Shelby  County  Indiana
Obituaries

Burns


The  Shelby  Democrat
Thursday, May 5, 1938
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JESS  T.  BURNS
PASSES  AWAY
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Formerly Lived in Shelby-
ville;  Funeral to
Be Sunday
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          Jess T. Burns,  of Sedalia, Ind., formerly of this city, died at his home at 9 o'clock Friday morning, according to word received here.  He was fifty-six years old at the time of his passing, which was due to complications.  Mr. and Mrs. Burn lived here until about two years ago, when they moved to Sedalia.  His death is mourned by many friends in this city.
          Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at the home and burial will be in Sedalia.
          Survivors include the widow and two daughters,  Mrs. Ed Gable,  of Indianapolis; and  Mrs. James Townsend  of Rensselaer.
          The deceased was an oil salesman, and during their residence here Mrs. Burns was employed at the J. C. Penney store.  Mr. Burns was a member of the Masonic lodge and the Presbyterian church.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming


The  Shelbyville  Republican
Monday August 4, 1930
Page 1 column 1
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DEATH  OCCURRED  SUNDAY  EVENING
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William Harrison Burns, Age 56,
Succumbs At Home In Waldron
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HOLD  FUNERAL  WEDNESDAY
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          William Harrison Burns, age 56 years, died at eight o’clock Sunday night at his home in Waldron from a complication of diseases.
          Mr. Burns was the son of  Mr. and Mrs. Hannibal Burns  and was born in Decatur county on June 27, 1874.  His marriage to  Miss Mollie Corwin  took place on August 28, 1892, and one daughter, Mildred, whose death occurred twelve years ago, was born to them.
          The widow and three sisters survive.  The sisters are:  Mrs. Will Collins, of Indianapolis;  Mrs. Ida Harris, of Indianapolis; and  Mrs. Mary Rodhrick, of Danville, Illinois.
          The deceased was a member of the Waldron Baptist church and the Waldron Masonic order.  Funeral services will be held at the church of which he was a member Wednesday morning at ten o’clock.  The Rev. C.B. Atkinson, pastor of the church, and the Rev. Ralph Minton, pastor of the Waldron M.E, church, will officiate.  Burial will be in the Ogden cemetery in charge of Charles M. Ewing.  Members of the Waldron Masonic lodge will take part in the services at the grave.
Contributed by Barb Huff  for Paulane


The  Shelbyville  Republican
Tuesday August 10, 1915
Page 1 column 6
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MRS. LOUISA  BURNS
Died Monday Evening at Her Home in Waldron
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          Mrs. Louisa Burns, seventy-five years old, died Monday evening at the home of her son, W. H. Burns, of Waldron.  Her death was caused by paralysis, she being afflicted with the disease since last March.  Mrs. Burns was a member of the Waldron M.E. church and also a member of the Eastern Star lodge of Waldron.
          Mrs. Burns was stricken for the last time while visiting with relatives at Greensburg.  She was brought to her home a few days ago.  She was married in *September 1859 to Mr. Burns.  Mr. Burns was a veteran of the Civil war.  He met his death on April 7, 1907, by falling from the railroad bridge near Waldron.
          She leaves one son, W. H. Burns, at whose home she died, and three daughters, Mrs. Collins  and  Mrs. Ida Jones, of Indianapolis, and  Mrs. Mary Rodrick, of Pontiac, Illinois.
          The funeral services will be held Wednesday afternoon at one-thirty o’clock in the Waldron M.E. church, the Rev. Victor B. Hargitt officiating.  Burial will be made in the Ogden cemetery.
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*Jennings County, Indiana Marriages
Hannibal Burnes & Louisa Tucker
January 23, 1860
Contributed by Barb Huff  for Paulane


