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 Form No. A-368, Rev. 8/95 
 
Ifn flDemoriam. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON 
 
 Born May 23, I860. 
 Died March 24, 1899. 
 
PRINTED BY 
 
 JOSEPH J. STONE, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ♦fTN obedience to requests from his family, the 
 II materials for this volume have been collected 
 and put into permanent form in order that the 
 many friends and acquaintances of William 
 Henuy Branson might come into i)ossession of 
 the leading facts of his busy and godly life, and 
 the tragic circumstances of his sad and untimely 
 death. 
 
 He was a great force in every phase of life which 
 he touched, and the lessons of such a history can- 
 not fail to become an inspiration to the young and 
 a source of c<msolation to those who have reached 
 mature years. 
 
 The compiler of this volume knew Mk. Branson 
 for fifteen years, and feels glad to acknowledge 
 here the influence of such an acquaintance upon his 
 own hfe. He would record in this fitting place his 
 obligation to that departed friend for many w^ords 
 of cheer and encouragement, as well as much 
 material aid, in the delicate and responsible work 
 which has been placed in his hands. 
 
 Now, let the words of those who knew him best 
 
 and loved him greatest tell the simple story of his 
 
 active and faithful life. The work of gathering up 
 
 these fragments has not been a burden, but a labor 
 
 of love. 
 
 Dred Peacock. 
 
 Greensboro Female College, Aayust £St/i, 1S99. 
 
SYMPATHETIC LINES, 
 
 To the Bereaved Relatives and Friends of William 
 Henry Branson. 
 
 There was no cloud across the sky, 
 
 To tell the gathering gloom of night, 
 
 No shadow dimmed the light of day, 
 
 The morning dawned all fair and bright. 
 
 No shade nor shadow seemed to lurk, 
 About the threshold of the door; 
 
 No voice was heard to tell of one 
 
 Whose passing out would be no more. 
 
 When evening came, a Presence grim 
 Had passed into the house so bright, 
 
 And silenced, aye, the joy of home 
 And stilled forever hearts so light. 
 
 'Twas thus it seemed to those who heard. 
 That one they knew had passed away, 
 
 So much of life, and strength, and hope, 
 Was taken in one fleeting day ! 
 
 Yet is his life forever done 
 
 Because no more we hear his voice? 
 Will not his influence live on? 
 
 () mourning hearts, for this, rejoice ! 
 
sorrowing- ones, it hath been said, 
 
 "He liveth long-, who liveth well." 
 The hearts he cheered, the good he did, 
 Eternity alone can tell. 
 
 1 knew him in his sunny youth, 
 
 His father's pride, his mother's joy. 
 And others learned on him to lean, 
 His life beg-an when but a boy. 
 
 His work was wroug-ht, his mission filled. 
 Then came the messag^e swift and sure; 
 
 On earth at morn, at eve in heaven, 
 The faithful shall fore'er endure. 
 
 Look up sad hearts, amid your gloom, 
 With g-rief and sorrow overborne, 
 
 And hear the Saviour's loving voice 
 
 Say sweetly, "Blest are they that mourn." 
 
 "They shall be comforted," He saith. 
 
 His promises are ever sure, 
 Nor depth nor heig-ht shall separate. 
 
 His word forever shall endure. 
 
 Mrs. E. M. Anderson. 
 Durham, N. C, March 27th, 1S99. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 
 
 BY REV. JOHN C. KILGO, D. D. 
 
 Very few American families can trace their an- 
 cestry beyond three or four generations. This is 
 due to the lack of a historical spirit among the early 
 settlers of a country. They make no records, and 
 only vague traditions carry their histories down to 
 other generations. When the Branson family came 
 to America cannot be accurately determined. It 
 is, however, certain that early in the eighteenth 
 century Thomas Branson came from England and 
 settled in Chatham county, N. C. This makes the 
 Branson family one of the old families of North 
 Carohna, and identities them with all the periods of 
 the State's growth. 
 
 William Henry Branson belonged to the fifth gen- 
 eration from Thomas Branson. William's father 
 was named Thomas, doubtless for the original 
 Branson and was born in Randolph county, near 
 Asheboro, in the year 1800. For four generations 
 the Branson family remained in this section of the 
 State, a fact which indicates an indisposition to 
 rove from point to point in search of eaiser fortunes. 
 
 Thomas Branson, the father of William H. Bran- 
 son, was twice married; the tirst time to Miss 
 Mary Lewellyn, the second time to Mrs. Prescott, 
 
8 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 who was a Miss Buck. William was the only child 
 by this second wife. He was born at Cedar Palls, 
 Randolph county, May 23, 1860. His father was a 
 blacksmith, a vocation of large importance in the 
 first half of the nineteenth century. The black- 
 smith was then a manufacturer, making not only 
 all the implements of farming, but all the pieces of 
 iron furniture in the best homes. Longfellow's 
 "Village Blacksmith" commemorates the true dig- 
 nity and character of the hero of the anvil. So 
 Thomas Branson was a central figure in the indus- 
 try of his community. He is described as a man 
 with a large and erect frame, strong intellect, and 
 noble character. He was a man of deep convictions, 
 and held to them with unshaken fidelity; he was 
 energetic and honest in all business transactions, 
 while his genial nature drew about him a host of 
 friends. One who knew, him said, "Never was 
 there a more upright man than Thomas Branson.'" 
 His second wife was a woman of genial nature, and 
 very full of energy. Their only son, William Henry, 
 got a good start in his parents, and his record 
 fully sustained their character in the larger world 
 of activity to which he belonged. 
 
