Edwin Burtell Van Horn with his sister Annabelle Van Horn Kennedy and his son Hugh Bryan (Billy) Van Horn. Taken at North Loup, Nebraska when my father was there to purchase the Chalk Hills at Scotia where he was later killed in a lime kiln that he and my brother Ernest and a Mr. James had constructed for commercial purposes. My brothrr Billy was seven years old when picture was taken. This is the original picture taken at the Van Horn Ranch where my Uncle Orel and Uncle Jay lived. The picture was sent to me after I came to Utah. Dick and I were living at the ? Place in Lake Creek and Ila was a baby. When I received the box from Merrill the lamp light was dim. Later I discovered the picture in the bottom of a shiney milk can that I had taken to the old Barnes home to fill with water from their well. I received quite a shock as I was about to pour a bucket of water into the can. I was happy to get the picture. By Leah Van Horn Barnes Rindlesbach. 1904.
'The North Loup Loyalist', North Loup, Nebraska, Friday, Apr. 5, 1907, p 4.
Our village was shocked Monday forenoon when a phone message from Scotia said Burr Van Horn was buried under a mass of stone at the lime kiln at the Chalk Hills where he was working. We called up parties on the Scotia line who confirmed the report, and soon we were on our way to the scene of the accident. For some time Burr had been working on the kiln and had just completed arrangements for firing up and was just putting the finishing touches to the grate, being some distance from the opening and lying on his back. His son, Earnest, who was just outside, noticed that the walls seemed to be crumbling and cried to Burr and Walter Janes, who was working with them, to get out. Walter being near the entrance jumped back out of danger, but just as Burr raised himself to a standing position the whole mass of the wall and contents of the kiln, about twenty feet high, came down on him, burying him under about ten feet of stone. Word was immediately sent to Scotia for help. The large number of willing workers who responded worked for about two hours before the body was recovered. The body was all doubled up, and on the back of the head a large stone was lying which had broken his neck, so as he was instantly killed he did not suffer any. The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon from the S. D. B. church, conducted by the pastor, T. L. Gardiner. Burr was born at Welton, Ia., June 17, 1862. When he was about ten years of age the family moved to Colorado where they remained for a few years and then moved back to the Iowa home. May 3, 1883 he was married to Miss Lottie Davis, who with ten children, five boys and five girls, survives him. Burr and family spent about fifteen years in South Dakota, but returned to this place that the children might have better church privileges and better school advantages. All of the children are here except Beecher, who was in California, but who is now on his way home because of the death of his father. Burr joined the S. D. B. church of Welton, Iowa, when he was a small boy and retained his membership with the church till the time of his death. He was a kind father, ever trying to do the best he could for the family whom he loved devotedly.
Note: Edwin Burtell and Lottie Belle Davis left 10 orphaned children. The older four were quickly (within 2 years) married and the younger siblings were split between the older.
Courtesy Jon Saunders.
http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jonsaunders&id=I47367
"When I was twelve years old, father was killed in a lime kiln that he and my brother Ernest and a Mr. James had constructed for the purpose of burning lime to be sold for commercial purposes. The shock of his tragic death and lack of his companionship was indeed a great sorrow to my mother. She carried on courageously with her large family and her sons were mindful of her and contributed generously to our support and living. Some of them went back to the Black Hills to work. " By Leah Van Horn.
This tragic death breaks my heart! The sensationalistic journalism style at the turn of the century is amusing to me. I knew of this even because of my great-grandmother's writing, but could never have imagined it the way it was written in the local newspaper.
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