xt7t1g0htx2p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7t1g0htx2p/data/mets.xml  1869  books b96-16-36620012 English Published by the Louisville Board of Trade : Louisville, Ky. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Garvin, William, 1795-1868.Wilson, Samuel Ramsey, 1818-1886. Tribute to the memory of William Garvin text Tribute to the memory of William Garvin 1869 2002 true xt7t1g0htx2p section xt7t1g0htx2p 




























































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Hart  t Mpcth-er lith. from. photograph by J C. Etrod, LonisvzlleXy

 This page in the original text is blank.

 





A TRIBUTE


           TO THE



     MEMORBY


            or



AVILLIAM



GAIR YIN.



     "And that man was perfect and upright, and one that
        feared God and eschewed evil."-JoB i: 1.






PUBLISHED BY THE LOUISVILLE BOARD OF TRADE.






            LOUISVILLE, KY:
    PRINTED ny JollN P. MORTON & C'., 156 WEST MAIN STREET.
                 1869.

 

















  THIS PUBLICATION is made in obedience to the following

action of the Louisville Board of Trade.


                                 LOUISVILLE, Ky., December 22, 1868.
  At a called meeting of the Board of Trade, held immediately after
"change," the President said that he had convened the Board to take
action in regard to the generally expressed wish of members of the
Board and other citizens for the publication of Rev. Dr. Wilson's
sermon on the death of our late friend and associate, William Garvin;
whereupon Mr. A. 0. Brannin offered the following resolutions, which
were unanimously adopted:


Resolved, That a committee of three members of the Board of Trade be and are hereby
appointed to collect the various tributes of respect paid to the memory of Mr. William
Garvin, deceased, including the funeral sermon preached by Rev. S. R. Wilson, D. D.,
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in this city, with the view of having the same
published In pamphlet form.
Resolved, That the committee appointed under the foregoing resolution be authorized
to procure, if possible, a likeness In lithograph, also the autograph of the deceased,
as a frontispiece to the pamphlet, and to superintend the publication of the same.


  The following gentlemen were appointed as a special committee to
carry out the objects of the meeting, viz.: Messrs. A. 0. Brannin,
George W. Morris, and J. M. Duncan.

                                        VENE P. ARMSTRONG, President.
  CHARLES H. CLARKE, Secretary.

 











                 PRE FACE.




  IN compliance with the resolutions of the Board of Trade,
the undersigned committee herewith present this tribute to
the memory of our departed friend.
  It would have gratified the committee to be able to present
a full history of the eminently useful life of Mr. Garvin,
which would have involved to a great extent the history of
our city and its commercial, benevolent, and religious insti-
tutions for nearly half a century. The records of such a life
would be full of the noblest incentives to virtue. It is hoped
that this tribute of respect by his brother merchants will
serve not only to perpetuate his memory, but to present his
illustrious example for the imitation of the young men of
our city.
  In addition to the various public tributes of respect, the
committee were of opinion that the death of such a man as
Mr. Garvin could not fail to call forth, from all parts of the
country, letters of sympathy, condolence, and unfeigned sor-
row, which, as illustrating his character, would be read with
great interest. The following correspondence will explain
the action of the committee:

                           LOUISVILLE, Ky., December 24, 1868.
PROF. B. A. GRANT, LL.D.:
     Dear Sir-The undersigned committee, appointed by the Board of
Trade of this city, under a resolution of said body, passed on the 22d
inst., "to collect the various tributes of respect paid to the late William
Garvin with a view to their publication in pamphlet form," presuming,



I



I

 




4



PREFACE.



from the intimate relations existing between you and the family of the
(leceased, that you may be informed of their wishes respecting the pub-
lication of letters, or parts thereof, which may have come into their
possession, and desiring through you to carry out any wishes they may
have touching the matter, would respectfully request that you furnish
such copies of letters touching the matter in question which, in your
judgment, should be published; also, to act. with us in preparing and
arranging all matter collected for publication.
  Hoping to receive an early and favorable response to this, we are
                  Yours truly,          A. 0. BRANNI-N,
                                        J. M. DUNCAN,     Committee.
                                        GEO. WV. MIORRIS,


