was promoted
sin active service 70 the captaincy Of
his Company and at the close Of three
years and two months service was
mustered out at New Orleans,
He was educated at the schools at
Fremont, Iowa, and attended college
at Pella, Iowa. After the war he
took a course in business training at
Burlington, Iowa.
He engaged in the merChantile bust,
ness at KirkWOod, Warren County,
Illinois for a time. He and David
Rankin his consin, entered into a
partnership and together they started
the town of Rankin, Illinois and
bought and sold land adjacent there,
to. These cousins, from date of part
nership until the death of David were
more or less closely associated in
business. During the period of his
business activity in Illinois Mr.. Rank
in resided near Rankin,
In 1872 at Onarga Illinois he was
united in marriage with Miss Mary
Durham. and to this union came two
sons, Warfeld b. of Tarkio, Missouri,
and William Durham of Orange, Ill
inois
Mr.. Rankin and family moved from
Rankin to Orargo in 1883 and this
place continued to be the family
home to date. Through business in
vestments in land made about 1857.
Mr.. Rankin became largely Interested
in lands about Tarkio, requiring a
considerable portion of his time dur
ing later years and he maintained an
office at that place. The deceased was
also engaged in banking and was a
director of banking houses at Paxton,
Illinois, Rankin, Illinois. and Whitman
Missouri. He had also been associated
with numerous private individuals in
q. business way and in all his dealings
with men and institutions his work
was ever regarded good as bankable
paper
Mr.. Rankin was a member of the
Methodist Epiccopal church at Oranga
Ills; of which he had been a trustee
for years. He was also president OF
the Board of Trustees of the Oranga
Seminary. His interest in Education
had been life long. It led him to pro-
pose a gift to his home institution in
which his friends joined an enabled
him. to consumate the endowment OF
Missouri Wesleyan College at Gamer
on, Missouri He was also a benefacs
tor of the Woman's College at Jackson
Vile, Illinois. s
He was member of the joint COM
mission of the Illinois and Central IL.
linois Conferences for the endowment
and permanent foundation of colleges
and schools of the church within juris-
diction. To all these varied interests
he gave personal attention and also
to the Wesley Foundation at Urbana
of which board he, was a Wember. He
proposed a plan to the gederaI Board
of ducation OF the Methodist Episcopal
church of the United States for the
creation of a central fund for steady
ling the colleges of the church. He
was a member of this Board. He was
also a member of the Board of Control
, lof the Temperance Society of the De,
nomination for the advancement of
Temperance and Sobriety. This also
was with him life long interest. He
was associated with the Anti-Saioon
League of Missouri and was a person.
Ial friend and adviser OF Howard III.
Russell OF the National League,
Added to his many other activities
! he found time to he a member Of the
Ifiincis State Legislature from Iro-
. qnois County, and he was repeatedly
elected to seat In the conference OF
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