Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1927-06-23
MAI. r. NJ. kAHLER, WIDELY
KNOWN CITIZEN, DIES HERE

O'CLOCK, was held from the PreSDy
terian church Monday afternoon a
! 2 O'Clock, in charge of the pasto
Rev. A. N. Grove. Members of tn,
G. A. r. and of the w. r. C. attended
in body. The casket was drapet
with beautiful silk flag from tn,
Women's Relief Corps.
| Mr.. Grove read the scripture ant
delivered short address, taking al
his theme End Timothy 4:7,S, /"
have fought good fight; / have fin
ished my course; / have kept thu
faith" His address dealt principal
| ly with Mr.. Kahler's faithfulness il
/, his long years of connection with tn
church, particularly along the mu
sical line, and his regularity in at
tendance at the various services o1
church and Sunday school.
Mr.. Grove was followed by Mr.. G.
| o. McGonagle who read paper deal
! ing with the war record of Major
Kahler and giving in comprehen
sive way some facts and outstanding
characteristics of Mr.. Kahler's life.
Instrumental music for the service
was furnished by Mrs. Cornelia
Jones of Athens, an old time friend
lof the deceased. who played several
pipe organ numbers. The vocal mu-
sic for the occasion consisted of two
selections by quartet composed oi
Messrs. P. G.. Ball, F.. S. Mcdonald
fal~ II MnU
the three first named having been
closely associated with Major Kah-
Ter in the choir of the Presbyterian
church of which he had been the eff
ficient and devoted director up until
the time he was obliged by illness to
relinquish his work. Those who
served as pail bearers were Messrs
H. M. Finley, C. A. Gaylord, c. M
Whitaker, Irven Travis, J. E. Cow
an and S. A. Finley. There was a
profusion of exquisitely beautiful
floral pieces, the offerings of rela-
tives and friends.
The male quartet also sang a Sc
lection Zone Sweetly Solemn
Thought" at the burial service in
the McConnelsville cemetery, and
there at the grave Major Kahler's
comrades of the G.. A. r. held their
ritualistic service. Taps were sound
ed by Mr.. Harold Savage.
Major F. M. Kahler united with
the Presbyterian church here March
II, 1877, being baptized by Rev. w.
M. Grimes. Later he resided in the
west for time, and then located in
Dallas, Tex, where on Jan. 15, 1905,
he joined the Methodist Episcopal
church. After he returned to Nc
Connelsville where the last several
years of his life were spent, with the
exception of a short time in Colum-
bus, he again united with the Pres
byterian church. June "a, 1917. For
a period of so years as a member of
the church he had been leader in
song, and even before becoming
united with the church his talent
for leadership in music was such
that he had been called upon to serve
in that capacity, and being the pos
SCISSOR of an unusually fine and beau
tiful voice which kept it's splendid
quality to a marked degree through
out the years, his services as a sing
er were always in demand.
The sketch by Mr.. McGonagle was
so complete in every way, and so
admirable, we would like if space
permitted, to produce it here in
full. The following is the sketch
in part:
Francis M. Kahler, son of Andrew
and Susan Pyle Kahler, was born in
McConnelsville, o., Jan. 6, 1889,
and died at his home in the old town
of his birth, June IS, 1927, aged SS
years, five months and IL days. His
education was procured in the pub
lie schools of this vicinity and in a
commercial school at Columbus, o.
For awhile he taught in the public
schools; was interested in ath-
letics. All clean sports appealed to
him and a naturally rugged physique
was improved upon by the line of
his activities. Of patriotic instinct
and rearing. when the call to arms
for preservation of the Union was
by Lincoln, he enlisted as
a private in Co. H, 18th o. V. l.,
and with his company was mustered
into service here in front of the
court house, April 2S, 1861, just 16
days after Fort Sumter was fired
upon by the organized forces of dis
union. Serving his first enlistment
of three months, and being muster
ed out Aug. s, 1861, he re-enlisted
Oct. 4, 1861, in Co. B, 62nd, o. V. l.,
was at ~ence chosen second lieuten-
ant, promoted to captain and assign
ed to the command of Co. III of the
same regiment, Sept. IL, 1862, and
On May II, 1854, was promoted to
major and transferred to field and
staff. With his regiment he partici-
)ated in all of it's ngagements-and
he record of the 62nd Ohio was Sec
md to none. In the bloody assault
IN Fort Wagner all his superior Of
icers were killed Or wounded, and
he command of the regiment de-
rolved upon Major Kahler. How he
,xtricated it from it's periious po-
ition has been told many times by
he survivors and marked the young |
major as an officer of real merit and |
ability. The military rec !
,rd of Major Kahler is a glorious |
me, and fit to be, and is, cherished |
long with those of his superiors |
irant, Sherman and Sheridan, in
he niche of fame carved for the old
,uckeye State by her heroic sons.