                               LouisvttLE, Ky., December 26, 1868.
MESSRS. A. 0. BRAtNNIN, JAS. NM. DUNCAN, AND GEO. W.  otlRRIS:
      Gentlemen-Your note of the 24t1h was duly received, and your
wishes conveyed to the family of our deceased friend. They have placed
in my hands a large number of letters, and 1 herewith hand you such
is I deem it not improper to publish. Most of the letters in my hands
are of too private a character for publication. They are the wails of
grief-stricken hearts, and, although eloquent tributes to the matchless
worth of the deceased, it would be improper to make them public. For
thle same reason I have omitted parts of the letters herewith furnished.
  It will afford me great pleasure, gentlemen, to comply with your
request, and assist you as I may be aible in the preparation of a work
which will be honorable alike to the Board of Trnde and to the lamented
lead.               Very truly yours,.
                                                     E. A. GRANT.


  These extracts fromn private letters wvill be foutnd appended
to the more public testimonials of respect to the (leceased;
but even these give a very inadequate idea of the profound
sr r o  eailseol by the death of this goodl man.

             Tespeetfully,       A. 0. BRANNIN, )
                                  GEO. W. MNIORRIS,     C committee.
                                  J. A. DUNCAN, J

 










              A TRIBUTE

                      TO TIHE MENIORY OF


WILLIAM GARVIN.




  ON the night oi December 4, 1868, the Louisville and
Cincinnati mail steamers "America" and " United States'
were destroyed by collision and fire on the Ohio River. a
few miles above Warsaw, Ky.   The night was dark, and a
heavy gale was blowing, which caused some misundersta i d-
ing of signals; and before the fatal mistake could be corrected
the bow of the America had crushed through the side of the
United States.  A cask of petroleulm on the latter vessel
was by some means ignited, and almost instantly her stately
cabin was wrappeed in flames, and, before the brokeni hull
sunk, it was wholly consumed. The ,America, unlharmied by
the collision, approached the burning boat to render assist-
ance to her passengers and crew, but the intense heat caused
this boat also to take fire, and she too was quickly consumed.
Among the passeflgems who were lost on the United States
was William  Garvin, as a tribute to whose exalted wvorth
his brother merchants have publislied this memorial.
  Though infirm in health, Mlr. Garvin was, as usual, in
excellent spirits, and spent the evening in reading and in

 




6



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



cheerful conversation with his fellow-passengers. At about
half-past ten he retired to his stateroom, and was seen no
more. After the hull of the steamer had been raised, his
remains were found amidst the ashes and fragments of the
cabin. He undoubtedly died of suffocation; for when the
body was found his countenance, though touched by the fire,
wore an expression of serene and undisturbed repose. He
had slept only to waken in that better world for which he
had been so long preparing.
  The preservation of his body under such circumstances
seems providential. With it were found his tobacco-box, a
silver coin, and an unburned letter, that had been in his
pockets; also a gold cuff-button, his watch, and his Bible.
On the first legible page of the charred and more than half
consumed Bible are found these words:

  "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this
word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people
wood, and it shall devour them."-JEREMIAH v: 14.
  "Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding
in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly
of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be
taken, the aged with him that is full of days."-JEREMIAH vi: 11.

  On the last unconsumed page are these words:

  "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of
the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand: a dozy of darkness and of
gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning
spread upon the mountains. X      A fire devoureth before them;
and behind a flame burneth.   a  Yen, and nothing shall escape
them."-JOEL ii: 1-3.

 



WILLIAM GARVIN.



