Francis W. Stonebraker

The many friends, relatives and former neighbors of Francis W. Stonebraker were pained the first of the week when news was received from Hagerstown of his death after a brief illness. Mr. Stonebraker had enjoyed his usual health until Thursday of last week when he was taken seriously ill with kidney trouble. Death occurred Saturday evening at 7:40 o'clock at Washington where he was taken for an operation. The remains were brought to Mount Morris for burial. Mrs. Stonebraker and Robert Shaffer, her nephew, accompanied the remains, leaving Hagerstown at 9 o'clock Monday morning and arriving here at noon Tuesday. Undertaker W.H. Miller then took charge of the remains, transferring them to the residence of Oliver Gloss.

The funeral was held in the Methodist Church yesterday at 1:30 o'clock conducted by Rev. W. L. Whipple, of Rockford, assisted by Rev. Hinds and Rev. Ford of Mount Morris. Interment was made in the family lot in Oakwood Cemetery.
Mr. Stonebraker was formerly one of the most prominent farmers Mount Morris Township and was well and favorably known. His family of children are all residents of Mount Morris and vicinity and are among our most substantial citizens.
Mr. Stonebraker, while not one of the very early settlers, never-the-less is properly classed among the old settlers of the county, coming to Mount Morris in 1852. He was born June 13, 1833, near Franklin, Washington County, Maryland and grew to manhood in that county. He came west to Illinois when near twenty years of age, joining his older half brother, Michael, who had come out several years before. He located on the farm now know as the Stonebraker farm, about a mile north of town.

About a year after coming to Mount Morris Mr. Stonebraker married Miss Sophia Wagner. Of their family of children three preceded their father. John was killed by falling from a load of hay upon a pitch folk. Daniel was accidentally drowned in Rock River. Samuel died several years ago. Those surviving are Laura, wife of John Tice; Florence, wife of Oliver Gloss; Frank S.; and Mary, wife of Edward Marvin.

Mr. Stonebraker's first wife died about nineteen years ago, and he was later again married to Mrs. Laura V. Mumma, who survives him.
Although making his home for about fifteen years in Hagerstown, he has returned regularly to Mount Morris every spring, remaining several months, and consequently he has continued to seem like a resident of town. His hearty handshake and greeting upon his arrival each spring will be missed by his many friends.

The Hagerstown Morning Herald of Monday noted Mr. Stonebraker death as follows;
Francis W. Stonebraker, a well known and highly respected citizen of Hagerstown residing at No. 141 Summit Avenue, died rather suddenly at the Homoeopathic Hospital, Washington on Saturday evening at 7:30 o'clock from kidney trouble, age 73 years. Mr. Stonebraker became suddenly ill last Thursday. On Saturday morning he was taken to the hospital in Washington by Dr. A.P. Stauffer and B.F. Shafer for the purpose of having an operation performed, but the surgeons found Mr. Stonebraker's condition to be such as not to warrant an operation being performed.

Mr. Stonebraker was born near Fairplay, this county, and went West when a young man and lived in Illinois for quite a while, and during his first married life. While in Illinois Mr. Stonebraker accumulated considerable wealth by dealing in land. About fifteen years ago Mr. Stonebraker returned to Hagerstown and has live here since, making annual trips to Mount Morris, Illinois, where all his children live. By the death of Mr. Stonebraker, Hagerstown lost one of her best citizens. He was a man of excellent habits, upright and honest in all his dealing and a true Christian gentleman. For forty years he was he was a member of the Methodist Church at Mount Morris. He was the last of a family of five children-four brothers and one sister. The following children survive by his first wife: Mrs. Oliver Gloss, Mrs. John Tice, Mrs. Mary Marvin and Frank Stonebraker all residing at Mount Morris. Mr. Stonebraker's second wife was Mrs. Laura V. Mumma, by whom he is survived, along with one step daughter, Mrs. Leila Hershey, residing in Montgomery County.

Undertaker A.K. Coffman on Sunday morning left for Washington and brought the remains to this city at 10 o'clock at Sunday night.
Funeral services this morning at 8 o'clock at his late residence on Summit Avenue, by Rev. Dr C. Herbert Richardson and Rev. J.S. Simon. At nine o'clock the remains will be taken over the Cumberland Valley to Mount Morris, where the funeral proper will be held in the Methodist Church of which he was a member for so many years. Interment will be made in a cemetery at Mount Morris on Wednesday morning. The pallbearers who will officiate in this city are C.W. Sebold, W.W. Stover, W.E. McDade, S.W. Sowers, J. Harlan Smith, S.L. Lamkin, J. W. Myers and John E. Sperrow.

Submitted by Jane Edson

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