Person:James Eckford (3)

"An Old Citizen Gone (Macon Beacon, 3 May 1873 pg 3)

 Mr. Jas. Eckford, an old and esteemed citizen of this place, died last week, aged 72.
 Mr. Eckford was well known in Lowndes Co. and Noxubee as a merchant and planter.  We have few such men to spare.  His social qualities, his integrity, and his religious character, were all so well defined and recognized that the whole community feel his loss as that of a good citizen and an upright man."

Unidentified newspaper clippings from Eckford Bible " James Eckford, son of Dr. John and Mary E. Eckford, a Scotchman by birth, was reared and educated principally in North Alabama, where his parents finally settled on coming to this country. He was taken sick about the 1st of January, and died at his residence, near Macon, Miss., April 25, 1873. My first acquaintance with him was made during his last sickness. I visited him often; always found him composed and patient. He gave abundant evidence of strong faith in Christ, saying to me, on my first visit, early in January, that he had lived with reference to the hour which seemed then to be so near at hand; that he had early in life made choice of what he conceived to be correct principles, and had endeavored to be governed by them in the discharge of all the duties of life, and now he felt ready to die. A few days before his death I visited him in company with Bishop Kavanaugh, who was visiting Macon at the time. The Bishop conversed with him as to his hopes beyond the grave. He assured the Bishop that his way was clear, that he felt anxious to depart and be with Christ; he hoped however to have patience to wait the Lord's time. When Bishop Kavanaugh prayed with him, he asked that he would speak slowly and articulate distinctly, that he might be able to hear. His request was strictly complied with, and I noted his lips moving, along with each petition, and at the close he wispered a distinct and hearty amen. I was in his room at the time he died --the death article was deeply interesting and very impressive. Although unable to converse, having lost the power of speech, he gave every evidence of the full possession of all his mental powers. By a very great effort he called the name of his son, Bob, and made signs of his desire to be raised up on his bed. He was immediately raised to a sitting position, with his head resting upon my hand. There was a marked expression of Christian courage and triumph on the features of his face, as it grew pale in death, and in the light of his eyes, as they were dimmed by the darkness of the valley thorugh he was passing. Without a struggle or a sigh he gently, softly breathed his last, and the ministering angels accompanied his spirit, thus calmly, peacefully dismissed from the body, home to heaven and to God. The deceased was the father of nine children by his first marriage, and one by the last. His first wife and three of her children preceded him to the grave. He was for over forty years a member of the church; a man of great firmness, sterling integrity, an active, leading citizen for many years of his life, and an exemplary Christian. He loved his Church and his country. He leaves the heritage of a good name to his family and friends. I need say no more.

                       E. E. Hamilton"

Note from http://www.famousamericans.net/hubbardhindekavanaugh1/ KAVANAUGH, Hubbard Hinde, Methodist Episcopal. bishop, born in Clarke county, Kentucky, 14 January, 1802; died in Columbus, Mississippi, 19 March, 1884.

Note from http://www.emperornorton.net/norton-drury.txt But Norton was too much a part of the local scene for a reporter to ignore entirely, so Twain allowed him to creep into a sarcastic piece protesting military censorship. The Army, emboldened by the fact that Lee's retreat into Virginia after Gettysburg had caused public opinion in California to swing sharply in favor of the Union, had begun to harass Southern preachers who exercised their right of free speech in California. So, when a bishop was arrested at a camp meeting in Calaveras County and brought to San Francisco under guard, the press wanted to know the precise nature of his offense. They were told only that Bishop Hubbard H. Kavanaugh's church was the Methodist Episcopal Church South, which the Provost Marshal had deemed sufficient evidence of an unholy alliance with Dixie to justify incarceration in the Presidio. Twain thought that feeble excuse hilarious, although it disturbed him that the military could arrest a eivilian and then refuse o talk about it. He revealed in the Call how all of his attempts to get the facts were frustrated:

We started to the Provost Marshal's office, but met another reporter, who said: "I suppose I know where you're going, but it's no use-just come from there-military etiquette and all that, you know-those fellows are mum-won't tell anything about itDamn!" We sought General McDowell, but he had gone to Oakland. In the course of the afternoon we visited all kinds of headquarters and places, and called on General Mason, Colonel Drum, General Van Bokkelen, Leland of the Occidental, Chief Burke, Keating, Emperor Norton, and everybody else that would be likely to know the Government's business. .

General Irving McDowell was Commander of the Department of the Pacifie, General Mason was the Assistant Provost Marshal General, Colonel Drum was Chief of Staff at the Presidio, and General Van Bokkelen, the Provost Marshal of Nevada, was a guest at the Occidental Hotel, where Twain now lived. The others were unlikely sources of information. Police Chief Martin Burke was not at all involved in a strictly military matter; Jim Keating operated the Ivy Green Saloon; and Lewis Leland was the Occidental Hotel's owner-manager. Their names were merely tossed in for comic effect, but no doubt they appreciated the mention. As for the Emperor, well, he probably would not have minded in the least that the Call considered him an authority on governmental affairs. After all, he thought that himself.

The Army received such a ribbing that General McDowell begged Bishop Kavanaugh to return to Calaveras County and say no more about it. As a parting shot-a remarkably weak one for such a big gun-he did advise the bishop to drop the "South" from his church's name. And the bishop, in rich, round ecelesiastical tones, told him to go somewhere noted for its extreme warmth.

One might almost have thought that the Almighty, displeased with the rebellious cleric, had taken General McDowell's side in the matter, because at the very moment that Twain wrote that piece, at 10:40 P.m. on July 21, an earthquake rocked the city, the second within a month. Twain was in the newsroom at the time, scribbling that day's items, including the one about the general and the bishop:

More about Bishop Kavanaugh at http://www.books-about-california.com/Pages/California_Sketches_2/CA_Sketches_2_Chpt_25.html

The family residence was a mile or two north of Macon (approx at 460 Magnolia Way, the NW 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 28 and the adjoining NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Secton 27 in T15N R17E) His second wife Hattie J. inherited the family home but had sold the house and returned to Salem, Massachusetts by 1879.

Rowland, Dunbar in Vol. III, Pages 405-06 says James Eckford, was the first banker in Columbus.

1. ↑ Eckford family bible.

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   Name: Page

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Church of Scotland. Parish Church of Innerleithen. Parish registers, 1642-1854. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1985)
   via Sandy.

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   FIELD:
   Name: Page
   VALUE: via Sandy

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Richards, E. Q, and Mississippi) Macon Beacon (Macon. Abstracts of death notices from the Macon Beacon : Macon, Mississippi, 1871-1912. (s.n.], 1982)
   3 May 1873.

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   Name: Page
   VALUE: 3 May 1873

4.   Obituary in Macon Beacon, 3 May 1873 and a eulogy of unknown date and origin by E. E. Hamilton. (Macon Beacon,
   3 May 1873.

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   Name: Page
   VALUE: 3 May 1873

5.   The original records in the Noxubee County Courthouse.
   Tax Rolls 1879, 1883Will of James Eckford, 1873.

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   Name: Page
   VALUE: Tax Rolls 1879, 1883Will of James Eckford, 1873

6.   Family Maps of Noxubee County, Mississippi by Gregory A. Boyd, www.arphax.com.

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   FIELD:
   Name: Page

7. ↑ after a long illness.