7



  It would be impossible to depict the profound sorrow caused
by the death of this good man, who for nearly half a century
had contributed largely to the growth and commercial pros-
perity of Louisville; whose warm heart and clear head had
fostered her most cherished institutions; whose sage counsel
and cheering words had so often inspired hope and pointed
the way to success; and whose genial smiles and kind words
were welcome alike to all classes.
  A prudent, honest, sagacious, and successful merchant, a
courtly gentleman, a warm friend, and a sincere Christian,
in life he was honored; and, "though dead, he yet speaketh."




  Since the foregoing was in type, there has been placed in
the writer's hands a small memorandum-book, which Mr.
Garvin kept in a private drawer of his office-table. It was
his custom, even in his office, frequently to withdraw his
mind from business, and for a time remain wrapped in
silent meditation. In this book is recorded with epigram-
matic brevity what seems to have been the substance of his
thoughts in these moments of abstraction from business.
After a half-hour's reflection he would sometimes read a few
lines in this book or make a brief entry in it, and then
resume his business with renewed vigor.
  A few of these detached sentences are here published.
They will be read with interest, as illustrating the inner life
of a great merchant, whose thoughts, even in his counting-
room, rose above the mere acquisition of "gold which per-
isheth." Some of them were doubtless written shortly after

 




8              A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



the death of his son-in-law and partner, John Bell, Esq.,
when his business affairs were much embarrassed. Others

were of more recent date. The last selection seems almost
prophetic.


  Give us grace to live above the world and maintain communion with
God.
  It is better to consider our own failings before we consider those of
others.
  I have not sufficient wisdom to meet these difficulties, or to know
what steps to take, but the Lord is able to direct me. If he is pleased
to visit me with afflictions, poverty, or bereavements, and clouds of
darkness surround me, I throw all my anxious cares and forebodings
on him.
  Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplications
make my requests to God.
  I am not in the state in which I ought to be, and I sometimes think
that my late afflictions, losses, and bereavements have been lost on me,
and that the Lord will need to chastise me again and more severely.
  May I listen to Christ's message sent to me: I will not leave thee
nor forsake thee.
  Industry and Economy will get rich while Sagacity and Intrigue are
laying their plans.
  Make us wise unto salvation; our transgressions do thou forgive; our
sins blot out..
  Mine eyes are unto thee, 0 Lord! In thee is my trust; leave not my
soul desolate.
  Let me not murmur, but by grace breathe the prayer divinely taught:
" Thy will be done."
  The dying saint closes his eyes in death, sleeps in Jesus, and opens
them in heaven.

 




WILLIAM GARVIN.



9



  PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC BODIES.



           NATIONAL BOARD OF TRADE.

  In the National Board of Trade, on Monday, December 7,
1868, the death of AMI. William    Garvin was announced by
J. J. Porter, Esq., as follows:

  Allow me, in the name of the Louisville delegation, to give some
expression to the sense of our loss in the death of Mr. William Garvin.
He was not here as a delegate to this body, but came solely to watch
its proceedings, which he did with the interest natural to an intelligent
merchant. He was a Christian gentleman of unimpeachable integrity.
A merchant for nearly half a century, he has passed from the scene of
his arduous labors, leaving a reputation for commercial probity and
generous liberality as a rich legacy to his bereaved family.


          LOUISVILLE BOARD OF TRADE.

  On Friday, December 11, 1868, as per announcement, there
was a full meeting of merchants, old citizens, and members
of the Board of Trade, to take appropriate action upon the
death of William Garvin, one of the oldest, as well as one
of the best, most honored and respected of our citizen mer-
chants.  The hall of the Board of Trade at the appointed
hour was full of the personal friends of the deceased, as
well as members of the Board.     The meeting was called to
order by President V. P. Armstrong, who said:

GENTLEMEN: It is scarcely necessary for me to state the object of our
meeting here to-day. We all instinctively feel that a great calamity
has befallen us; that we are called together to mourn the loss of our



I

 





