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Obituaries 1931
| Achfelt, Gerhard |
Gerhard Achfelt,
32, succumbed to a snake bite while alone in his field Tuesday
morning. Mr. Achfelt had left his home early in the morning to
do some work in the field, and his wife, returning to her home
late in the evening, found that the noon‑day meal she had
prepared for him was untouched. She summoned neighbors, who
began a search. About 7 p.m. the body was found between the
place where he had been working and the house. Indications were
that he had made an effort to reach the house, after being
bitten on the leg by a poisonous snake. The ground where the
body was found showed that he had evidently died a very painful
death. His leg had been bound by binder twine above the wound,
but this did not prevent the spreading of the poison, as doctors
say the wound was in a main artery, causing the rapid spread of
the poison. Achfelt, who had
been in this country only about three years, coming from
Germany, was married, and his wife and one baby girl survive
him. He was a son‑in‑law of Ludwig Irlbeck, who lives southeast
of Happy. His home was located four miles south of Happy. Funeral services
were held at 9 o'clock Thursday morning, and interment made in
the Nazareth Catholic Cemetery. The Happy Herald, 2
October 1931. |
| Allen, Joe A. |
Joe A. Allen,
resident of Happy, died in Denver, CO Wednesday of accidental
asphyxiation, according to a telegram received here by the
family late Wednesday afternoon. Funeral services will be
held from the First Methodist Church this evening at 3:30, with
Rev. H. C. Smith conducting the services. The deceased is
survived by his widow of Happy and six children, three sons and
three daughters. They are: Hugh Allen, Santa Fe employee of
Happy, Roy C. Allen, Frisco employee, Monette, MO; Garrett
Allen, ranch employee, Hachita, NM; Mrs. Floyd Swearingen, Calhe
Allen, and Elvira Allen, all of Happy.
He is also
survived by his mother Mrs. W. H. Allen, three brothers and a
sister. They are: G. T. Allen and A. T. Allen of Gainsville and
Dillard Allen of Cincinnati, OH. (Sister not named) The
Happy Herald, 30 October 1931. |
| Bice, Joe L. |
Joe L. Bice, 57, farmer and prominent citizen of near Vigo Park,
was instantly killed last Friday afternoon, September 18, while
loading feed in his field. According to members of the family,
it was Bice's habit to carry a shotgun with him to kill rabbits,
when working in the field, and according to reports, the
following version of the accident was given: It is thought
that, just before beginning to load some feed, he started to
take the gun through a fence, and in pulling it through, holding
the barrel, the trigger was caught in the wire, causing the
discharge, the entire force striking him in the right chest and
ranging upward. After an investigation, a coroner's
verdict of accidental death was rendered. Funeral services
were held at 10 o'clock last Saturday, under the direction of
Rev. Plant, of the Methodist Church at Vigo Park, and interment
made at Wayside. Surviving
are the widow and four children, one son and three daughters, a
brother Johnny Bice, and a nephew Henry Bice, all of this
section. The Happy Herald, 25 September 1931. |
| Sims, Lawrence |
Lawrence Sims died
Monday afternoon at 7:15 at his home in Seminole, Texas. This
was the word received in Happy Monday night by relatives. A. L. Sims and M.
J. Sims of Happy were at his bedside when he died. His death
had been expected by physicians for two days, and the immediate
family had been notified. The remainder of the family that live
in Happy, Mr. And Mrs. R. Sims, Mrs. A. L. Sims and Bill Sims,
and Mrs. M. J. Sims left Tuesday morning for Seminole where the
funeral was conducted.
The deceased was at one time a resident of Happy. He is well
known by most of the older settlers of Happy and trade
territory. The Happy Herald, 22 May 1931. |
| Walters, D. P. |
Reports by long distance telephone calls are to the effect
that D. P. Walters, son of Mr. and Mrs. D. P. Walters of Tulia,
was killed in an airplane accident in Phoenix, Arizona last
Monday. While it is not definitely established as to the
boy's identity, later reports confirm the belief that his is the
one that was killed. Press Walters and Dick Tucker left
Monday afternoon for Phoenix to investigate and if it is D. P.,
they will ship the body back to Tulia for burial -- from the
Tulia Herald. The Happy Herald, 2 October 1931. |
| Wesley, H. E. |
H. E. Wesley, 74, pioneer of the Plains, died Friday at
eight p.m. after an illness of four days at his home one mile
east of Happy. Mr. Wesley was born in Troy, Alabama in
1875 and at an early age upon hearing the many stories of the
wonderful Lone Star State came to Texas in 1875 and settled at
Weatherford. The lure of the West drew him farther west
and he moved to Amarillo in 1887. Here he made a model
western home in the side of a hill at Cliffside six miles
northwest of the present city of Amarillo. The old dugout,
which is a living monument to the pioneers of this county, is
yet a site of wonderful ruins. He was the first man to
carry mail out of Amarillo. The route extended from
Amarillo to Estacado on the South Plains. The route
required a whole week to cover and no trading posts were between
Amarillo and Estacado. Water was bought in barrels at five
cents the barrel in those days, was one of the many things that
Mr. Wesley liked to talk about in reciting about the frontier
days. When the town was moved to the new site (Happy),
Uncle Henry, as Mr. H. E. Wesley was called, did his part.
In 1891 he settled on a ranch eighteen miles northeast of Happy
where he lived until two or three years ago when he moved to
Happy where he could have the conveniences of town life.
He lived on his Happy ranch for forty years. Funeral
services were held at the Wayside Church at two o'clock
Saturday, Rev. Scott officiating. Interment was made in
Wayside Cemetery. The Happy Herald, 20 November
1931. |
Special thanks
to Zoe Smith for her many
contributions and to Elaine Stone
for her many submissions. Ladies, without you, this page
would be blank.
Swisher
County Obituary Index
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