Milton Loveless

 
The Cartersville Courant
Cartersville, Georgia
December 2, 1886, page 3
 
Transcribed by:  
 

Earth to Earth.
Death and Burial of Milton Loveless.
A Grand Tribute to a Spotless and Unblemished Character –A Pathetic Memorial Service.

Mr. Milton Loveless died at his home here Monday morning, after a sickness of about a week’s duration.  The cause of his death was pneumonia.  Mr. Loveless was, perhaps, the oldest citizen of Cartersville –not the oldest man in years, but the one who had lived within the corporate limits the longest.  He was born April 2, 1818, and was converted and joined the Methodist Church when he was a boy of eleven years of age.  The Church he first affiliated with was Mt. Bethel, in Lawrence district, South Carolina.  The wife of the deceased and three daughters survive him.  One of the latter is married to Mr. John Evans, of Rome.

The funeral of Mr. Loveless occurred from the Methodist Church here Tuesday morning, and the immense crowd that filled the sacred edifice attested the great worth of the deceased, showing more plainly than words could prove how dearly he was loved by all in this community.  During the funeral hour every business house in town was closed out of respect to the old citizen, who has gone to his reward.

The services at the Church were particularly solemn and impressive.  The choir sang sweetly, but in subdued tone, “Jesus Lover of My Soul,” a hymn that the deceased had asked to be sung just before his death.

Rev. W. A. Dodge officiated, assisted by Rev. Mr. Cooper.  After the beautiful but solemn services prescribed by the ritual of the Methodist church, conducted by Mr. Dodge, and a fervent prayer by Mr. Cooper, the choir, by request of Mr. Dodge, sang “We shall stand before the King,” from the “Great Awakening.”  This song, Mr. Dodge said, had been a favorite with the deceased brother.  When this song had been sung, Mr. Dodge stated that in lieu of a regular sermon, it had been deemed best to make the occasion a memorial service; and opportunity was given anyone to make brief remarks upon the life and character of him whom they were about to consign to the earth.  Mr. Dodge then in a touching manner, commented upon the richness and beauty of the life just gone out.  In the course of his remarks he referred to the mourning drapery about the chancel rail, and the autumn leaves and evergreens, the thanksgiving decorations, which were still there, and drew a beautiful and striking analogy between them and earthly death and eternal life and the feelings of those present; the funeral trappings represented the sadness which prevailed in every heart in the Church, in the community and in the family, and as the autumn leaves, touched by the chilling frost, fades and falls to the ground, so the one of whom they were bereft, touched by the chill of death, glided softly and gently out of this  life, but the evergreen was emblematic of and reminded him of the immortal spirit that once lived in the tenement of clay before them, which will live in eternal bloom and eternal verdure and freshness forever.  Mr. Dodge said that the deceased had told him once that he never expected to die, that he just expected “to fall asleep in Jesus.”

Beautiful, touching, and pathetic tributes of respect were paid to the memory of the deceased by Col. J. J. Howard, Col. J. W. Harris, Sr., Dr. W. W. Leake, Col. Robert H. Jones, Mr. John W. Akin and Rev. J. T. Norris.  These gentlemen, eloquently portrayed the grandeur and consistency of Mr. Loveless’ Christian character, spotless and unblemished during his long life, after the remarks were over and the funeral services at the church concluded, the remains were carried out, while the choir sang “Come ye Disconsolate.”  The remains were then conveyed to the cemetery where they were interred, with appropriate ceremony.  The pall bearers were Capt. J. B. Wilkerson, P. L. Moon, John T. Owen, W. C. Edwards, John A. Gladden, Aaron Collins and M. L. Pritchett.

The memorial service was of a most pathetic and affecting character and many eyes unused to weeping were moistened by the sad yet sweetly solemn scene.

 

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