10              A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



friends and kindred; and that in that dread disaster one of our oldest
merchants, and the oldest member of this Board, is reported as one of
the victims-William Garvin. Who is it among us does not recollect
his genial, honest face on "change," always greeting us with a pleasant
smile and a word of encouragement. He was a man without reproach,
of unimpeachable integrity and strict probity; a good citizen; and, above
all, an honest man, the "noblest work of God." His name will never
be forgotten, especially by the younger merchants of our city, to whom
he was as nature's guide and guardian. He is gone-passed away
from the active walks of life; but his good, kind, and gentle spirit yet
lives in a better land than this, and his memory is with us ever.  I
can say no more, but will leave the subject to older merchants, now
present, to take appropriate action on this occasion.


  George W. Morris, in response to the remarks of the

President, said:


  MR. PRESIDENT: There are periods in the history of public organiza-
tions and communities, as well as individuals, when it is needful that
they should turn aside for the moment from the pursuit of business and
pleasure, and pause to consider what shadows we are, and what shadows
we pursue-how transitory the pleasures, and how unsubstantial are all
the honors of earth.
  The announcement you have just made, sir, in my judgment, shows
that such a period is the present with us.
  But a few days since the Board of Trade was summoned to pay the
last sad tribute of respect to one of its most worthy and prominent
members, and scarcely had the funeral notes for the lamented Huffman
died away before the electric wires announced an event which sent a
thrill of horror through this entire community, when two magnificent
floating palaces, the United States and America, which had for so long
in perfect security floated on the surface of the beautiful Ohio, on the
night of the 4th instant collided, and then followed a conflagration
which in a few moments swept away the last vestige of them, and into
eternity a large portion of their precious human freight, among whom

 




                        WILLIAM   GARVIN.                       11



was Mr. William Garvin, a name which is a synonym for all that is
noble, just, and true.                 
  Of his career as a merchant I need not speak, for that is a part of
the history of our city, and as such is known to you all. Let it suffice
to say that in him were combined all the essential qualities of the
true merchant, and to this may be attributed in a great measure his
success. He ever stood in the foremost rank, and in the darkest hours
of our city's history was ready, with his counsel and his means, to
further those enterprises which have resulted in the advancement of
her true interest.
  But the crowning characteristic of our friend was that of a genuine
Christian-and this he carried with him in his every-day life, and under
all circumstances. He always acted upon Christian principles. But he
has gone from among us, and we shall see his face no more. The warm
heart that throbbed for others' woes has ceased to beat. The open hand
of friendship will no longer be extended to greet us. The voice that so
often cheered and encouraged us is hushed in death.

               "Life's duty done, as sinks the clay,
                  Light from its load the spirit flies,
                While heaven and earth combine to say,
                How blest the righteous when he dies!"

  He has bequeathed to us a rich legacy; let us cherish, preserve, and
transmit it.
  I now move, Mr. President, that a committee of fourteen merchants
be appointed to draft resolutions expressive of the sentiments of the
Board on the occasion.

  Upon the motion of Mr. Morris, the following committee
of fourteen was appointed to draft suitable resolutions to
present to the meeting for their action, viz.: Messrs. Sam.
Casseday, James Trabue, A. 0. Brannin, William Cornwall,
A. A. Gordon, W. C. Hite, W. H. Stokes, J. T. Tompkins,
George W. Morris, J. S. Lithgow, W. B. Hamilton, Thos. E.
Slevin, R. A. Robinson, and Z. M. Sherley.



