Evening star., 1926-03-21
COL. COOLIDGE LAID
TO REST; FUNERAL
SERVICES SIMPLE
Brief Rites in Home Precede
Burial in SnoW-CIad
Plymouth Cemetery.
GRIEF OF PRESIDENTS
FAMILY is APPARENT
Chief Executive Begins Return to
Capital in Afternoon-Due
Here Early Today.
HY J. RUSSELL. YOUNG.

HY J. RUSSELL. vol NJ.
PLYMOUTH. Vt, March 20.--As
plainly and simply as he had lived
and died. Col. John Calvin Coolidge.
father of the President of the United
States. Was buried in the little snow
covered hillside cemetery here this
afternoon.
President Coolidge. who stood in the
SNOW near the open grave. with Mrs.
Coolidge close 10y his side. as the body
of his venerable father was lowered
to it's last resting place among the
hills he loved SO dearly. had carried
on, the latter's wishes regarding the
simplicity to mark his funeral. All
MAS lust as his father would have
had it.
Nevertheless. the plain, brief rites
at both the little white frame house
that has been the home of the Cool
idces so long. and at the cemetery
banked deep in snow, were highly I'M
rlcSSive These were marked deeply
with suppressed feeling and with
Solemnity. Both the President and
Mrs. Coolidge bore up well through
all this ordeal. but their grief that
they were so bravely holding back
was plainly evident to those who stood
near.
Old Pastor OfficiateS.
At both the Coolidge house and the
grave the officiating clergyman was
Rev. John White of Sherbourne. VT.
who comes To Plymouth Notch every
Sunday during the Summer to con
duct services at the Union Church.
This little community cannot afford
regular preacher, so ii connnes lts
church going to the Summer period.
BESIDES, travel over the roads is bet
ter then.
This rural clergyman had endeared
himself greatly to Col. Coolidge and
frequently visited him during his de.
cining days and the colonel had said
he wanted Rev. Mr.. White to officlate
at his funeral. This wish too was
carried out by tie son. The Episcopal
service for the dead was read at the
house and the Episcopal committal
ceremony was read at the grave.
1t all took less than an hour. and
Col. John, as this gaunt Nermonter
was affectiOnately called by so many In
this section. had been buried just as
loving father and an honored citizen.
There was nothing to suggest that he
had even known President OF the
l
the father of one.
Guartlsmen Present.
The only detail that bordered the
slightest on pomp was the presence
of six uniformed young men, mem
berS of the National Guard OF w lnd-
sor County. who had been detailed by
GOV Billings as Il mark or the hlSh
esteem in which John Coolidge was
lool in, iS THESE
men took turns doing sentinel duty
yesterday and today, and later served
as the body carriers. There were no
pallbearers other than these.
The funeral service was conducted
in the living room made historic in
August three years ago, when CALVIN
Coolidge took The oath as President OF
the United States, administered by
his father. The table which was used
during that occasion had been taken
out of the room today. The little
Kerosene lamp which furnished the
light then also was missing. The llN-
ing room. although the most spacious
one in the Coolidge house, is by no
means Coinnodious, and space had to
be cleared for today'S sad occasion.
Many floral pieces, fragrant and
handsome were placed near the
casket. The wreath of lilies of the
valley, made up at the White House,
and which arrived here only this
morning. was placed at the head of
tho casket as "A tribute from the Pres
ident and his family. 1t was the only
floral piece taken to the grave. All
the others are to be given 10 the ma
tiveS of the Notch country at the Sug-
gestion of Mrs. Coolidge.
Few Attend Services.
Only a few persons attended the
services at the house and the ceme-
terry. Besides the Presidents family,
there were Mr.. and Mrs. John Wilder,
the latter sister-in-laW CT Col. Cool
id2e.
AFRO johnson, sexton of the little
church at Plymouth with the assist
ance of several of the villagers, dug
the grave late yesterday. As always,
in the dead of Winter in this section.
this WAS an arduOuS task. The snow
was deep and below il was thickly
caked ice and then frozen ground.
Several logs were burned above the
spot to make the work less difficult.
AFRO needed no instructions from
any one about his part in the detail
of the burying of his old friend. The
colonel had. some time ago. just after
he suffered his first heart block in
November. instructed him about this
grim detail. AFRO said today that the
colonel knew back in November that
he was nearing the end of his trail,
and in his customary precise and mat
ter-uf fact manner, wanted to make
ready" as AFRO expressed 1t.
Headstone in Place.
There already is granite head
stone marking the grave. The col
onels name il cut in il and below his
name in patltlrchal order follow the
names of his two wives and the
daughter, the Presidents sister, who
died when he was just IS. The spot
selected for the colonel'S grave is di-
rectly behind the stone. TO the south
of il are reserved lots for President
Coolidge, Mrs. Coolidge and John. At
the extreme right is young Calvin's
grave, as yet unmarked by a head.
stone, but today marked with a fresh
wreath of flowers from the White
House.
On the colonel's stone is the general
Inscription, Coolidge" The lettering
is plain just like many others in this
wayside burial ground. Beneath the
word Coolidge" is the roll of the
: family. as follows: John c. Coolidge,
March 81, 1845 - (The date of
the colonel's death will be cut in later.)
Continued on Page 4. Column 81