Gilford Smith, the young man who was drowned in the bay on March 6, and whose body was recovered Friday, was buried yesterday morning at Lakeview cemetery at 8:30 o’clock. His comrades, the crew of the Gertrude, were the pallbearers, and the immense heap of flowers which covered the coffin testified to the esteem in which he was held by his friends. Rev. G.S. Sexton, pastor of the Central Methodist Church, performed the burial service at the grave.
Young Smith’s home was Elgin, Or. Capt. T. J. Bludworth of the Gertrude, received a telegram yesterday from the young man’s father inquiring if the body of his son had been found and asking the captain to see about its burial. Young Smith was known to be a man of exceptional good habits.
Gilford H. Smith was drowned at Bolivar Point, six miles from Galveston, Tex., March 6th, 1904. He was born in Chester county, Illinois, Nov. 25, 1883, and came to Elgin, Ore. in 1891, with his parents, two brothers and sister. He lived here until the Fall of 1902, when he went to Tacoma, Wash., where in Dec, of that year he shipped as a sailor on the Eaton Hall for Callio, Peru, landing there in March of last year. From there he sailed on the English ship Endora, to Chile, thence to Hamburg, Germany. He then returned to the U.S., landing at Galveston, Tex., in November 1903, where he engaged to work on the tug boat from which he was drowned. Deceased was 20 years, 3 months and 10 days old and leaves a father, mother, two brothers and sister to mourn his loss.
In this connection Mr. and Mrs. Smith and family desire to return their sincere thanks to the good people of Galveston, who assisted in the last sad rites over Gilford.
[NOTE: Gilford H. Smith’s parents were A.B.C. and Mary Ann (Frazer) Smith of Elgin; his sister was Anna D. (Smith) McDonald of Summerville-Pumpkin Ridge; his brothers were Ira A. Smith and Ralph B. Smith, both of Elgin.]
The Observer Newspaper La Grande, Oregon
Friday, April 1, 1904
Contributed by: Jan S. Gillespie