I



I

 




12              A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



   The committee, after a brief retirement, returned with the

following preamble and resolutions, which were adopted:


   Whereas, It has pleased the Sovereign Ruler of the universe to take
from among us, in a manner so sudden and unexpected, William Garvin,
who, for nearly half a century, has been a resident of this city, and
who, during the greater part of this long period, has occupied an exalted
position as a merchant, having possessed, in an eminent degree, those
qualities of head and heart which so signally crowned his labors in the
position he adorned;
  And whereas, It is proper that the name of one so dear to us, and to
whom the city is so much indebted for its growth and prosperity, should
be perpetuated; be it therefore
  Resolved, That in the death of William Garvin the mercantile com-
munity has lost one of its brightest and most cherished ornaments;
one who was distinguished for sagacity, enterprise, untiring energy,
liberality, and the highest grade of mercantile honor; one who, from
first to last, stood in the foremost rank with those who pushed forward
the great enterprises which have contributed so much to the permanent
prosperity of the city. Society has lost a gentleman by nature, polished
in manners, noble without being aristocratic, just without severity,
liberal without ostentation, warm-hearted, and true; the poor, whom we
always have among us, are bereft of a friend indeed; the church of an
humble, consistent member, whose example and counsel she can illy
spare, and whose place it will be hard to fill; his family of a devoted
husband, an affectionate father, and kind benefactor; and the city of
Louisville of a good man, whose name will be honored and revered by
those who survive him.
  Resolved, That we tender to the friends and relations of our de-
ceased friend our heartfelt sympathy in this the hour of their great
affliction.
  Resolved, That, as a mark of respect to our departed friend, the Board
of Trade rooms be draped in mourning, and its members and other
merchants of the city be requested to wear crape rosettes for the period
of thirty days.

 




                       WILLIAM   GARVIN..                     13



  Resolved. That these proceedings be entered upon the records of the
Board of Trade, published in the daily papers of the city, and an official
copy of the same transmitted to the family of the deceased.

  On motion of 3Mr. J. MI. Duncan, it was resolved thtat the
members of the Board of Trade accept the invitation of the

Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church to attend at the
funeral services of Mr. Garvin, to be solemnized on sonme
future occasion, of whiieh due notice will be given.
  The following members were appointed a special committee
to carry out the objects of the foregoing resolutions, viz.:
Messrs. Geo. W. Morris, Geo. W. Wicks, and J. J. Porter;

and then the meeting adjourned.



            FALLS CITY TOBACCO BANK.

  At a meeting of the Directors of the Falls City Tobacco
Bank, held at its office on Wednesday, December 9, 1868, the
annexed   preamble   and   resolutions were   proposed by    Mr.
iMoore and unanimously passed:

  Wh(reas, Death, in one of its most frightful forms, has stricken our
late associate and friend, Mr. William Garvin; and whereas, his was a
name than which none other has stood higher in the esteem of men in
our midst, of all classes and all creeds, for those virtues and traits of
character wvhich give dignity to manhood; and whereas, in all the rela-
tions of the deceased with his fellow-members of this Board, lie uniformly
exhibited not only the utmost courtesy, but that marked and friendly
interest in the individual welfare of each that was so fully in keeping
wirh his exalted character as a man and a merchant; therefore,
Rsolved, That. in the death of our late associate we recognize not only
time loss to our city of one of its oldest, best, and most public-spirited
citizens; to tlme business community, time ever-interested associate that

 




14             A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



regarded honor as the first characteristic necessary in the mercantile
profession; to his family, the loving, kind, and ever-cheerful husband
and father; to his church, the humble and consistent Christian and
liberal benefactor; but to us, also, the members of this Board, the friend
whose counsels were ever wise, and whose kindness of heart and cheer-
fulness of manners commanded at once our respect and our love.
Resolved, That a copy of the above preamble and resolution be furnished
the family of the deceased, and that they be published in the city papers.
                                          L. L. WARREN, President.
 H. C. PINDELL, Cashier.


         FRANKLIN INSURANCE COMPANY.