 Thomas Branson died when William was very 
 young. This, joined with the extremely poor edu- 
 cational facilities, gave young William no opportu- 
 nity to attend any other than a local school. Never- 
 theless, he succeeded in grasping the principles of 
 arithmetic before he was twelve years old, for he 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 9 
 
 never attended scb(M)l alter that age. Nature had 
 endowed him with large mental powers, and from 
 the earliest he seemed to have superior control 
 over his faculties of mind. Young men who cite 
 such instances to defend their indifference to edu- 
 cational opportunities, should first be sure that 
 nature has extended to them such a beneficent 
 hand as it held out to him. He not only had facul- 
 ties, but they had empetus, and he was always 
 learning. Minds run down and grow^th is arrested, 
 but he had the genius of endless growth. 
 
 His half sister. Miss Jennie Prescott, married 
 Mr. J. A. Odell, a merchant in the town of Greens- 
 boro, N. C. At the age of twelve he went to live 
 with them as a member of the family. This was a 
 new era in William's life. Mr. Odell is not only a 
 man of stalwart character, but his business genius 
 puts him among the business leaders of the South 
 Atlantic States. Young Branson had the life of 
 this man to touch him from the intimate relation of 
 the home at his most impressible age. This may 
 be called good fortune by some men; it was destiny 
 to William Branson. He went into the Odell home, 
 and the Odell home went into him. He worked in 
 the store as a clerk, and developed his powers to 
 deal with large and varied classes of men. A young 
 boy behind the counter of a busy store is not in the 
 poorest school. To succeed as a clerk requires 
 energetic study and large self-control. William 
 succeeded. 
 
10 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 He did not receive a salary for the first four 
 years. He was a member of the Odell home, p.nd 
 was cared for as a son. His fidehty to the home 
 relations was so marked that his sister was never 
 forced to punish him. Mr. and Mrs. Odell always 
 knew his plans, and as long as he was with them, 
 he never left the home without their knowledg-e 
 and approval. To him manliness and honor were 
 inseparable, and freedom was obedience to duty 
 and truth. It is no surprise that the confidence 
 which grew up in those years never diminished in 
 later years. 
 
 William was sixteen years old when the Centen- 
 nial Exhibition came on in Philadelphia. Mr. Odell. 
 as an expression of appreciation of him and his 
 work, took him to Philadelphia. This opportunity 
 to look out on the world and feel the throb of its 
 energy and genius, meant much to this lad of six- 
 teen years. He did not i-eturn home the same boy; 
 he did not live again in the same world; he came 
 back a larger boy in a larger world. The country 
 school in Randolph county, the Odell home and 
 store, and the trip to Philadelphia, and at the same 
 time a short visit to New York, were the schools in 
 which William H. Branson was educated. In the 
 first, he gained access to books; in the second, 
 access to business and society; in the third, access 
 to the impulses of the world. These three attain- 
 ments in the possession of a highly endowed man 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 11 
 
 aggregated no small capital with which to begin 
 life. 
 
 When William returned to Greensboro from 
 Philadelphia, he had his wardrobe and fifteen cents 
 in cash. From this time he became an employee 
 of Mr. Odell, on a salary of fifteen dollars a month. 
 Thus he entered on his business career. In this 
 day of restless youth, impatient for a rapid rise to 
 easy and lucrative positions, the history of William 
 H. Branson is a sharp reproof. He began at what 
 men call the "bottom round," not because those 
 who loved him could not have elevated him at once 
 to a higher position, but because their wisdom sug- 
 gested a better plan. Men rule best who have 
 served most faithfully in every sphere to be ruled. 
 Young Cornelius Vanderbilt is a common laborer 
 in the shops of the New York Central Railroad, in 
 order that he may be a better president of the 
 system Rapid progress means early bankruptcy, 
 and against this calamity young Branson was 
 trained. As the years passed his salary grew, so, 
 having learned to live on a small salary, he knew^ 
 how to save from a larger one. The best product 
 of education is the control that it gives a man of all 
 the powers of his nature. To think accurately is 
 not enough. Unless a man can master his moral 
 desires, high thinking will prove to be a disastrous 
 thinking. William Branson had been trained to 
 deny useless desires, and he was no longer in the 
 way of his own success. 
 
12 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 At the orgiiiiization of the Durham Cotton Mill, 
 in 1884, Mr. J. A. Odell was elected President, and 
 William H. Branson was chosen Secretary and 
 Treasurer. Young Branson was practically placed 
 at the head of this new enterprise, for through him 
 Mr. Odell directed the business. At this time the 
 cotton manufacturing interest entered on the 
 period of expansion in the South Atlantic States. 
 The growth was rapid, but the fact that untrained 
 men werq necessarily placed at the head of new 
 mills, made it a critical period. Not only were new 
 markets to be opened, and new business affiliations 
 formed, but unexperienced labor was to be trained, 
 and new social relations were to be adjusted. It 
 was into the midst of these problems that Mr. 
 Branson was suddenly thrown. He met them with 
 an assuring faith. He was born to lead men. He 
 knew how to plan a work, and to organize and 
 inspire his forces. No crisis could throw him into 
 a spasm of excitement, but he was calmest when 
 the ordinar^^ man was most excited. During the 
 business panic of the first years of this decade, he 
 showed no timidity, but maintained that stability 
 which alone can secure the integrity of business. 
 Business genius is rare enough, and great enough 
 to command the admiration of all true men, and 
 only a moral quackery discounts it. It is as foolish 
 to think that every man can build or control large 
 business enterprises, as it is to expect every man 
 to write Shakespeare's Hamlet, or Goethe's Faust. 
 
