Obiturary of Richard Seth Worthing

                                                                     1819-1907

Richard Worthing was born in the western{Eastern} part of Wales, April 15, 1819, and died at the home of his grandson, J. R. Patterson, December 18, 1907, aged 88 years, 8 months and 3 days. At the age of twenty-one years he was united in marriage to Sarah Ingram. This union resulted in the birth of fifteen children, nine of whom attained the age of maturity and reared families of their own. Of this large family only three remain to mourn the loss of their father. They are Mrs. P. S. Custor, of Otsego, Ohio, J. E. Worthing, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Charles E. Worthing, of Cambridge, Ohio. In addition to the above there are thirty-six grandchildren and thirty nine great grandchildren.

At about the age of twenty-three with his wife he came from Wales to Coshocton county, Ohio, where they resided until the spring of 1849 when with a party from the same county he traveled by the overland route across the plains to the gold fields of California. After about two and one-half years he returned and settled in Guernsey county, Ohio, where he resided until the spring of 1880, when with his faithful wife he came and settled in Madison county, Iowa, where he has resided until his death. On October 24, 1888, he suffered the loss of his beloved companion with whom he had lived happily for fifty-eight years. And when he had lain her at rest in the silent city of the dead her resting spot had a larger place in his mind and heart than the living community where formerly his interest and activities centered.

How many hours of each day which made up the little more than nine years of his sorrow and loneliness he spent in silent communion with his God and beloved dead, no one knows. He often expressed a desire to meet the loved ones gone before and his strong vigorous vitality prolonged his life longer than his appearance would indicate. In his early life he accepted Christ as his personal Savior and made a public profession of his faith and after his return from California he united with the Baptist church at Bridgeville, Ohio, of which he was a zelous, influential member until he came to Iowa. Finding here no church of his choice he was instrumental in organizing the present Ohio Baptist church in Madison county, of which he remained a devoted member until his death.

A second Obituary gave tribute to Richard Worthing also.

It said: 

Obituary of Richard Worthing

 born April 15,1819 in Llananno, Radnorshire, Wales died December 18, 1907.

On October 24, 1898 he suffered the loss of his beloved companion with whom he had lived happily and faithfully with for fifty-eight years.  

It is not necessary to enlarge upon the noble qualities of this exceptional man's character.  Many of you outside the circle of his children have known him intimately for years and the universal testimony of those who knew him is that few men lived as closely to the tenets of the Golden Rule as he did.