NICHOL, Thomas 'John' 1838-1923
OBITUARY – Thomas John NICHOL24 March 1838 – 20 July 1923.
Thomas J. Nichol for 50 years was a Bridgehampton Township officer, dies at advanced age.
The McGregor M. E. Church proved far too inadequate Sunday afternoon to accommodate the large concourse of people who gathered there to attend the funeral of Thomas J. Nichol and honor the memory of a Civil War veteran and pioneer settler of this community.Known and highly respected in a large community, Mr. Nichol was revered as the sole remaining member of the G.A.R. in that section of Sanilac County. His death occurred Thursday afternoon, July 26, 1923, after a protracted period of ill health incident to greatly advanced years.He was 85 years, 4 months and 4 days of age.
The deceased was born hear Fat Rock, Ontario, 24 March 1838.At the age of seventeen, early in May 1855, he came to Michigan with his parents to settle on a farm in Bridgehampton.On 3 February 1861, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah M. Tucker and on the 14th of the following September, they set up housekeeping on the farm that has since been their home, a period of almost 62 years.
Beginning this married life in a neighborhood without a highway from their residence and means of travel confined largely to oxen and a cart or wagon.It is to such sterling men and women that Mr. & Mrs. Nichol represent that this section has been developed to its present condition of productivity and improved advantages.
Mr. Nichol served in the Civil War as a member of Co. K 22nd Regiment of the Michigan Volunteers and received an honorable discharge from service in the spring of 1865.For 50 years until a year ago last spring, when solicited a retirement from office, he had continually served the township in some capacity as a public official.At the time when no restrictions were made in the tenure of office, he served 5 consecutive years as township treasurer and later served in same capacity for two years.The major portion of his life, he was Justice of the Peace and on his retirement, his successor refused to take the records from him, desiring to leave the records with him during his lifetime.
A kind and loving father and husband, Mr. Nichol was also a good neighbor and was universally liked and highly respected by all who knew him.
He is survived by his wife and seven children as follows:Mrs. Ambrose Thompson of Mikado, Frank of Lansing, Mrs. Richard Fountain of Downington, Robert of McGregor, Mrs. J. J. Butler of Highland Park, John and Thomas of McGregor.He is also survived by three brothers:James of McGregor, Samuel of Whittemore and Robert of San Diego, CA; three sisters:Mrs. Albert Rich and Mrs. James Graves of Custer Township and Mrs. Lemuel Fountain of Lansing; also nineteen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
The funeral was conducted by Rev. Willliam Bailey, Baptist minister of Deckerville and members of the Deckerville and Sanilac Posts of American Legion served as pall bearers, fittingly marking the passing of one of the few remaining heroes of the great civil strife who have indelibly engraved the memory of their noble actions on the minds of all true Americans.