A PIONEER GONE.
 

With scarcely ten minutes warning and without a word death claimed one of Clark county's pioneers at about 11:30 Sunday morning when Hiram W. Varney was stricken down in death.

The day before he had an attack of chronic diarrhea, with which he has suffered more or less since coming out of the army in the '60s. Sunday morning he arose as usual and built the fire and did the chores, feeling better than he did the day before except that he was weak and still suffering some from the attack of the day before. About nine o'clock, however, he was taken with a chill. He sat up to the fire to warm himself without much relief. Finally making up his mind that he had an attack of grip coming on he determined to walk up to Dr. Schofield's office. Mrs. Varney remonstrated against his going out feeling as he did and went up for him. On returning with medicine for grip she gave him the first dose at 10:45 and a half hour later gave the second dose. He was feeling worse, though, before this and had been made easy on the lounge after going through a fainting spell in the chair. From the time of this spell until they had gotten him on the sofa all hands had been busy trying to help him. The patient expressed a desire to have the doctor come down and see him and one of the girls was making ready to go after him, when the patient showed signs of of the fast approaching crisis and only in a few moments, without any apparent suffering death had claimed its own. All signs of life were extinct when the doctor arrived.

H. W. Varney was born in Skowhegan, Maine, June 23, 1836, making him at the time of his death sixty-six years, four months, and three days old. He had two brothers and two sisters still living, all of these being older than himself. All but the oldest sister, who is living in North Dakota, are living in Maine, the place of their birth.

July 13, 1861, he was united in marriage to Miss Cynthia E. Withee. A year later he enlisted in Co. A, 19th Maine Volunteers and went to the front where he remained until the close of the war. During his service he lost one of his fingers and had a foot badly crushed. Besides this he was laid up with chronic diarrhea from which he has suffered more or less since. 

In August after his discharge from the army in July of '65 he and his wife came west to La Crosse where they lived for three years. A like period was spent in Iowa then a year and a half more were spent in La Crosse. From there they moved to Clark county, settling in the town of Warner, where they have lived since. Here they had made a comfortable home and well improved farm. He always took a deep interest in and other public affairs, frequently holding offices of trust. In August of this year he moved off the farm with his family and has been living in Harry Hogue's house while building a cozy home of their own across the street. In only a few weeks more they would have been settled in their own new home, it now being in the hands of the plasterers. He was a member of the M. E. church and partook of the communion service at the quarterly meeting a week ago Sunday evening. He joined the Masonic order before coming west, but never transferred his membership. He was also a member of the local G.A.R. post, the pall bearers being comrades.

Deceased was father of nine children, two of whom died in infancy. The living are Charles A. L., living on his farm at Warner's corners, Alba F., living on the home farm, Edith E. teaching music at Medford. Mrs. Louisa A. Warner, Hemlock, Ralph L. of Lac du Flambeau, Mrs. Mabelle Lamont of Thorp and Maud B., who is attending high school here. The last two mentioned and Miss Edith , besides their mother, were with their father at the time of his death, Mrs. Lamont having come down Friday for a visit.

The funeral was held in Grace M. E. church at 10:30 Wednesday morning, Pastor W. E. Kloster officiating, assisted by Rev. W. T. Hendren. The church was tastily decorated in honor of deceased by loving and artistic hands, Maud's class furnishing floral decorations for the casket and attending in a body. John A. Eaton Post G.A.R. also attended in a body. The pall bearers were: Ron Booth, Chas. Cummings, John W. Stanton, Wm. Oelig, P. Wallis and John Tatro. The remains were laid to rest in the family lot in the local cemetery.

Source: Greenwood Gleaner 10/30/1902