Sunday's Obituary - Timothy Creeden

The following article appeared in the Wilmington Clinton County Democrat on December 28, 1899.

  A telegram announcing the death of one of our old neighbors was received a few days ago. Timothy Creeden died at his home in Celina, Mercer county, on December 15, 1899. His death was looked for by the relatives for some time, he being a sufferer from consumption. He leaves a widow and large family to mourn their loss.

This is the first obituary I've found for my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden. A volunteer from the Mercer County Genealogy Society searched the Celina newspapers for me several years ago, but was only able to find this card of thanks from the family. It's on my list to search them myself one day since it seems odd to me that there was no notice in the local paper. The Card of Thanks appeared in The Standard in Celina, Ohio on December 20, 1899.

Another article appeared in the Clinton County Democrat on November 16, 1899.

Mrs. Isabelle Reagan has returned from Mercer county and reports her uncle, Tim Creedan, formerly of this place, very low with consumption.

I think this is most likely Rosa Belle Regan. She was the daughter of Henry Clay Athey and Elizabeth Matson. Elizabeth was the sister of Timothy's wife, Mary Ann Matson, so Timothy would have been her uncle through marriage. I'll have to follow up on Rosa Belle since she later married Frank Jacob Fetzer and they lived in Celina for many years.

I've never been able to find a death record for Timothy in Mercer County and wondered if he died in another county. From the Clinton County obituary, it appears that he died at home, so the lack of a record is still a puzzle. Timothy was only 53 when he died and his wife Mary was left to raise their eight children on her own.