________
Obituary from Battle Creek Journal newspaper from the Willard Library in Battle Creek's Collier Collection, 67.302, dated April 4, 1881.
Obituary of Jacob Scramlin.
To the editor of the Battle Creek Journal.
Jacob Scramlin was born in Oneonta Otsego Co. N.Y., May 16th 1810 and died at his home in West Leroy, Calhoun Co., Mich., April 9th 1881, consequently his age was 70 years, 10 months, and 23 days.
He removed to Leroy, Mich. about 1853 (28 years ago) where he remained up to the time of his death.
He was married to Miss Sally Van Wert in Oneonta, N.Y., ___1831. He had 5 children by her, 4 of whom, with the wife of his youth, preceded him to the land beyond the river.
He was united in marriage to his 2nd wife, Miss Olive Eldred, Sept. 27, 1855, 15 years ago at Charleston, Mich. She with his youngest daughter, Mrs. Annie Clark and two grandchildren of his immediate family, one brother and one sister, still survive to mourn their loss and to rejoice at his eternal gain.
He was soundly converted to Christ and united with the Free-will Baptist Church, in his early manhood, in the home of his childhood, and continued an active earnest consistent member of that church until he removed to Michigan. As there was no Free-will Baptist Church near his home, he never united in any branch of the visible church in Michigan, although most of the members of his family became members of the of the Methodist Episcopal church at West Leroy, near his home. Although not formally affiliated with the church, and he contributed $200 to West Leroy and $200 to the Climax churches. He was a regular attendant upon the means of grace until failing health necessarily kept him at home.
He was an industrious, hard-working man, a prudent, successful manager of his temporal career.
When his health began to fail, some 7 or 8 years ago, he sold his large farm; retaining a few acres, where he built a comfortable house and out-buildings, for a home where he patiently spent the remaining years of his slowly wasting life, amid feebleness and pain, while confidently waiting for the coming of his Lord to take him home, to the land of rest and to the society of his loved ones gone before. Long before his death he had carefully arranged all of his business matters and made his peace with God, so he had nothing to do but watch and wait for his coming.
Such an honest, earnest, Godly, hopeful, helpful life could have no other, but a successful termination. His sun of life went down in a cloudless sky to rise amid the glorious realities of the excellent glory.
May the dear Savior help us to appreciate and profit by his Godly life, and example; to sympathize with his grief stricken family and ultimately to meet and greet them in the land where shadows and parting never come.
His funeral was largly attended April 11th from the West Leroy M.E. Church, Rev. L.M. Edwards officiating. His pastor, Rev. E.D. Bacon being sick. The sermon was based on a text rendered in Phil 1, 21, after which a large portion of the congregation followed his remains to the local cemetery near his home where loving hands deposited them beside the remains his loved ones gone before.
L.M. Edwards.
Climax, April 11th
______________
