Garland Estes Vaughan 1870-1926

Let me introduce my wife's great grandfather in an unusual way, by showing you his obituary:

Garland Vaughan Shoots Himself; His Burial Today (handwritten July 1926)

Funeral

Will Take Place

From Home And Interment Made In Spring Hill

Funeral services for Garland E. Vaughan, who was found dead in his home Sunday afternoon, with a bullet wound, self-inflicted, through his heart, will be held at the residence, 2123 Rivermont Avenue this morning at 11:00 o’clock with interment in Spring Hill cemetery.  Dr. James D. Paxton, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Vaughan was a member, a deacon, and a member of the choir, will conduct the services.

Mr. Vaughan, prominent in banking circles and also widely connected with the coal industry, had been told recently that he was suffering with heart and kidney troubles, and this is thought to have contributed to the depression which led to his death.  He stated (sic) at home from church Sunday morning, telling his son, Garland, Jr., to attend services and that he would try to meet him at lunch with his sister, Mrs. David H. Howard.  When he did not come to lunch, the family became uneasy and shortly after 2 o’clock his son and other members of his family drove to the home to find if he was there, telephone calls having been unanswered.  He was found dead on the floor of the guest chamber.

Mr. Vaughan was born in Lynchburg 56 years ago last April (1870).  He entered the People’s Nat’l Bank in 1891, working up to be cashier, from which position he retired seven years ago.  He was later vice-president and director and maintained an active interest in its affairs until his death.  He was a former president of the Virginia Bankers’ Association and was elected to represent that body in the American Bankers’ Association when the Virginia bankers met recently in Roanoke.  He was director in several large coal companies and interested in civic and church life of the city.

He was a member of the Lynchburg school board, the Rotary Club and of it’s male quartet, and was president of the Elks Glee Club.  Some time ago, he presented an organ to Randolph-Macon Women’s College as a memorial to his first wife, who was before her marriage, Miss Marion Jackson, daughter of D.C. Jackson.  They were married in April, 1902 and she died July 10, 1916.

In June, 1924, he was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Penn Seay, who survives him, together with three children by his first wife, Mrs. Joseph C. Allen of Petersburg, Garland E. Vaughan, Jr., and Marian Vaughan, both of Lynchburg.  He leaves also his mother, two sisters, Mrs. D.H. Howard and Mrs. Janie Vaughan Hudson; and two brothers, Estes Vaughan of Lexington and Oscar Vaughan of Atlanta.

Mrs. Vaughan and Marion (sic) were in Washington on their way home from a stay of two weeks in Atlantic City when Mr. Vaughan’s death occurred.  The arrived at 9:10 o’clock Sunday night, Estes Vaughan of Lexington and Mr. and Mrs. Allen of Petersburg, driving through the country by automobile, arriving also about 9 o’clock Sunday evening.

Members of the Elks Glee Club will assemble at the cemetery at 11:30 o’clock to sing at Mr. Vaughan’s funeral, and members of the school board will attend the funeral in a body.

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GARLAND VAUGHAN DIES BY OWN HAND

(handwritten July 18, 1926)

Well Known Banker Kills Self In Home Sunday While There Alone

DID NOT KEEP ENGAGEMENT

Then Relatives Went To His Home To Find Him Lying Dead On Floor

Garland E. Vaughan, 56 years of age, took his own life Sunday morning at his home, 2123 Rivermont avenue (sic), by shooting himself in the heart.  He was found several hours later by members of his family.  At that time an attending physician said Mr. Vaughan had been dead several hours.  No reason was given by Mr. Vaughan for his act, though it was known by members of his family that his physician recently advised him that he was suffering from heart and kidney troubles.

Mrs. Vaughan and the youngest daughter of Mr. Vaughan, Marion (sic), were in Atlantic City at the time and the arrived home last night at 9:10 o’clock, having left Atlantic City, apparently about the time Mr. Vaughan killed himself.

Did Not Go To Church

Although habitual in his attendance upon Sunday school and other services at the First Presbyterian church, of which he was a deacon, treasurer and choir member, Mr. Vaughan told only his son, Garland E. Vaughan, Jr., Sunday morning that he was not feeling well and would not go to Sunday school.  He added that probably he would not attend church service.  Young Mr. Vaughan left home for Sunday school, especting to meet his father for dinner at the home of his aunt, Mrs. D.H. Howard, where he had accepted an invitation to dine with is sister, Mrs. Howard and brother Oscar Vaughan, of Atlanta, Ga., who had come here to visit his mother, Mrs. Lucy G. Vaughan, who recently celebrated the 92^nd anniversary of her birth.