The  Shelbyville  Daily  Democrat
Thursday April 4, 1907
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FELL  BETWEEN  CROSSTIES
OF  BRIDGE  AND  WAS  DROWNED
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Hannibal H. Burns, Old Soldier And
Ex-Constable Found Dead This Morning
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Body Discovered in Conn’s Creek by
Two Young Fishermen—Hour of Death Unknown
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CONDUCTOR  REFUSED  TO
LET  HIM  RIDE  –  STARTED  HOME
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          A small bit of clothing, barely visible above the shallow waters of Conns creek, attracted the attention of  Andy Smith  and  Alex Nicely, two Middletown boys, who were fishing near Waldron at 9:30 this morning.  Going closer to investigate they found that the cloth was a part of an overcoat covering a human body lying beneath the traction bridge, less than a quarter of a mile this side of Waldron.
          Hurrying to town, the boys gave the alarm.  Squire Thaddeus D. Lewis,  Constable Lee Shrout,  Carey Gardner,  Herschel McCain and others, who answered the hurried call, proceeded to the bridge and going down into the water soon drew from it position the corpse, which proved to be the remains of  Hannibal H. Burns, a well known resident of Waldron.  The body was carried to the home of Mr. Burns, about an eighth of a mile distant.
          The story is a sad one to the many friends of the aged, whole-souled ex-soldier and ex-constable, who for over twenty-five years has been a familiar figure in the little town in southern Liberty township.  Unable to control his thirst for strong drink, he yesterday indulged to excess and at twenty minutes after five o’clock yesterday afternoon was refused passage home from Prescott, as a conductor on the traction line waved him imperiously aside and told him he could not ride until he sobered up.  Delbert Maple,  Elmer Barton,  a Mr. Snide and several other residents of Waldron who happened to be in Prescott at the time saw the gray-bearded old soldier stand back at the conductor’s order and later saw him start down the Big Four tracks, evidently determined to walk to his home about three miles distant.
          His body was found near the central pier of the bridge.  The water at this point is only two and a half feet deep.  Mr. Burns was lying on his face, his right arm tightly clasped about a log which formed a part of some drift in the stream, a slight scratch was visible beneath the left eye and another small scratch on the right side of his chin.  Otherwise there were no marks or bruises on the body.  Death evidently was due to drowning and not to the twelve-foot fall to the hard creek bed.
          There is small doubt that as Burns proceeded homeward he crossed over to the traction grade. When he came to the bridge he fell between the cross-ties, which are fully four feet apart.  The task of going over this double span of widely separated ties would require considerable coolness, nerve and steadiness on the part of a man younger in years and more sober in condition than was Mr. Burns.
          A few gray hairs clinging to a brace in the center of the bridge and almost directly over the spot where the body was found showed the exact cross-ties between which the unfortunate man had plunged.
          In his pockets were found a watch and two pocketbooks, in one of which were some papers.  The other contained a dollar and two nickels.  In one of the pockets of his corduroy trousers was a penny.  A bunch of keys, sixteen in number, constituted the rest of the articles found on his person.  The watch chain had been broken, and dangled from his vest.  The watch was safe in his vest pocket and had stopped at exactly 5:25.  The time registered by the watch is, however, no indication as to the time Mr. Burns met his death, as the stoppage was due to the fact that the watch had run down.  The works were perfectly dry and as soon as the watch was wound again it started with its accustomed regularity.
          Some twenty-five or thirty years ago Mr. Burns came here from Ripley county.  He has been a plasterer and bricklayer by trade and has also engaged in farming on a small scale.  Lately he has done very little work, as his advanced age has been a source of inconvenience to him.  He was sixty-nine years of age on March 18.  He is survived by a widow, Mrs. Louisa Burns; by one son, Harrison Burns, of Waldron; and by three daughters:  Mrs. Ida Jones, of Waldron; Mrs. Nora Butler, now of Indianapolis, and Mrs. Mary Underwood, of Illinois.
          The deceased was a member of the G.A.R. and was also a Mason, belonging to the Waldron lodge.  The funeral arrangements will be announced later.  Stewart & Fix are in charge.
          Coroner O. H. McDonald visited Waldron this morning and investigated the conditions surrounding the finding of his body.  His formal inquest will be held in this city on Saturday afternoon.
[Buried VanPelt Cemetery]
Contributed by Barb Huff  for Paulane


The  Shelby  Democrat
Thursday, August 3, 1904
Page 8, column 4
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          Phoeba, the wife of  George Burns, died at their home in Indianapolis, at 4 o'clock Tuesday morning.  The remains will be brought to this city at 6 o'clock Wednesday and taken to the home of her parents,  Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Phillips  on east Franklin street.  The funeral will be held Friday in charge of Edwards & Hageman.
Contributed by Barb Huff


The  Shelbyville  Daily  Democrat
Tuesday, August 10, 1886
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          The remains of  Orin W. Burns  will be interred at ten o'clock to-morrow morning in the city cemetery by Funeral Director D. B. Wilson.  Services at the house by Rev. J. K. Pye.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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