WILLIAM HENKY BKANSO^. 13 
 
 This talent belongs to the few, just as the poetic 
 genius is a rare talent. Too much may be attribu- 
 ted to opportunity, or so-called "good fortune." 
 but the real opportunity is the man. The modern 
 teachers of economy rest their hopes too much in 
 natural agencies, exj^ecting to produce wealth by 
 changing circumstances. The problem is to be 
 solved in the man, not in the conditions, for the 
 man who lacks the power to ccmtrol circumstances 
 lacks the very element of success. Mr. Branscm 
 did not wait for times to change and conditions to 
 become better, he changed the conditions. The 
 real leader of men will never lack men to lead. By 
 the force of moral energy tne pubhc mind moves 
 about him as an appointed center. He seeks noth- 
 ing; everything seeks him. The large number of 
 enterprises that sought the fostering care of Mr. 
 Branson illustrates the truthfulness of the state- 
 ment. He was a Trustee of Trinity College, a 
 Member of the Executive Committee of Trinity 
 College, Trustee of Greensboro Female College, 
 Director of the Fidehty Bank, Secretary and Treas- 
 urer of Durham Cotton Mill and Pearl Cotton Mill, 
 Director of the Durham and Oxford Railroad, 
 Director of Odell Manufacturing Company, Treas- 
 urer of the Joint Board of Finance of the North 
 Carolina Conference, Steward of Carr Church, a 
 Trustee of Church property, and associated in 
 some way with various other institutions. These 
 were not honorary positions, but enterprises which 
 
14 IN MEMOKIAM. 
 
 sought the wise direction of this strong man. So, 
 they were to him responsibiUties, and got from him 
 closest study and faithful direction. In the meet- 
 ings of these Boards he was always active. Mr. 
 Branson's success as a business man cannot be 
 attributed to any one element of character. He 
 was a man whose faculties compassed large and 
 varied spheres, so that he put into his plans ideas 
 gathered fi'oni many points of view and protected 
 on every side. 
 
 Men who have large aptitudes for business 
 rarely develop social tastes. There is an antago- 
 nism between the two spheres, and only men of 
 great adaptability can so harmonize them as to 
 make them serve each other. The business man 
 regards a social occasion as a waste of time, and 
 w^hen forced into a social assembly, finds himself 
 cramped and vexed. Close calculations and stern 
 facts injure, if they do not destroy, those senti- 
 ments upon which society rests. The loss of fac- 
 ulties is a common calamity, especially the more 
 unselfish faculties that cannot be traded in the 
 markets. Mr. Branson was an exception to this 
 rule. He could lay aside the calculations of the 
 office, dismiss from his mind the conditions of the 
 market, shut out the roar of machinery, and throw 
 himself with genial enthusiasm into a lawn party 
 of his little girl, or a social function of largest i^ro- 
 portions. He was not dragged into these; he had 
 a highly developed social nature. Three things 
 
WILLIAM HENRY imANSON. 15 
 
 made him sociiil. He was naturally a man of dee]) 
 and refined sympathies, and could not, therefore, 
 lind his hfe's satisfaction in himself. The second 
 cause is found in the genial associations of the 
 Odell home! In it he had his natural social senti- 
 ments trained and gratified. The third cause was 
 a happy marriage. December 17, 1885, he was 
 married to Miss Clara Sergeant, of Greensboro. 
 N. C. Two lives may make one great life, or they 
 may destroy each other. The union in married life 
 is not a legal agreement, to which society sets its 
 approval. It is a mystical unity, where two 
 thoughts and two impulses so fuse into each other 
 as to consume all separate identity in a new and 
 larger expression. This, and this alone, is mar- 
 riage. Legal contracts and ecclesiastical ceremo- 
 nies cannot so unite what nature has forever 
 divorced. The law of congeniality is as rigid as 
 the law of gravity, and ruin can only come from an 
 attempt to reverse it. Forced nature is wrecked 
 history. William Branson and Clara Serf/catit were 
 married. She was to him the ideal woman. Genial, 
 sympathetic, loving, and faithful, she was to him a 
 poem, the passion of whose movement was a divine 
 impulse, keeping alive the diviner sides of his 
 nature.^ With him, she could never degenerate 
 into a soft social show; with her, he could never 
 become a hardened man of the market. Society is 
 at its best, or its worst in the home. In this house 
 it was at its best. Mr. Branson had his business 
 
16 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 clay, but when that ended he gave himself to his 
 family. The city of Durham will not forget the 
 evening rides he took with his family. The sight 
 was a sermon on "how to love and how to be loved/' 
 Little William, his only son, was sent to the home 
 of a neighbor on the morning of the accident that 
 robbed him of a father, and was not allowed to 
 return home till night. He was brought into his 
 mother's room just at the hour of the day when the 
 family circle was at its best. The little fellow at a 
 moment felt the distress of his father's absence, 
 and his tirst uttei^ance was, "Mamma, where is 
 papa? " His little life had its joys in the hours of a 
 father's presence in the home. Little Annie's par- 
 ties, his wife's social occasions, companionship 
 with his friends, and the annual social functions 
 of Trinity College, all received his best contribu- 
 tions of joy and gladness. 
 
 His social nature did him great service in his 
 business relations. It not only gave him ready 
 access to the sympathies of men with whom he had 
 transactions, but it saved his business plans and 
 methods from the monotony of hard and cold 
 mechanism. Between the manager and the laborer 
 there must be something more than a contract. 
 Otherwise, trickery and suspicions arise that hin- 
 der, if they do not ruin, an enterprise. Legislation 
 can do very little, if it can do anything, to prevent 
 friction between capital and labor. Likely, it has 
 created more friction than it has prevented. The 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 17 
 
 friction has its rise in that margin which hes out- 
 side of legal control, a sphere which modern socio- 
 logists have ignored. There must be a point of 
 personal contact between labor and capital, and no 
 increase in wages will ever act as a substitute for 
 this personal and moral bond. Labor wants the 
 inspiration of personal regard ; capital wants the 
 assurance of personal confidence. The necessity 
 is a common necessity. Mr. Branson solved the 
 problem, just as very many other wise men have 
 solved it. He touched the lives of those who 
 worked under him w^ith a sincere sympathy and 
 regard. He did not patronize them, as he did 
 not patronize any man. He never called them his 
 "operatives," '"hands" or "laborers," but "our 
 people." This was not a conventionahsm, for he 
 held them in the high esteem of kinship, and never 
 met them on any other basis. The entire commu- 
 nity organized around him with perfect confidence. 
 Free himself from the feelings of lordship, they 
 were free from the sense of serfdom. Friction is 
 not possible under such conditions, and the sorrow 
 of "our people" when this man was smitten down, 
 attested the wisdom and sincerity of his leader- 
 ship. 
 