After church services young Mr. Vaughan went to the home of his aunt and later, when his father did not keep his engagement for dinner, he and several members of the family went to the Rivermont avenue (sic) home, where they found Mr. Vaughan lying dead upon the floor of the guest chamber.

Mr. Vaughan was a native of Lynchburg.  He entered the force of the Peoples National Bank in 1891 and worked himself up to the position of cashier, from which he retired seven years ago.  Following that he was elected vice president and a director of that bank and maintained an active interest in its affairs up to his death.

In Bankers Association

At the recent annual convention of the Virginia State Bankers Association at Roanoke, Mr. Vaughan was elected the Virginia representative of the American Bankers Association.  He was a member of the Rotary club and of its male quartet; president of the Elks Glee club and a large holder of coal interests.  He was director of a number of coal companies and was formerly president of the Virginia State Bankers Association.  Several years ago, Mr. Vaughan gave a pipe organ to Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in memory of his first wife.

Mr. Vaughan was keenly interested in the moral and industrial progress of his home city.  He always gave of his time and energy in public spirited movements and drives and, while he made no show of it he was know to his close friends as a man who was given to charity and kindly deeds.

Mr. Vaughan had been very active in building up the public school system as a member of the city school board, of which he had been a member for ten or more years.

Mr. Vaughan is survived by his wife; a son, Garland E. Vaughan, Jr., of this city, and two daughters, Mrs. Joseph C. Allen of Petersburg and Marion (sic) Vaughan of this city; by his mother, Mrs. Lucy G. Vaughan, widow of E.G. Vaughan, two sisters, Mrs. D.H. Howard, of this city and two brothers, Estes Vaughan, of Lexington, and Oscar Vaughan, of Atlanta, Ga.

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OBITUARY

(handwritten July 1926)

Guneral (sic) for G.E. Vaughan.

Funeral services for Garland E. Vaughan, which were held at 11 o’clock this morning from his late home, 2123 Rivermont avenue, were largely attended, a large number of automobiles filled with friends accompany the body to Spring Hill cemetery, where the interment took place.  The floral tributes were unusual in their number.

The services at the home and at the grave were conducted by Rev. Dr. James D. Paxton, pastor of First Presbyterian church.

Dr. Paxton read at the home, by request, the hymn, “Rock of Ages.”  The Elks Glee Club, of which the deceased was president, numbering forty men’s voices, sang “Nearer My God, To Thee,” at the cemetery.

The honorary pallbearers were:  S.D. Ferguson, of Roanoke; E.B. Spencer of Roanoke; W.W. Wood, of Bluefield, W. Va., and A.M. Campbell, R.T. Watts, Jr., E.C. Ivey; W.E. Graves, H.A. Allen; C.S. Nelson; John W. Craddock, Y.P. Marshall, A.P. Craddock, S. P. Craighill, O.B. Barker, R.C. Blackford, Dr. W.B. Thornhill, Dr. George M. Preston, Dr. H. B. Spencer, F. M Dunnington, Charles E. Burks, Thomas S. Kirkpatrick, Giles H.Miller, A. S. White, Richard Hancock, Dr. James Morrison, Dr. Dice R. Anderson, Dr. E.C. Glass, Senator Carter Glass, R. L. Massie, C.S. Adams, C.W. Gooch, N. B. Handy, J.R. Gilliam, Jr., Volney E. Howard, Judge F.W. Whitaker, R.O. Horton, T.G. Hobbs, John T. Morton, A.B. Percey, Dr. A.W. Terrell, George H. Cosby, R. J. Hancock, James E. Cleland, William T. Macleod, J. D. Owen, Julien Addison, Floyd L. Knight, E.E. Rucker, G.D. Moore, W.M. Black, James A. Scott, W.B. Montgomery, J.M Long and J.R. Kyle.

The active pallbearers were:  D.A. Payne, John Victor, James O. Watts, D.M. Pennick, T.P. Jackson and M.K. Duerson.

