On this day in 1905, Levi Scott HUBBARD passed away. He was my paternal 4th great grandfather. I wrote about his wife here. As I noted in that previous post, it appears this family subscribed to the Campbellite faith (Church of Christ).

A photo of Levi and his wife, Indiana, in their later years.
AN ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY
Levi’s obituary appeared in the 2 March 1905 edition of the Bethany Republican newspaper. It stated that Levi died at his home at the age of 88. It also provided information that Levi was an old settler and very respected in the community. I haven’t gotten to see the actual obituary- I’m working off a transcription from another researcher and I haven’t been able to find my own copy. According to the other researcher, the cause of death was “a stroke of paralysis”. Levi never quite recovered after the stroke. His funeral was conducted by Elder Johnson and he was buried at Hoffman Cemetery in Eagleville, Harrison County, Missouri. A notation on the FindAGrave website states that no marker currently exists for Levi.
Levi made at least three appearances as a witness for friends and family testifying that he was acquainted with them and their situation. The first record of his official testimony was dated 15 June 1863 when he appeared on behalf of his widowed daughter, Mariah Jane HUBBARD HUFFMAN. Her husband, Hiram HOFFMAN, contracted measles while serving in the War of 1861 (now called the Civil War) and died. Levi testified that she was Hiram’s widow and that she had children under the age of 16 living with her that depended on her for their care including her daughter with Hiram (Adeline) and the son (James B. HUFFMAN) of Hiram and his first wife. At the time of the affidavit, Adeline was 2 and James was 6. In this pension file, both Levi and his wife Nancy (called Indiana) appeared.
Levi appeared before Judge Hesseltine on 2 Feb 1867 on behalf of Mahala Fish, a long-time acquaintance of his and someone to whom he was related by marriage. He testified that she was indeed the widow of William Fish and that her son, Edwin, had been hers and her younger children’s sole source of support until Edwin was wounded and died while serving in the military during the War of 1861. Levi attested to Mrs. Fish’s worldly goods and finances. It was, in part, Levi’s testimony that helped her get a military pension so she could finish raising the 14-year-old child she still had living in her home as well as keep herself alive. It wasn’t just that Levi’s community thought him a good man at his death. Justice of the Peace Horatio F. Hesseltine of Harrison County, Missouri made a statement about Levi in a court document. Judge Hesseltine stated he was personally acquainted with Levi and Levi was “entitled to full faith and credit” of the court to appear as a witness.
On 8 January 1875, Levi went back to court to testify on behalf of Mrs. Fish regarding the same information listed above. By that time, he had known her for more than 18 years, according to his testimony. In this later affidavit, Levi named two of her sons so I’m wondering if both sons were deceased at that point. I’m guessing that being a Campbellite would include a religious obligation to assist widows and orphans but from the way people talked about him, both in life as well as death, I’m guessing he would have helped her no matter his religious convictions.
I love these affidavits because two of them contain Levi’s signature.

Levi’s signatures. His signatures show evidence of aging. The second signature is shakier than the first.
If you have an interest in Levi and you find information that isn’t included on the blog, I’d love for you to share it with everyone. For now, I’m signing off.

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog