Obituary

County Pioneer Succumbs To Old Age-Funeral To Be Tuesday Morning

  John C. Swift, aged 87, one of the best known and most highly esteemed of the older residents of the community, died at his home, 603 North Avenue H, Saturday evening about 8 o'clock. For four years Mr. Swift had been in failing health, but his serious illness dated from last Tuesday, since when he failed rapidly, death being due to old age.
  Services will be held at 9 o'clock Tuesday Morning, at the St. James Catholic Church, and burial will be in Elm Grove cemetery. Friends may call at the home until 10 o'clock in the morning to view the remains.
  Mr. Swift was born in Gort, Galway county, Ireland, November 26, 1831, and came to the United States in 1850. When 19 years of age. After living in New York state for five years he removed to Oneida, Ill., where he married November 26, 1864 to Mary Rimmer, and they came to Washington in 1865. Until sixteen years ago their home was on a farm five miles east of town, but since that time the family has been in Washington.
  Surviving Mr. Swift are his widow and the following children: Mrs. James Walker, Miss Katherine Swift, Mrs. Teresa Vastine, Mrs. Julia Wilson, Mrs. Gertrude Hagan, Mrs. Martha Wheelan and Martina Bailey of Washington, John F. Swift of Jennings, Kan., and Miss Agnes Swift, who is a Red Cross nurse with the American army in France. George Swift and Mrs. Mary Sullivan have been dead for several years and three children died in infancy. There are 37 grand children and seven great grand children. Two sisters, Mrs. Thomas Quinn and Miss Mary Swift survive. The late Martin Swift, Sr., was a brother.
  All his life a member of the Catholic church, Mr. Swift was a man who lived a virile vital Christianity. He was a kindly, lovable man, who had a very large number of friends. He delighted to do a kindness and his influence was always one of good cheer and helpfulness. He loved good horses and was one of the largest breeders of pure bred driving horses in this county in the days before the automobile crowded out the road horse. He often had as high as thirty of those valuable animals on his farm and even kept a number of them after he moved to town. Several of the horses made good on the race track, but he did not raise them especially for financial gain, but because he liked them.
(Washington Evening Journal, Washington, Iowa, Monday, February 17, 1919)

Funeral Services Held for J. C. Swift

  Mass was held at the St. James Catholic church this morning at nine o'clock for J. C. Swift, who died last Saturday evening, followed by a brief funeral service at the Swift home, participated in by the Rev. J. M. Walsh of Albia, the Rev. H. Jacobsmeier of Riverside and the Rev. M. J. Hartigan of the St. James church. Interment was in Elm Grove cemetery.
  The pall bearers were Charles Cuningham, Jason Boyd, John Bailey, Sam H. White, John Flynn and Geo. Wheelan. The floral tributes were exceptionally numerous and beautiful.
(Washington Evening Journal, Washington, Iowa, Tuesday, February 18, 1919)