  At a meeting of the Board of Directors, held December 10,

1868, upon motion, a committee, consisting of James Trabue,
President, William Gay, and George W. Morris, was appointed

to take action relative to the death of Mr. William Garvin.
The following report of said committee was unanimously

adopted:

  The undersigned committee appointed to prepare an appropriate
minute for record in the books of this company on the death of Mr.
William Garvin, who during the past twenty-five years has served so
faithfully as one of its Directors, feel themselves inadequate to couch
in suitable language the various virtues of the deceased. Thousands of
hearts have been made sad by the melancholy announcement; indeed,
his death caused a sense of loss throughout the entire community,
seldom, if ever, experienced before.
  To say that he was noble-hearted, pure-minded, of generous impulses,
a friend to the friendless, highly esteemed, loved, and venerated, is but
to repeat expressions which have found general utterance from the lips
of all, for "none knew him but to love him " But he was more, for to
all these was added the crowning grace of being a sincere and devoted
Christian, and amid all life's vicissitudes he was ever found in the strict
line of Christian duty, manifesting in his daily walk the religion which

 




WILLIAM GARVIN.



15



he professed. The Bible to him was not a sealed book, for he made it
the man of his counsel and the guide of his life. How beautifully and
truthfully is this evidenced by the fact that where his remains were
found one of the silent and impressive witnesses of their identification
was his own pocket Bible!
  Although removed from our midst and gathered to repose fromn the
scene of his labors on earth, yet he is not dead, but lives again-lives
no longer pressed beneath the weight of years with silvered locks and
faltering step, but, yielding as the matured stalk to the scythe of time, is
garnered in the great harvest home; for "he is not lost, but gone before."
  Your committee would offer the following resolutions:
  Resolved, That this Board has heard with profound regret of the death
of Mr. William Garvin, which occurred on the night of the 4th of
December, 1868.
  Resolved, That we extend to the widow, children, and relatives of our
deceased friend our deep sympathy in their bereavement.
  Resolved, That, as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, we
will attend his funeral in a body.
  Resolved, That these proceedings be spread upon the records of the
company, and a copy of the same be furnished the family of the deceased.
  Resolved, That the daily pipers be requested to publish these pro-
ceedings.
                                     JAMEs TRABUF,   -
                                     WILLIAM GAY,       C Committee.
                                     GEO. W. MORRIS,
  R. A. BRowINsKI, Secretary.



           FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

   At a joint meeting of the Elders, Deacons, and Trustees of

the First Presbyterian Church, called by the Pastor for the

purpose of taking such action as might be appropriate in

reference to the death of Mr. William Garvin, one of the

Elders of the church, the following preamble and resolutions

were unanimously adopted, viz.:



-

 





16               A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



   Wherfas, It has pleased God, the almighty and all-wise ruler of
 heaven and earth, "with whom are the number of our months," and who
 "setteth bounds to our habitation," in a sudden and unwonted manner
 to take from us our beloved brother in Christ and fellow-presbyter in the
 church, Ar. William Garvin, who for forty years has been a consistent
 and active communicant in this church, a most liberal contributor to its
 support, and for ten years an efficient and devoted member of the church
 session; and whereas, it is fitting that the name of one whose life was so
 fertile of good should be embalmed in the memory of the church and
 perpetuated in her history for an example to her children; therefore,

 Resolved, That in the calamity by which our long favored city has been
 so suddenly overcast with gloom, and so many families throughout the
 land clothed in mourning, and to which our beloved brother, William
 Garvin, fell a victim, we recognize the hand of our God and Father, who,
 though "his way is in the sea, and his path in the great waters, and his
 footsteps are not known," watches with sleepless eye over his redeemed
 children, and has given his word of promise that not a hair of their head
 shall perish.
 Resolved, That in the death of Mr. Garvin this church is bereaved of a
 member and an officer whose example and counsel she can illy spare at
 such a time as this, and whose place it will be hard to fill; while the
 Presbyterian Church at large has lost one of its truest, firmest, and most
 generous friends.
 Resolved, That while this stroke of our Father's rod has filled our hearts
 with grief, our sorrow is mingled with believing joy, having an assured
 hope that a life so rich in evidences of living faith in Jesus has ended
 only to give place to heavenly rest and fruition with Jesus, where "the
 spirits of just men made perfect' with their blessed Lord now await the
 glorious resurrection day, when the corruptible shall put on incorruption,
 the mortal put on immortality, and death be swallowed up in victory;
 and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, and every faithful Elder and
 under shepherd shall receive from his hands "a crown of glory that
 fadeth not away."

