Sunday's Obituary- Richard Seth Worthing-1819-1907- Adolphus Ames Ancestry

Sunday’s Obituary: Richard Seth Worthing

 1819-1907

Richard Seth Worthing was my first great grandfather. He was born in Llananno, Radnorshire, Wales, the child of Mary Worthin a single woman. Richard died December 18, 1907.

Richard Worthing was born in the western{Eastern} part of Wales, April 15, 1819, and died at the home of his grandson, J. R. Patterson, December 18, 1907, aged 88 years, 8 months and 3 days. At the age of twenty-one years he was united in marriage to Sarah Ingram. This union resulted in the birth of fifteen children, nine of whom attained the age of maturity and reared families of their own. Of this large family only three remain to mourn the loss of their father. They are Mrs. P. S. Custor, of Otsego, Ohio, J. E. Worthing, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Charles E. Worthing, of Cambridge, Ohio. In addition to the above there are thirty-six grandchildren and thirty nine great grandchildren.
At about the age of twenty-three with his wife he came from Wales to Coshocton county, Ohio, where they resided until the spring of 1849 when with a party from the same county he traveled by the overland route across the plains to the gold fields of California. After about two and one-half years he returned and settled in Guernsey county, Ohio, where he resided until the spring of 1880, when with his faithful wife he came and settled in Madison county, Iowa, where he has resided until his death. On October 24, 1888, he suffered the loss of his beloved companion with whom he had lived happily for fifty-eight years. And when he had lain her at rest in the silent city of the dead her resting spot had a larger place in his mind and heart than the living community where formerly his interest and activities centered.
How many hours of each day which made up the little more than nine years of his sorrow and loneliness he spent in silent communion with his God and beloved dead, no one knows. He often expressed a desire to meet the loved ones gone before and his strong vigorous vitality prolonged his life longer than his appearance would indicate. In his early life he accepted Christ as his personal Savior and made a public profession of his faith and after his return from California he united with the Baptist church at Bridgeville, Ohio, of which he was a zelous, influential member until he came to Iowa. Finding here no church of his choice he was instrumental in organizing the present Ohio Baptist church in Madison county, of which he remained a devoted member until his death.

Note: Burial in the Worthing cemetery.

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Note: Richard Seth Worthing was my 1st great-grandfather (Nancy Fermazin-Grace Worthing-Charles Worthing) and I have his tin type.

Source: Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa 

December 26, 1907, page 1.

A second Obituary gave tribute to Richard Worthing also.
It said: 

Obituary of Richard Worthing born April 15,1819 in Llananno, Radnorshire, Wales died December 18, 1907.

On October 24, 1898 he suffered the loss of his beloved companion with whom he had lived happily and faithfully with for fifty-eight years.  

It is not necessary to enlarge upon the noble qualities of this exceptional man's character.  Many of you outside the circle of his children have known him intimately for years and the universal testimony of those who knew him is that few men lived as closely to the tenets of the Golden Rule as he did.

Honest and true in his dealings, charitable almost to a fault, doing his dealings of charity quietly and unbeknownst that the recipients of his gifts seldom realized the deprivations of this giver.  

In all of his dealings he was never heard to utter a word that would not be appropriate in any place or any company.

A good man, an honored citizen, a faithful friend, a tender and affectionate father has gone out from us never more to return; but the fragrance of his memory and the kindness of his deeds, the wholesomeness of his example remains as a record of his life.

His loss is sincerely mourned, his record shall be cherished, his virtues emulated, and his memory kept keen in our hearts.

© 2014, copyright Nancy Fermazin Peralta. All rights reserved.

Richard Seth Worthing's daughter-in-law, Nancy Ames Worthing was the granddaughter of Adolphus Ames. [Adolphus Ames -- Ira Ames--Nancy Ames -- Grace Worthing--Nancy Fermazin Peralta]