The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1920-03-12
ONE OF THE BEST MEN EVER
KNEW.


9th. He came to this country with
his parents when quite young, his ia
Their settling in Decatur county,
where he lived out his life as farm
er and blacksmith and Alfred follow
ed the occupations of his father.
His first wife was Miss Cassie Orr,
who died many years ago, leaving
two children, one of whom, Mrs. A. l..
Golf, of Bells, Tenn, survives.
For his second wife he married
Miss Sarah A. Orr, sister of his first
wife, Nov. IA, 1871 and to that union
seven children were born. OF these
Allie, MRS. W. R. Smith, of Dyers-
burg) died and six survive, namely:
Will and John (twins) Woodward,
Edgar, Lillian MRS. w. R. Smith, Of
Dyersburg) and Walter.
Mr.. Tanning lived practically all
his life in Decatur county, many
years in Decaturville where first
met him in April, 1881 and the last
IL years in the Decatur county Sec
ton of the town of SCOTS Hill. In
August, 1918 he gave up his work in
the blacksmith shop and moved to
Lexington and Mrs. Tanning died
here February 14th, 1919. After the
death of his wife Mr.. Tanning lived
with his children here and elsewhere
finding it hard to be contented
without his helpmete.
He was taken i'll with influenza and
pneumonia nine days before his death
which occurred at 9:25 o'clock a. m,
March 3rd, in the home of his son,
John, here in Lexington, and we are
told that almost from the first of his
illness he was in semi-unconscious
condition.
The funeral service was held in the
Tanning home at IL o'clock, noon, on
the 4th inst, Revs. H. R. Rose and
Fleetwood Ball and Elder J. O.
Brown officiating, each paying trib-
ute to the life and character of the
good man who had lived to a great
age and each offering words of SYM
pathy to the bereft ones.
1t was the intention of the Mason
10 fraternity to take charge Of the
funeral after the service in the
home, but they were delayed and la
ter that service will be held in his
memory.
This notice is written not so much
to give the family history Of Mr..
Tanning, but to pay personal trib-
ute to his life and character by one
who had known him for thirty-eight
years. When ] first went to Deca-
turyille on the 14th day of April, 49,
81, / met him on that day or very
soon after and the writing of this in
his memory is prompted by the fact
that in all those years l have never
heard a single statement derogatory
to his character. He had no oppor-
tumities osecure an education, hence
his life was one of hard work, on the
farm, the anvil and forge. Under
those conditions, with the fact that he
reared a comparatively large family
of children to make useful, respect
able and fairly successful men, did
he not perform a greater life work
than if he had accumulated riches
and reaped worldly honors? From
the first he seemed to like me and
his character as we'll as his personal
ity commanded my respect and
friendship. Even in his last days here
in Lexington it was his pleasure to
hunt me up and with me converse of
the by-gone days on which the minds
of the aged men dwell-so, it comes
about that as Will Barry, his friend,
and not as newspaper man, it is my
pleasure to write of him and to say
that in all my life / do not believe /
ever knew a cleaner, more honorable
man than this simple, plain, unas-
suming Alfred Tanning. / feel that
his children should cherish his char
acter as the richest blessing he could
have left them and l believe they do.
1t is a peculiar fact that while Mr..
Fanning's faith was that of the Prim-
tive Baptists, he did not affiliate
with the church to the extent Of
membership-which did not alter the
fact that his life was so spent that he
could face his God in the last judy
ment with clean hands and a clean
soul. believe that his soul is rest
feet Peace is the only logical desti-
feet peace is the only logical desti-
nation for one who had kept the laws
Of his God and the country in which
he lived.
w. v. BARRY,