Old West Kansas

Kansas Family History

Dr. Joseph Deweese Stevens Obituary

    Obituary from newspaper, THE PERU DERRICK, Peru Oil Gazette and
    Citizen, Peru, Chautauqua County, Kansas, Saturday, March 15, 1913,
    Vol. XIII, No. 31, page 1

                          DR. J. D. STEVENS

       Dr. Joseph Deweese Stevens, one of Peru's oldest residents and 
    Chautauqua county's oldest physician, passed away Sunday after an 
    illness of just nine days.
       The funeral was conducted from the M. E. Church under the 
    auspices of the I. O. O. F. lodge.  Rev. J. D. McBrian, Christian 
    minister, of Sedan, and Rev. Pittman, Baptist minister, of Havana 
    had charge of the services and were assisted by Thos. Pore, of 
    Cedar Vale.  The pall-bearers were P. Looby, Joe Kimbrell, Dr. 
    Lambdin, Dick Shobe, W. T. Williams and Ran Hartzell.  The entire 
    funeral arrangements were in accordance with instructions of the 
    doctor, which he put in writing over a year ago.
       The many floral offerings and the large crowd were mute 
    testamonials of the respect and esteem in which he was held in a 
    community where he had lived more than thirty-seven years. Few men 
    have more friends than did Dr. Stevens.
       Born at Corydon, Ind., July 13, 1836 and died at his home in Peru 
    March 9, 1913.  Was married to Margaret A. Johnson of Vincennes, 
    Ind., a daughter of Dr. Wm. Johnson.  Studied medicine at Cincinatti 
    and located and practiced at and in the vicinity of Vincennes until 
    1876 when he located at Peru.  Mrs. Margaret Johnson Stevens died 
    at Peru, January 19, 1878.  On January 19, 1879, he was married 
    to Mary D. Jackson, of Topeka, Kans., who with seven children of 
    the first union, survives him.  The children are, Dr. T. A. Stevens, 
    Caney, Dr. J. C. Stevens, Tulsa, E. M. Stevens, Mrs. R. I. Hillman 
    and Mrs. Wm. Haberly, Peru, Mrs. J. H. Sams, Victor, Colo. and Mrs. 
    O. D. Hicks, Los [sic] Vegas, Nev.  One brother Chas. Stevens, 
    Corydon, Ind. and two sisters, Mrs. Nancy LaHue, Edinburg, Ind. and 
    Mrs. Lydia LaHue, Deep Water, Mo. and nineteen grand children and 
    fourteen great grandchildren also survive him.
       He was a life long Democrat.  He thought the principles of 
    that party the right principles and was proud of the fact that
    his political views had never changed.
       Was a member of the I.O.O.F. for more than forty years and
    had received his Veteran's Jewell about three years ago.
       Dr. J. D. Stevens was raised a Baptist and joined that church
    in his youth, later, in 1869, joined the Christian church.  In
    spite of the meager opportunities for an education in his early
    life, he acquired a superior education.  Always and up to his
    death a student.  He was a student of the Great Problem "What
    will the future be?"  Consequently realizing the diversity of
    opinion of intelligent men all over the world--two hundred
    forty-one different denominations of the Christian religion--he
    remained and contented himself with being only a student of 
    religious questions, rather than to assume he knew the solution of
    the Great Problem.  While others of less education and less 
    investigation knew (?) he was willing to continue the study.  This
    characteristic was manifested throughout all his career.  He never
    jumped at conclusions, always exhausted his resources for 
    investigation before he made a decision.
       A close study of his life will reveal the fact that he was
    indeed a Christian in its broadest sense he was always broad in his
    views on any subject, had he been narrower a few would have 
    appreciated him more and many would have appreciated him less.
       His life viewed from all standpoints reveals one of the best
    Christian lives the world ever knew.

                          ____________________

       The relatives from out of town who attended the funeral were
    Dr. T. A. Stevens, wife, daughter, Miss Maude and son, Tommy,
    O. V. Stevens, wife and son, Walter Conley and wife, and Chas.
    Gauze and wife of Caney, Dr. Joe Stevens and wife of Tulsa,  
    W. C. Council and wife, of Cedar Vale, Mrs. Byrtle Maher, of
    Pawhuska, [Oklahoma] and Mrs. Dolly Flitch, of Ponca City 
    [Oklahoma].
                           ____________________                      

    Others who attended the funeral from page 4 of this newspaper 
    were:  Dr. F. C. Hansen and Dr. W. E. Coons of Caney, Kansas; 
    Arnold Waters and his daughter Mrs. Tabler of Cedar Vale, Kansas; 
    and "Elliott Moore of Cherryvale came Sunday night to attend the
    funeral of his life long friend, Dr. J.D. Stevens."

   [Genealogical notes:  Mary Davis (Jackson) Stevens, second wife of 
   Dr. Stevens, was a sister of my great-grandmother, Martha Jane 
   (Jackson) Mehaffey Root.  Mrs. "Dolly" (Margaret Isabel) (Mehaffey) 
   Flitch was a daughter of my great-grandmother and niece of Mary D. 
   Stevens. The wife of W. C. Council listed above was Amanda Lucretia 
   (Jackson) Council, sister of Martha and Mary D. Jackson. Mrs. Byrtle 
   (also spelled Bertle) (Council) Maher was the only daughter of Mr. 
   and Mrs. William C. Council and was a niece of Mary D. (Jackson) 
   Stevens.]