 When Mr. Branson was seventeen years old he 
 was converted at a meeting held in West Market 
 Methodist church, in Greensboro, N. C. At the 
 same time he joined the Methodist church. His 
 parents were Methodists, and his associations after 
 
18 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 he left the home of his mother, preserved in him 
 the faith of the household. He was never a bad 
 boy, and knew nothing of "sowing wild oats," an 
 expression used to apologize for the unnecessary 
 sins of youth. The most intimate companion of 
 his boyhood tells with joy that he never heard 
 young Branson use an impure word, or relate an 
 unclean joke. Upon this foundation of purity and 
 integrity rested his faith in the power of Christ to 
 save him. Into his church membership he put all 
 of his energies. He was a great churchman, study- 
 ing the doctrines and pohty of his church, and 
 using his knowledge for its best interests. He 
 was no bigot, but he was loyal at all times to the 
 church of his choice. In every matter affecting 
 the work of his church he supported an aggressive 
 policy, and took a broad view of every movement. 
 With the ethics of narrow and selfish men he had 
 no sympathy. Though young, he was one of the 
 most potent factors in the North Carolina Confer- 
 ence. In his own church, his pastor found him an 
 ideal layman, true to his vows, active in all church 
 work, and the center of greatest influence. He 
 was not only active in the business of the Church, 
 but in revival services gave his energies to the 
 one work of saving his fellowman. As treasurer 
 of the Joint Board of Finance, the entire financial 
 work of the year in the North Carolina Confer- 
 ence passed under his review. He was always 
 present at the sessions of the Conference, never 
 
WILLIAM HENKY BRANSON. 19 
 
 allowing business to keep him away, or to call 
 him home before his work was finished. No 
 man ever heard him comi)lain that the church work 
 interfered with his business. He did not carry 
 his factories to the Conference sessions, and did 
 not frel, to return to them. Such tideht^^ com- 
 mands confidence, and his church was glad to 
 honor him. Some men use church honors for sel- 
 fish ends, and seek them for distant aims. Mr. 
 Branson sought nothing; everything sought him. 
 Twice he was a member of the General Conference; 
 the first time at the session of 1894, in Memphis, 
 Tennessee, and as an alternate in the last session, 
 which met in Baltimore, Maryland, May, 1898. 
 Ill this body he was an important legislator. 
 Broad-minded, aggressive, and wise, he threw his 
 influence where he judged best for the life and 
 progress of the church. His faith could not be 
 disturbed by those alarmists whose mental horizons 
 were tortured with imaginary storms. "Their 
 wild dreams do not disturb me," he would say. 
 "Our Bishops are wise and godly men and we can 
 risk them , " was fundamental with him. Some men 
 are monumental characters whose records impart 
 assurance and give great stability to cardinal truth. 
 In the church, William H. Branson was such a 
 character. 
 
 He was a true man. His appearance spoke out 
 the magnificence of his character. Tall and erect, 
 weighing nearly two hundred pounds, with a large 
 
20 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 head, broad brow, bright and expressive eye, 
 strong features, and noble movement, he was the 
 embodiment of high honor and noble impulses. 
 He had the model tigure of a hero. God does not 
 build such temples in which to house bats; the 
 occupant of such a divine structure has exalted 
 rights which, if obeyed, makes him God's noble- 
 man. William H. Branson obeyed them. He was 
 just reaching up to that period of life when every- 
 thing is full of glad prophecies. All the years of 
 his life were years of apparent ^preparation, and 
 his friends rejoiced that the depth and breadth of 
 the foundation measured an immense future. In 
 the glow" of these hopes, death came to him while 
 he was in the path of duty, the only path in which 
 he ever made a foot-print. A darker shadow never 
 fell on any community than the one that came to 
 the city of Durham when, on the twenty-fourth 
 day of March, 1899, William H. Branson, by a fear- 
 ful accident, was taken away. In him seemed to 
 be unborn history. It will have its birth in higher 
 realms, for there is no cessation of life. Noble 
 powers may not have sufficient time in this life, 
 they will get it in the life beyond. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 21 
 
 THE FUNERAL. 
 
 The funeral services over the remains of the late 
 W. H. Branson, who died Friday evening from the 
 effects of terrible scalding received in the pump 
 house at the East Durham mill, were conducted 
 from Trinity Church, Saturday afternoon, March 
 25th, at 2 o'clock. 
 
 Quite a crowd of the friends of the family filled 
 the church and listened to the words of commen- 
 dation of the character of the dead man. The 
 services were conducted by Rev. D. N. Caviness, 
 pastor of Carr Church, of which deceased was one 
 of the most prominent members. 
 
 Revs. G. A. Oglesby, Cole, Langston, Yates, and 
 Kilgo took part in the services. Dr. Kilgo, presi- 
 dent of Trinity College, of which Mr. Branson was 
 one of the Trustees, made a short talk on the 
 character of the deceased, and paid a beautiful 
 tribute to his memory. He said : 
 
 "A good man is not an accident, but is the pro- 
 duct of the divine hand. He is made after the 
 plans of God, and all the forces that enter into his 
 life are divine forces. Such men as Enoch, Joseph, 
 Moses and David did not spring uj) by chance. 
 God thought them out, and they have their truest 
 explanation in a fellowship with Him. So the good 
 men who are in the world today are more than 
 
22 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 foi'tunate men. It is correct to speak of the good 
 man as 'the man of God. ' He is in a true sense an 
 incarnation, and the divine element in him raises 
 him to this high distinction. 
 
