John W. Bennett

     John W. Bennett was born on 11 December 1853 at Sullivan County, Missouri.¹ He married, at age 19, Lucy Jane VanBebber, age 19, daughter of Vardaman VanBebber and Ellen Francis Dotson, on Friday, 23 May 1873 at Linn County, Missouri.¹ John W. Bennett died on 20 January 1943 at Brookfield, Linn County, Missouri, at age 89 years, 1 month and 9 days.¹
     He became a widower at the age of 63 with the death of Lucy on 1 May 1917.¹ His obituary was published on 28 January 1943 in the The Linn County Budget Gazette, printed in Brookfield, Linn County, Missouri. His obituary stated:

     FUNERAL HELD FRIDAY FOR JOHN W. BENNETT

     The funeral for John W. Bennett, who passed away at the home of his daughter, Mrs. W. C. Brown in Brookfield, Wednesday January 20, 1943 was conducted by Rev. I. O. Hall, Friday afternoon at two o'clock at the home and interment made in Rose Hill Cemetery.

     Mr. Bennett was born December 11, 1853 in Sullivan county, Missouri and had spent practically his entire life in Linn County. He was married to Miss Lucy Van Bebber, in 1873. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and those surviving are Lawrence Bennett, Mrs. Eva Brown, Mrs. Ada Deem, Vardamus Bennett, Mrs. Ida Bentz, and Mrs. Lacy Manley, all of Brookfield, and Mrs. Edna Arrington, of Forest City, Arkansas. There are ten grandchildren.

     Mr. Bennett was widely known over all North Linn County and had lived to see the country grow from the primitive us of ox teams, the horse and buggy stage, to automobiles and airplanes. He was a man of many good qualities and the members of his family have the sympathy of a wide circle of friends, in the loss of their aged father.

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From Gary R. Hawpe, ed. and comp., 'Obituaries - Funeral Held Friday For John W. Bennett,' Van Bibber Pioneers E-Newsletter, Vol. 5 No. 1 (November 2001), pp. 9 - 10.