Col. Geo. Monroe Dies
at Advanced Age. . . Remarkable Figure in History of This Section Passes
Suddenly at His Home in County. . . Lived Through Exciting Periods. . . Last
Article Published Today
Col. George Monroe Yoder, one of the most remarkable
citizens in North Carolina, died suddenly at his home in the country this
morning at the age of nearly 94 years. Up to within a half hour of his death,
his mind was bright and active and the day before he passed away he wrote an
article for the Record on his boyhood
recollections, which is being published below. A few months ago Colonel Yoder
was in Hickory, as usually paid a visit to this office, where he always felt at
home and where he was a welcome visitor. He inspected the machinery and was
impressed with the large newspaper press.
The old gentleman was interested in everything, it seemed,
and during his long life assimilated a store of assorted knowledge that was the
envy of all who knew him. He learned to use the typewriter at 90 years of age
and thereafter did all his correspondence on a machine that his youngest son,
Enloe M. Yoder, provided for him. To Record
readers he was best known as a historian and weather prophet and as a
forecaster was famous throughout the state, his articles always being the
subject of comment. Just a few days ago, he compared the present wi;nter with
one of many years ago, this showing his
observant nature.
Not only was Colonel Yoder well versed in local, state and
national history, but he was a mathematician as well, and during his later
years, which were spent quietly at the old Yoder homestead, he amused himself
with puzzles and conundrums and frequently challenged Record readers to a test
of wits. He was a surveyor of note, held the position of magistrate and other
offices with credit and distinction, and was faithful to his trusts. With the
mathematician’s instinct to find the reason as well as the answer, he delved into
many subjects and he was not content with a smattering of information. He
probed to the bottom and his keen mind was able to distinguish the truth from
fiction.
Colonel Yoder was honored by those who knew him and he
appreciated those little attentions which were as natural to one growing up
nearly a century ago as automobiles are to children of the present day. He
lived through the most exciting periods of American history and he has known
veterans of the American Revolution, the great French revolution, the wars of
Napoleon which followed, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War in
which he was a participant, the Spanish War and had grandsons in the World War.
Living more than the allotted span allotted to men, he saw more and knew more.
Colonel Yoder passed at 7:30 this morning a few minutes
after he had eaten breakfast. When his little granddaughter wok him for the
morning meal, he complained of feeling bad but bathed his face and hands, ate
breakfast and returned to his room. He sat on the bed and in 15 minutes life
was extinct. He was born August 23, 1826, and would have been 94 years old had
he lived until next August.
He was a son of Michael Yoder and Mary Dietz Yoder, who
settled in this country when it was practically a wilderness. George Monroe
Yoder was twice married, his first wife being Rebecca Herman and his second,
who survives him, was Eliza Yoder. To the first union, five children were born,
and the eldest, F.A. Yoder, having died a number of years ago. The others are
J.M. Yoder of Van Wyke, S.C., Colon M. Yoder, Mrs. D.H. Ramsour, and Mrs. J.A.
Yount of the county, and to the second union one son was born, Enloe Yoder, who
lives at the old home place. The deceased is survived by many grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Colonel Yoder was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and was
faithful to it at all times. The funeral will be held from Grace church
tomorrow afternoon at 3 o’clock by Rev. L.L. Lohr.
The following article was the last written by Colonel Yoder before
his death. It reached the Record this morning and contained a note in his own
handwriting to the effect that he would prepare other articles for the Record’s
readers.
Col. Yoder’s Last
Article
Old historical events and scenes that happened in our
youthful and boyhood days about 86 years ago.
Whilst sitting by a warm fire in our room by the stove
during those cold and inclement days, our mind ran back to our boyhood days and
brought afresh those old time scenes and occurences to our recollections and
memories that passed in those days and seemed that they only happened a few
days ago we will take them up in regular rotation The first one that we will
mention occurred in the year of 1829 which was the time of the 17-year locust
that made their appearance.
My father had settled in the forest or timbered land. The locust
appeared by the multitudes up out of the ground everywhere and crawled up the
wall of the house and on the fence and small bushes until they were literally
covered. There was an old uncle of mine who wanted to put some of them on me
and I ran and cried.
We very distinctly remember that my father built a workshop
in about the year 1830 and that my mother helped him roll the logs up. Then my
mother died in August 1832 about 10 o’clock after night a few days before I was
six years old. We remember the very corner of the house where she died 87 years
ago. We still remember the preacher who preached at her funeral; he stood in a
wagon at the old Yoder grave yard in the woods and preached to the people.
We distinctly recollect the time when the old Yoder school
house was built in the summer of 1833. My grandfather gave the location for a
site for the school house which is now 86 years ago. Then a school was opened
in winter for three months subscription school. We attended the school during
the winter season.
The great noted meteoric shower occurred on the night in the
fall of November the 14th, after 12 o’clock and continued until
daylight and don’t know how much longer. It was a great excitement to many
people. A certain old lady was awakened by the flashes through the window,
thought the house was on fire, called for the family to get up, that the last
day was coming. At the same time there was an old intoxicated fellow there and
he answered her in the following language: “You fool, do you think that the
last day would come in the night and not get up to see what was going on?”
We distinctly remember that about the year of 1834 the great
nullification excitement that was in full bloom in South Carolina, when those
people were red hot for war, which was caused by some act in the tariff law, we
think. We remember that President Jackson issued his proclamation to them and
they returned to peace and quiet; if not that he would send state troops and
quell the matter. But Henry Clay and John Calhoun were appointed as
commissioners to settle the difficulty which was accepted.
This same year if we are not mistaken, occurred the cold
Saturday in the month of February. In the morning the day appeared like it would
be a fine and warm day. The merchants at their new store at Peter Warlick’s had
set that day apart to make a display of their dry goods.
Then about 10 o’clock the wind began to blow from the
northwest until it became a severe and terrible blizzard and very cold and was
always thereafter known as the cold Saturday. It was said by the old people then
living if you take a cup full of water and dash it up in the air that it fell
to ground ice.
At this gathering some eight or 10 Cherokee Indians on their
return home from the Catawba nation homeward came there with their bows and
arrows. The people thought that they wanted to see their expert in shooting so
they stuck up a stick and on its top a dime to shoot at a distance of 10 yards.
They would knock it off every pop.
--G.M. Yoder
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