 "The making of a good man is the most absorb- 
 ing work of God in the government of the earth. 
 This is the highest aim to be reached, and into it 
 have been thrown all the energies of the universe. 
 'AH power in heaven and earth has been given into 
 my hands, ' said Christ. The only use he has for 
 this power is to produce a good and great man. 
 He put into tnis work all the resources of his 
 own nature, and laid the foundation in his own 
 death. All that goes to make history he governs 
 to the end of making a good man. 
 
 "Besides these outside elements that enter into 
 the character of a good man, he contributes all of 
 his own energies to the same end. His self-sacri- 
 fice and consecration cannot be measured. In 
 his history there is much that is tragedy. The 
 secret struggles through which he maintains his 
 integrity are the sublimest scenes of human tri- 
 umph. The closet of the good man could disclose 
 the story of bloodiest conflicts. 
 
 "In every good man there is some leading 
 element of character. One idea rules. Only Christ 
 was able to comj^ass every trait of holiness. Other 
 men represent in a high degree only a single ruling 
 trait. Job is renowned for his patience; Nehe- 
 miah instructs the world in holy patriotism, and 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 23 
 
 Paul in heroic faith. In an effort to discover the 
 supreme element in the character of my friend, 
 WilHam. H. Branson, I found none so prominent as 
 his power to love. His life grew out of this. 
 When it first came to the throne of moral con- 
 sciousness, I cannot say. It, however, must have 
 appeared at an early period, as there were no 
 marks of envy and hate visible on his face. His 
 brow was smooth; his eye beamed with hope; his 
 form was erect; his w^ords were pure; and his 
 spirit full of gladness. Hatred leaves its marks, 
 but he bore none of them. 
 
 "All of the relations of life testify to his power to 
 love. His home had its foundations in a loyal 
 heart. He married because he loved the woman 
 who was to share his life. The children that came 
 into his house were the offspring of a holy love, and 
 the partners of all he had. No business, how^ever 
 urgent and intricate, could make him lose sight 
 of the simplest joys of his family. With peculiar 
 emphasis he spoke of them as, 'My wife and chil- 
 dren. ' The emphasis was on 'my.' I can never 
 forget a few hours spent with him in the city of 
 Norfolk, on our return from the last session of our 
 Annual Conference. After arranging at the hotel, 
 we went to stroll on the streets. His children 
 seemed to be with him. He entered a jewelry 
 store, and, with the enthusiasm of a lover, made 
 purchases for each member of the home. He said 
 to me, 'This is the only trading I ever do with 
 
24 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 genuine enthusiasm. What 1 buy for my wife and 
 children gives my greatest pleasure. ' It is no 
 ordinary man who can lay aside companions and 
 the business of a great factory, to buy a ring for a 
 precious child. He literally threw his heart with 
 its smoking heat into the lap of his family, and 
 their highest inspiration was the integrity of his 
 love. 
 
 "As the head of a large business, employing 
 many men and women, he was true to his nature. 
 He ruled by the love he had for every employee. 
 They had access to him. and his cheerful face 
 assured them in their task. There was no show 
 of lordship in his relations to them. He never 
 spoke of them as 'employees,' nor as 'hands,' but 
 always as 'our people.' He felt a kinship which 
 he was always glad to acknowledge, and this was 
 true under all circumstances. They were 'our 
 people' if they woi'ked, 'our people' when they 
 voted, 'our people' when they worshipped, and 
 'our people' when they went on excursions of 
 pleasure. He solved the labor problem about 
 which so much is said. He did not appeal to legis- 
 lation for new laws, nor to quacks for new theo- 
 ries, but in the 'our people' feeling he made fric- 
 tion impossible. William H. Branson was himself 
 the solution of those calamities, because he made 
 such problems an impossibility. Laborers do not 
 so much want more money as they want more 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 27) 
 
 personal sympathy and interest. All who labored 
 with him knew him as a 'good man.' 
 
 "In his church work, to which he was supremely 
 loyal, in his general business duties, and in his 
 social fellowship, he was the same man wit h a great 
 heart of love. He was never in such a hurry as to 
 overlook the humblest friend, but always greeted 
 him with a glad smile and an honest hand grasp. 
 In the conference room he made change for the 
 humblest member with as much delight as he re- 
 ported the total financial work of the year. 
 
 "This element of his character gave him great 
 stability. Nothing is stronger than love, and no 
 blast of outward storm can move it from its foun- 
 dations. So he stood. Amid business reverses 
 and crises, social ru]^tures and antagonisms, polit- 
 ical heat and warfare, and all forms of calamity, he 
 stood as immovable as the stone of an old Greek 
 god. His face was towards the sunrise, and with 
 an unflinching step he went forward where other 
 men stood paralyzed in the face of impending 
 dangers. Such a man is the anchor of his age. 
 With arms thrown about the eternal rocks, beholds 
 on amid sweeping storms and crashing billows, 
 and saves a thousand men from driving, in the 
 crazed tiaiidity, on rocks and reefs. Who ever saw 
 William H. Branson surrender his cause? Who 
 ever saw him moved from his purposes'::' Yet, 
 who ever heard him quarrel with the timid V His 
 great stand was his appeal and his reproof. Pull 
 
26 IN MEMORTAM. 
 
 of love, full of faith, full of hope, full of noble aims, 
 full of unborn history, in a moment this 'good man' 
 has been taken from us, but his memory and in- 
 fluences must abide. 
 
