Transcription: from the Painesvill Telagraph Obituary The death of Daniel Whelpley removes from our midst the oldest man in Kirtland. Born in New York; January 25, 1794. He was consequently more than ninety years of age. He was married in 1824 to Mabel Anderson. In 1820 he came to Western New York as a surveyor on the Erie canal. There were eleven of the company and he was the last surviving member. Six years of his life was spent in Batavia. In 1841 he went to Ohio, settling first in Trumbull county, where he staid one year, and then came to Kirtland. Seven years since his wife died, but she had kept even step with him for more than half a century. Henceforth there was to be for him no answering foot fall to the sound of his own. The life he spent on the Erie Canal was rough and full of incident. The canal traversed low, swampy grounds and much sickness prevailed among the men. It could not be otherwise as they slept without shelter for six months in the year during a period of six years. This was a long time to bear the hardships of such a life, but this he did and survived them all. When too old for active labor, he has felt and expressed the wish that it were better for him to depart than to remain and grow still older, and in his last sickness he many times remarked that he did not wish to get well. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Austin Damon. His funeral was held on Friday, August 22nd, the Rev. Mr. Thompson in attendance. His last days were peaceful. Very fortunate was this venerable man that in the feebleness, the second childhood of 90 years, his many necessities were administered to by the hand of his daughter, Mrs. Damon, whose watchful care and unwearied kindness smoothed his pathway to the grave. In person Daniel Whelpley was tall, and in his prime must have been of commanding presence. He was anti-slavery, when to be so required men of nerve and courage. He was radical on temperance, and, what is even better than these--better than lofty titiles--was an honest man. J.C. ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.