Grayson County TXGenWeb

Jas. W. McKinney
14 February 1861 - 30 July 1945

Hellen McKinney
15 December 1860 - 9 October 1946

James W. McKinney, Age 84, Passed Away Last Monday Afternoon

James W. McKinney, 84, prominent Van Alstyne resident, died at his home Monday afternoon after four years of illness.
Mr. McKinney was born in the Van Alstyne community January 15, 1861, the son of Ashley and Jane Bliss McKinney, and has continued to reside here with the exception of two years in Sherman. He was married Feb. 25, 1888 to the former Miss Helen Howard of Bonham at Dallas. The couple moved into their present home immediately following their marriage.
Mr. McKinney entered the hardware business in 1900, retiring several years ago because of his illness. A member of the Methodist Church, he had served on the board of stewarts and as a trustee for a number of years. He is a descendant of Collin McKinney.
Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at the Methodist Church, with the Rev. W.H. Vail, conducting assisted by Rev. T. Lennox, pastor of the Christian Church. Interment was at Van Alstyne Cemetery under the direction of Fox-Fanning.
Survivors are his widow; two sons, Claude A. of Van Alstyne and Eugene McKinney of Galveston; three grandchildren, Mrs. E. Garrison of Springfield, Mo., Eugenia McKinney of Van Alstyne and David Wayne McKinney of Galveston; and one sister, Mrs. Lizzie Slaughter of Midland.
Pallbearers were W.W. Blassingame, Gus Lewallin, Roscoe Garver, Carl Umpress, Jim Kitching and Robert Fielder.

Otis McKinney
1 February 1892 - 28 July 1909
s/o James & Hellen McKinney

Otis McKinney Is Dead
Found Dead in Bed When His Mother Went to Call Him to Dinner.

The town was shocked from center to circumference Wednesday at noon when news that Otis McKinney, the 17-year-old son of Mrs. and Mrs. James W. McKinney, had been found dead in bed at the family residence near the Christian Church.
  A Leader representative repaired to the residence and found the house thronged with sympathizing friends and relatives doing all they could to comfort the distracted parents. In an upper room was the body of the dead boy on the bed where it was when the discovery of death was made. The right arm
was in a drawn position and had become rigid. The lips were slightly dark and there were a few dark splotches about the face. After considerable work the arm was gotten to a natural position and the splotches were pretty well removed from the face.
  From the father of the dead boy it was learned that the discovery that he was dead was made by his mother when she went to his room to call him to dinner. Mrs. McKinney told him dinner was ready and enumerated some of the things that were on the table. Getting no response, she turned back the cover and was horrified and prostrated to find the boy cold in death. Screams of the distracted mother alarmed the neighborhood and many hurried to the McKinney home to be of assistance and learn the cause of the mother's condition.
  Mr. McKinney stated that Otis had not been well for three or four days and that on Monday he had sent
a physician to see him. Tuesday he arose late in the morning and was about the store some during the day, went to the ball game in the afternoon and attended services at the tabernacle Tuesday night. From the tabernacle he went to the club rooms of the Business Men's League and remained a while, going from there to his room about 11 o'clock. As he went to his room he asked his father if his brother Claude had come home. Being informed that he had, Otis went into his room and retired, sleeping in the same bed with his brother.
  When Mr. McKinney arose Wednesday morning he went to the boys' room and awoke Claude, asking him to go and open the store. Owing to Otis' illness he did not disturb him, intending to allow him to sleep as late as he wished. At that time Mr. McKinney says Otis was lying with his head toward the foot of the bed. Claude got up and left the room taking no special notice of his brother. When the dead body was discovered the head was toward the head of the bed, and the condition of the bed clothing would indicate that there was no struggle.
  Mrs. McKinney left the house about 10 o'clock to attend the services at the tabernacle, supposing that her son was still sleeping, as had been his custom since he had been indisposed.
  Rumors that it was a case of suicide became prevalent. The father stated, however, that he had not the slightest idea that the boy took his own life and Dr. J.M. Slaughter, when asked as to what the ascribed death, said it was due to acute indigestion.
  The funeral services were conducted at the Methodist tabernacle at 10 o'clock Thursday morning by Rev. J.B. Davis and J.D.L. McKinney and the body was laid to rest at the Van Alstyne cemetery, the following friends of the deceased acting as pallbearers: Louis Golden, Leslie Douglas, C.B. McAnally,
Roy Denton, Jim Baker, W.D. Benton. These said rites were attended throughout by a . . . throng of sorrowing relatives and friends.
  Otis McKinney was reared in Van Alstyne, was educated here and since leaving school was associated with his father and his brother Claude in the hardware business in this city. If he ever had the slightest inclination to be wild this writer has no knowledge of it. He was a quiet, respectful young man and his associates were the flower of the young people of the town.
  In his death, made doubly shocking by it suddenness, his devoted parents and his two brothers have sustained a blow under which it is hard for them to bear up. That burden, however, will be lightened if the sympathy and prayers of good people are potent to that end.
  Out of respect for the memory of the dead boy the ball game scheduled for Wednesday afternoon was annulled and the business houses closed Thursday morning, while the funeral services were in progress.
  The following out-of-town people attended the funeral: Mr. and Mrs. Dee Stubbs, Mr. and Mrs. Mark McManum, Bonham; Mr. and Mrs. Grenell, Sherman; John Elliott, Whitesboro; Ray Gumm, Dallas; ?.J. Reynolds, Sherman; Richard and Fulton Slaughter, Sherman; Zac Slaughter, Arlington; Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Weisner, Pilot Point; Mrs. E.F. Sewall and children, Arlington.