A Local Merchant Passes
A beloved Seattle businessman and lodge member dies of typhoid fever, leaving a grieving family.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
About ten days ago, Reuben B. Partridge was taken sick, and his ailment soon assumed the form of typhoid fever. Day by day he grew weaker until his physicians gave up all hope of his recovery. He passed away at 1 o'clock yesterday morning. The deceased was born at Miles, Michigan, in December 1847. While yet a little lad he moved with his parents to Millville, Clark County, Ohio, where he grew to manhood's estate. He then moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was married in 1877. He came to Seattle about five years ago. After working at the insurance business for a time, he accepted a situation as bookkeeper for the Oregon Improvement Company at Newcastle, which position he held for a couple of years. He then moved to Seattle and opened an insurance business here. He was a member of St. John's Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and also a member of the Knights Templar. He was a man of kind and generous impulses, who always made friends wherever he went. Deceased leaves a wife and little daughter, aged seven years, to mourn his loss. The funeral services will take place at the family residence, corner Ninth and Columbia streets, at 2 p.m. today, conducted by Dean Watson. After the services at the house, the Masons will take charge of the body, and bury it according to the rites and customs of that order.
“He was a man of kind and generous impulses, who always made friends wherever he went.”
Obituaries in 1886 often listed an individual's fraternal affiliations, like the Masons, as central to their public identity. Today, we focus more on personal achievements or career legacies, though the human loss of a parent remains unchanged.
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