 Resolved, That we extend to the surviving widow and family of our
deceased brother our most hbeartfe!t sympathy, and would mingle our



-

 




WILLIAM GARVIN.



17



tears with theirs in this great sorrow. We commend them to "the God
of all comfort," who alone is able to give them comfort in their affliction,
and sustain and sanctify them in it; and our prayers go up to Jesus, the
merciful and sympathizing high priest, that He would walk with them
in this fiery trial, and, though all is full of mystery to the eye of sense,
strengthen and quiet their hearts with this cheering word of peace: "All
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to His purpose."
  Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, signed by the Pastor and
President of the Boards of Deacons and Trustees, be transmitted to Mrs.
Garvin and family; and that they be published in the secular and
religious journals of the city; and also be entered upon the records of
the respective Boards of the Church.
                          S. R. WILSON, Pastor First Pres. Church.
                          J. M. DUNCAN, Pres. Deacons and Trustees.








          FUXNERAL OBSEQ UIES.



  The funeral of Mr. Garvin took place on Sunda, December
20th, at the First Presbyterian Church. In the language of
the Democrat, "the citizens assenil)led almost en masse to pay
this last tribute to the honored dead.       -       It w as
one of the largest funerals that ever passed through the
streets of Louisville, and all united in honoring the remains
of this worthy citizen, whose memory will ever be green in
the hearts of our people."
  The Free Christian Commonwealth         says:   "' The sermon
was a tribute which could be paid to but few           men; but it



B

 



18



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF



was a just tribute when paid to William Garvin.      
Never have we seen an audience as deeply in sympathy with
the speaker as on this occasion."
  The Courier-Journal of December 21, 1868, says: "The
funeral of the late William Garvin took place yesterday.
Few such demonstrations have ever been seen in Louisville,
and such a tribute as she paid on yesterday to William
Garvin was well worthy a city grateful for the good so noble
a member of her society had wrought during a long and
useful life. The grief-stricken family of the deceased were
not the only mourners in the vast multitude who listened to
the solemn funeral service; for every one who had known
him grieved with them, and realized painfully the reality of
what was transpiring.   William Garvin was not a public
man-he was only a private citizen-but had he been a
statesman no greater honors could have been paid to his
memory. The First Presbyterian Church, where the funeral
discourse was pronounced, although one of the largest church
buildings in the city, was so densely crowded as to render
uncomfortable nearly all who arrived early enough to find
seats, and hundreds went away, unable to pass beyond the
vestibule. On Green Street, Center Street, and Sixth Street
there were long lines of carriages and hacks, and in the
church-yard, up to eleven o'clock, people were constantly
passing to and from the entrance of the church, which was
completely blocked with persons who were listening intently
to catch the words of the minister. The merchants of the
city attended the funeral in large numbers.  The service
opened at half-past ten o'clock, Rev. Dr. L. P. Yandell pro-

 



WILLIAM GARVIN.



19



nouncing the invocation. Following this a hymn was sulng,
and a number of scriptural passages were read by Dr. Yandell.
Then came more of the sad, solemn music from the gallery,
and as its last notes died away a prayer w-as offered. After
which Rev. Samuel R. Wilson, D. D., delivered a funeral
discourse, from Jeremiah ix: 23, 24.
  "At the conclusion of the sermon the hymn colmmeneing
'In the Christian's home in glory' was sung. It had been
a favorite with the deceased, and one which he had been
accustomed to sing with his grandchildren on every Sabbath
evening.  After a benediction, the immense concourse coin-
menced moving out of the church.                     
The procession was nearly a mile in length