 " 'The good man leaveth an inheritance to his 
 children's children.' Science has disclosed no 
 subhmer truth than the conservation of forces. 
 No energy has been lost by any change of form. It 
 passes from form to form in its mission in the 
 material universe, and defies everywhere all forces 
 to destroy it. Our religion holds the same subhme 
 truth in a far sublimer realm. No good life is ever 
 lost. 'By it, he being dead, yet speaketh,' makes 
 righteous Abel a working force of the centuries 
 William H. Branson is our heritage. 
 
 "To hi-^ children he leaves the inheritance of a 
 good man. Poor and mean, indeed, is the man who 
 does not tind joy in a noble ancestry. Mere titles 
 of the empty honors of society, and patchwork of 
 spurious political fame are not to be counted. But 
 the purity of hfe, the magnanimity of spirit, the 
 integrity of conscience, the record of industry, and 
 the esteem of honest men is a legacy that might 
 enthuse an angel, and should always give a sense 
 of honor to descendants. William H. Branson 
 lifted the family name. I care not how high it was 
 when he was born, it is higher since he lived. He 
 left no suspicion on it, and those who will answer 
 to it in the future cannot blush because he once 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 27 
 
 answered to it. This is the highest heritage he 
 leaves his children. 
 
 "Our city must share in this legacy. He left a 
 record that has standard value for every business 
 man in our community, and especially for the 
 young business men of Durham. He began at 
 what we call the bottom, and by energy and integ- 
 rity rose before middle life to a success of the 
 noblest order. Those who live along the streets he 
 passed in going to his places of business will not 
 soon forget the regularity with which his trips 
 were made. Death overtook him attending to 
 business. Let me exhort every young business 
 man in our midst to treasure the memory of my 
 friend, William H. Bi^anson. His only trick in 
 trade was the genius of honesty and the fidehty of 
 energy. 
 
 ''To his church he leaves the highest legacy. Our 
 religion has its unanswerable logic in the purity of 
 its representatives, and to them must the church 
 always make its appeal. Our North Carohna Meth- 
 odism will hold the memory of this good man as a 
 sacred treasure. He loved his church and was 
 never too absorbed with business to serve it. The 
 most arduous week's work of the entire year was 
 the one he devoted to the Annual Conference 
 session. Day and night he labored on the financial 
 reports, and these received the accurate attention 
 given to the business of his factories. No problem 
 presented itself to the church which did not secure 
 
28 IN MEMORTAM. 
 
 his fullest interest. He loved the ministry, and by 
 every honorable token showed this love. Our min- 
 istry ought to receive a new impetus from the life 
 of this good man. The laity through him have 
 been called to an exalted life. 
 
 "We mourn his departure, and pray for the torn 
 hearts of the home from which he has been taken. 
 Mysteries on mysteries enter into the movements 
 of the world, and human thought is often dazed by 
 insoluble incidents. We all stand in the shadow of 
 such an incident. We refer the revelation of it to 
 the day of final disclosures, and w^ait with some 
 degree of patience for a deeper insight into the 
 history of men. 
 
 "My painful duty at this hour has been per- 
 formed. I say painful because my own heart bleeds 
 streams of sorrow, and my emotions have been hard 
 to control. William H. Branson was my friend. You 
 wall pardon me, while here by the side of his silent 
 form, I give expression to personal feelings. In 
 all the days of my joys and triumphs he was among 
 the gladdest, and amid all of my struggles and 
 toils, he was among the foremost to assist. Taken 
 out of my hfe, and away from my side, I will 
 return to my tasks with the feelings that they will 
 be heavier. When a man is so suddenly and sorely 
 robbed of a member of that inner circle upon 
 which he leans for strength, courage suffers, and 
 the sense of disappointed hopes comes over him. 
 I never planted a shrub or flower at Trinity Park 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 29 
 
 that did not interest him ; I never administered 
 any discipUne that did not call out his sincerest 
 concern, and I never had a dream of Trinity's 
 growth that did not enthuse him. You need not 
 be amazed when I tell you that he had the key to 
 my inner thoughts, and knew all the plans of my 
 W'Ork. He loved our College, and we all feel sorely 
 the loss that has come to us. 
 
 "This good man has gone from us. His face 
 was ever toward the celestial city, into which he 
 has already entered. We will soon put him aw^ay 
 in the silent tomb, but with assurance that on the 
 day of final triumph, when the ascended Lord will 
 descend to claim the royalty of his death, our 
 friend will come forth in the glory of the resurrec- 
 tion, and enter the kingdom of his Lord, and share 
 in all the infinitudes of its wealth." 
 
 After the services at the church were over, the 
 remains were taken to the Southern depot, wiiere 
 a special train was in waiting to convey them to 
 Greensboro. Some fifty or sixty of the friends of 
 the bereaved family accompanied them to Greens- 
 boro and witnessed the interment. The following 
 relatives and friends attended the funeral: J. A. 
 Odell, George and Will Sergeant, and Mr. Ireland, 
 Mrs. Branson's father, B. E. Sergeant, of Greens- 
 boro, and J. G. Brown, of Raleigh. There were a 
 profusion of flowers contributed by friends of the 
 family. The pall bearers were: F. M. Sharp, 
 John F. Wiley, F. L. Fuller, R. G. Jones. Y. E. 
 
30 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Smith, J. G. Brown and C. H. Ireland. It is said 
 that Mr. Branson, wishing to see his family left in 
 comfortable circumstances, had insurance on his 
 life amounting to some f'^28,000. — Durhaiit Daily Sun. 
 
 FLORAL TRIBUTES. 
 
 The floral tributes were numerous and hand- 
 some. Not only did his neighbors and friends in 
 Durham attest their love and sympathy by strew- 
 ing his "pathway to the tomb" with beautiful 
 flowers, many from distant cities also gave 
 expression in a similar way to the tender regard 
 they felt for their loved and trusted friend. 
 Besides innumerable offerings of individuals in 
 Durham and other places, were noted the following 
 designs sent by the various institutions with which 
 he was connected : 
 
 Employees of the Fidelity Bank, Wreath. 
 