Flower bearers were:  John L. Caskie, R.C. Watts, W.W. Dickerson, H.L. Campbell, D.L. Lavinder, H. T. Nicholas, W. F. Harwood, Walker Pettyjohn, W.P.Tams, Thomas B. McAdams, Meade Addison, H.H. Harris and E.P. Miller

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Tribute of Respect

At a special meeting of the Board of Deacons of the First Presbyterian Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, held on Friday, the 23^rd day of July 1926, the burden of consideration by the Board and the prayer that we made to Almighty God was for guidance and assistance from Him in our efforts to serve His cause in our efforts since the irreparable loss that has come to this Board and to each individual member of it in the death of Garland E. Vaughan, the Beloved Secretary of this Board and Treasurer of our Church, which occurred on Sunday, July 18^th, 1926.

In attempting to give proper expression of our grief and a statement of our feelings, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:

WHEREAS, Garland E. Vaughan, during the larger part of his life was an esteemed member of the First Presbyterian Church and was also a most efficient and faithful officer, serving for a number of years as Chairman of this Board, and subsequently for several years also as Church Treasurer, and

WHEREAS, Mr. Vaughan was one who had always at heart a deep interest in the welfare of this Church, was always alert and anxious to serve its interests, was unstinting in his charity towards this Church, giving liberally of his means for its support, of his time and his talents for its advancement and of his prayers for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God in this community and was also a valued member of the Church Choir, and

WHEREAS, Mr. Vaughan was constantly most genial in his disposition and courteous in his treatment of all with whom he came in contact and was beloved by the members of this Church at large,

THEREFORE, Be it resolved by the Board of Deacons of the First Presbyterian Church:

FIRST, That the Board as such and each of its members as individual feels a most profound sense of its loss in the death of Mr. Vaughan as a co-laborer and a leader in the cause which we are striving to serve and that we have lost a close personal friend in whom we had unbounded confidence and for whom our hearts were filled with love.

SECOND, That we desire thus to give to his family and to the public a statement in as simple language as possible, but nevertheless, as full as words will express, of our feeling of sincere sorrow in the loss that has come to each of us.

THIRD, That these resolutions are intended to carry to those bereaved and loved ones at his home a full expression of our sympathy and of the distress that is ours which, because of our close association with him and of the deep affection that we felt for him, we believe will at least approximate their own feelings at this time.

FOURTH, That a copy of these resolutions be presented to his family and that a copy be also published in the Lynchburg Daily News and further that a copy be spread in full on the Minutes of this meeting as a part of the official acts of this Board.

Signed:            FLOYD L. KNIGHT, G.E. CASKIE, JR., Committee     

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After reading those details, you know a lot about the man.  He was a great success in life, as far as the standards of earthy success go, and as sad as his end was, it was only one of the many great sadnesses for his family.  His first wife, the love of his life, and my wife's great grandmother, Marian Yancey Jackson, died in 1916 giving birth to a daugther, also named Marian, the namesake of my wife's mother and our daughter.  Not long after his death, his son, Garland, Jr., died tragically in an automobile accident returning home after graduating from college and becoming newly engaged to be married.

Garland was clearly in the financial and social upper crust of the Lynchburg area and probably Virginia as a whole.  One of the evidences of how well to do he and his family were is the large number of quality photos of them.  We have formal wedding portraits of Garland and Marian as well as portraits of all the family members and many informal pictures of children, servants, the home and family members.  By way of remembrances, we also have the diamond brooch that Marian wore on her wedding day as well as the top hat worn by Garland.  Their home on Rivermont Avenue in Lynchburg was clearly the upper crust place to live.  And the resting place he shares with his wife and now daughter in Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg is one of the more prominent and elaborate in the field.  The list of dignitaries in attendance at and participating in the funeral activities is another indicator that this man was considered one of the first citizens of the Central Virginia.  What is amazing is how quickly that status and position in life evaporated for the rest of the family.

The times in which he lived were tumultuous to be sure.  The 1890s saw ups and downs in the banking industry as well as the rapid growth and expansion of the coal industry in Virginia and West Virginia as the industrialization of the United States expanded inexhorably.  He lived through World War I, too old and too involved in the economy to serve personally, not to mention having a family and losing his wife as war approached.  The demand for coal and the resulting financial activity no doubt kept him busily engaged for years after the war. 

Garland lived through the advent of progressivism as one of the staunch members of the capitalist status quo and clearly found himself on the opposite side of labor disputes from others of our ancestors.  He lived through the formation of unions, coal strikes and the Battle of Blair Mountain in the early 20s and no doubt followed developments with intense if not personal interest in the outcome of every question.