Several years ago I located the obituary of Sarah (Happer) Galt, wife of Rev. Thomas Galt of Sangamon County, Illinois. Strangely, a death notice for Thomas Galt was not located. Since he was much better known than her, it was odd that nothing turned up for him. Today, I located his. It seems likely that the paper containing his obituary had not been digitalized at the time.
What I have located, though, is a tribute written by his church and published in the Daily Illinois State Journal of Springfield, Illinois on 24 September 1857 - just a little over a week after he died on 12 September 1857:
This tribute reads as follows:
Tribute of Respect
At a meeting of the Congregation of the Center Presbyterian Church of Sangamon county, Illinois, held Sept. 20th, 1857, the following testimonial of respect to the memory of the Rev. Thomas Galt, deceased, was unanimously adopted and ordered to be placed on the records of our Church:
Whereas; It has pleased God in his wise Providence to remove by death from us, the Rev. Thomas Galt, while in the prime of life and in the midst of his usefulness from his labors on earth to his rest in heaven, thereby depriving us for ever of his labors of love among us, and of his bright and shining example. In it we would recognize the hand of our Father, and humbly submit to the will of God, and bear testimony that, as a friend, he was sincere and generous; as a minister of Jesus Christ, he was able, efficient and persevering in the midst of discouragements; as a pastor, he was faithful and devoted; and it is with the most profound sorrow that we bear testimony that we believe the Church of Christ, and especially this church, has me with a loss not easily repaired. Therefore,
Resolved, That while we feel it to be our duty, in this bereavement, to bow humbly to the will of God, we also feel it to be our duty to expresss our sense of the great loss we have sustained, and of our high estimate of his ministerial labors among us, and of our sincere attachment to him as a friend and pastor.
Resolved, That we most affectionately tender to his bereaved family our most sincere condolence, and our united prayers for grace to sustain them in this afflictive dispense of God's Providence.
Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to the family of the deceased. By order of this Session.
AARON VAN PATAN, Clerk
Samuel H. Jimison, Chairman
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