 Employees Southern Railway, Cross. 
 
 Durham Conservatory of Music, Harp. 
 
 President and Faculty of Trinity College, Cross, 
 Heart and Anchor, suspended. 
 
 Faculty Greensboro Female College, Large 
 Boquet Bride's Roses. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 31 
 
 FROM THE PRESS, 
 
 [ Durham Daily Sun. ] 
 
 A distressing^ accident occurred this morning 
 about 10 o'clock, at the East Durhaui Cotton Mills, 
 whereby two gentlemen were badly scalded, and 
 are in a very dangerous condition. 
 
 Messrs. W. H. Branson and J. C. Mathes were 
 in a pump-house, that pumps water to the engine. 
 By some means a large steam pipe, about live 
 inches in diameter, bursted, enveloping these two 
 gentlemen in a cloud of scalding steam. 
 
 Messrs. Branson and Mathes were both badly 
 burned. Mr. Branson's injuries are thought to be 
 the worst. He is badly scalded about the face, 
 head and body. So badly was he burned about the 
 face that the skin peeled off. He also had his hands 
 painfully cut in breaking out some glass in a win- 
 dow in an endeavor to call for assistance. 
 
 Mr. Mathes is pretty badly burned about the 
 face and eyes. It is thought he may lose his eye- 
 sight. Mathes, after an unsuccessful effort, finally 
 succeeded in getting the door of the house open 
 and made his exit in this way. 
 
 So powerful was the force of the explosion that 
 a hole was blown through the brick wall of the 
 
32 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 house, about five feet in diameter. The pipe that 
 burst was above the heads of the two gentlemen. 
 Had it been lower nothing could have prevented 
 them being killed outright. 
 
 As soon as possible, physicians were telephoned 
 for, and also trained nurses from the Watts Hos- 
 pital. Drs. Manning, A. G. Oarr, W. N. Hicks, N. 
 P. Boddie and other physicians reached the scene 
 as quickly as possible. 
 
 Willing hands removed Mr. Branson to the 
 company's office, and Mr. Mathes to his residence 
 near by. Physicians and nurses have not left 
 these gentlemen since the accident took place. 
 Everything is being done that medical skill and 
 science can suggest to alleviate their sufferings. 
 It was a horrible accident, and the dangers these 
 men underwent while shut up like rats in a trap, is 
 enough to make one shudder. 
 
 Ever since the first news of the accident reached 
 up town, inquiries have been frequent as to the 
 condition of the two men who were so badly 
 injured. The news spread like wild-fire this morn- 
 ing, and the announcement fell like a pall uijon 
 many hearts. 
 
 At this writing both of the injured men are con- 
 scious. It is impossible as yet to determine fully 
 the extent of their injuries. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 33 
 
 [Durhayn Daily Sun.] 
 
 When the Sun went to press on Friday afternoon, 
 Messrs. W. H. Branson and J. C. Mathes, who 
 were so badly injured in the horrible accident that 
 occurred at the East Durham Cotton Mills, were 
 conscious. Mr. Branson, who was known to be 
 the worst injured, lived till about 5:15 o'clock in 
 the afternoon, when he fell asleep as peacefully as 
 a child, to wake no more on earth. 
 
 Hearts are bowed down with grief and sorrow 
 on account of the terrific blow that has fallen. 
 The entire community feels deeply the sad 
 calamity. Nothing in recent years has occurred 
 that so shocked the people of Durham and other 
 towns. The Sim hardly knows how to write of 
 such a sad, heart-breaking occurrence, and of the 
 great and irreparable loss sustained by the death 
 of Mr. Branson. 
 
 William H. Branson was about thirty-nine years 
 of age. He moved to Durham about thirteen or 
 fourteen years ago. During his boyhood and early 
 manhood he clerked in a store in Greensboro. 
 Afterwards he moved to Durham and took charge 
 of the management of the East Durham Cotton 
 Mills, which he managed with great fidelity, busi- 
 ness ability and skill. Under his skilful and wise 
 guidance, the East Durham Cotton Mills have 
 grown and prospered w^onderfully. So marked 
 has been the growth of these mills, that it was 
 
34 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 deemed an imperative necessity to almost double 
 their capacity. Besides having the management 
 of these mills, Mr. Branson was concerned in a 
 number of other enterprises, notably the Pearl 
 Mills in North Durham, and he was also a stock- 
 holder in the proposed new cotton mill at Rox- 
 boro. He was secretary and treasurer of the East 
 Durham Cotton Mills. 
 
 In addition to being concerned in a number of 
 cotton mill enterprises, he held several i:)Ositions 
 of trust and honor in other industries. 
 
 Mr. Branson several years ago married Miss 
 Clara Sergeant, daughter of Mr. B. E. Sergeant, 
 a well known and prominent manufacturer of 
 Greensboro. Mrs. Branson, with two children, a 
 son and a daughter, survive him. 
 
 Deceased was a member of the Methodist 
 church, being the leading member at Carr church. 
 East Durham. He was a member of the Board of 
 Trustees ol Trinity College, and held several 
 important positions connected with church work. 
 He was frequently elected as a delegate to District 
 and Annual Conferences. 
 
 The following were among those who arrived in 
 the city this morning, having been called here on 
 account of Mr. Branson's death: J. A. Odell, 
 George and Will Sergeant and Mr. Ireland, of 
 Greensboro; J. M. Odell, of Concord, and Joseph 
 G. Brown, of Raleigh. Mr. B. E. Sergeant, of 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 35 
 
 Greensboro, father of Mrs. Branson, arrived in 
 the city last evening on through freight train. 
 
 The funeral services were conducted this after- 
 noon from Trinity Church. Revs. Dr. J. C. Kilgo, 
 D. N. Caviness, G. D. Langston and others partici- 
 pated . 
 
 The following gentlemen acted as pall- bearers 
 and escorted the remains to the Southern depot, 
 where a special train was in w^aiting to carry the 
 funeral party to Greensboro: F. M. Sharx)e. P. L. 
 Fuller, John F. Wily, R. G. Jones, Y. E. Smi^h, 
 Jos. G. Brown and C. H. Ireland. 
 
 The special train left Durham about 2:50 o'clock 
 on its journey to Greensboro. 
 
 May a loving Heavenly Father sustain the grief - 
 stricken widow and fatherless children in the well 
 nigh crushing blow that has descended upon them. 
 
 The sympathies and the prayers from hundreds 
 of homes tnroughout North Carolina go up to Him 
 that doeth all things, that he may give the bereaved 
 ones strength to bear up under the heavy load of 
 anguish under which they struggle. They have 
 the consolation of knowing that although their loved 
 one was suddenly snatched away, yet he was ready 
 to go when the Master called him. O, that we could 
 push ajar the gates of life, stand within, and under- 
 stand the mysteries of Providence! But we must 
 be content, and, unmurmuring, pass under the rod 
 of "Him who doeth all thing-s well" accordino^ to 
 
36 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 His good pleasure. We know not now, and dare 
 not question, this dispensation. 
 
 Farewell, kind friend, citizen and Christian gen- 
 tleman May all the bereaved loved ones, relatives, 
 friends and acquaintances, strive to meet him and 
 clasp hands in the beautiful home above. May 
 God keep and sustain those left behind until they 
 shall all meet again around the Master's great 
 white throne, there to be an inseparable and un- 
 divided gathering for ever and ever. 
 
 [ DurJuuii Daily Sim. ] 
 
 Upon the ideal union of a beautiful home in 
 Durham, a long, dark shadow, even the shadow of 
 death, has fallen. A devoted husband and father 
 has been removed — taken away so suddenly — 
 fairest skies turned to darkness and songs to 
 silence. 
 
 W. H. Branson is dead ! 
 
 Calamities and death follow each other like the 
 waves on ocean's beach, and overwhelm us in sor- 
 row. Earth has no emblem and heaven no sign, 
 save the sacrificial blood on Calvary's rocks, to 
 show us one ray of hope and cheer in the deep 
 gloom now hanging over our fair city. 
 
 Yesterday morning two men, in the strength of 
 vigorous manhood, with no sorrows to fleck their 
 joys, no shadows flitting across the day that 
 dawmed so brightly. Today one sleeps the last 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 37 
 
 sleep and the other languishes upon a bed of pain, 
 between life and death. 
 
 William Henry Branson is gone. For what pur- 
 pose he was called away in the midst of his 
 splendid manhood and usefulness we know not, 
 and yet cannot fully appreciate the fact that his 
 presence will be seen among us no more. The 
 whole community mourns. He will be missed in 
 the church, of which he was a member, in scatter- 
 ing seeds of kindness — his last act being a donation 
 of a bolt of cloth to the orphans. He will be missed 
 in our business circles where he was an energetic 
 factor. He will be missed as a neighbor by those 
 who came under his ministrations. His memory 
 in the home, in the affections of his wife and the 
 hearts of his many friends and relations will be 
 cherished with peculiar sweetness. 
 
 After all he but sleeps ! 
 
 "There is no death! The stars go down 
 To rise upon some other shore! 
 And bright in heaven's jeweled crown 
 They shine forevermore ! " 
 
 [ R. G. Jones^ in Durham Daily Sun. ] 
 
 The sudden death of William H. Branson is a 
 severe shock to those who love and honor him. It 
 is difficult for me, with the tumultuous feelings of 
 the moment, to attempt a portrayal of this good 
 man. My relations with him as an employee — 
 
38 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 which were for a period of several years — were as 
 pleasant as one could wish, and I consider it an 
 honor to have associated with this man of many 
 virtues. His walks and works were such, that not 
 only I, but all men who knew^ his golden worth of 
 heart and head, respected and admired him. He 
 earned from me a close friendship and a profound 
 admiration. One of the chief virtues of Mr. Bran- 
 son's character was tirmness, and a determination 
 to do what he believed to be right. 
 
 In his domestic relations as husband and father, 
 it is difficult to speak of him in moderation. There 
 could not be a man more devoted to his family, and 
 he was always doing something to make home 
 happy. He reverenced w^oman, and counted 
 among his many friends noble women in this and 
 other towns. 
 
 As a business man, Mr. Branson possessed rare 
 genius. His indefatigable energy, and high sense 
 of honor, won for him the utmost confidence of his 
 associates. He was always kind and respectful to 
 his subordinates, and it seems hard that he should 
 be taken aw^ay when life was so bright and pros- 
 perous. 
 
 W. H. Branson, honest, dauntless, doing his duty 
 as he saw it, fell indomitable at his post. 
 
 Let us give his memory all honor. From our 
 rolls a great name has departed and a man has gone 
 from our midst. Human thought has lost a teacher; 
 his friends and acquaintances a wise guide. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 39 
 
 [P., in Durham Daily Sun.] 
 Our religious institutions were all well tilled 
 yesterday. Many w.^re the conversations as to 
 the sad death of W. H^ Branson. He was a sample. 
 He used hospitality, kindness, and forbearance to 
 one another without grudging. He received from 
 his birth the gift of a gentleman and manifested 
 the same all through the various multiplications of 
 his business hfe, which is too well known for me to 
 comment upon. With the most subordinate under 
 his jurisdiction he was at all times and under all 
 circumstances kind and affable. When you met 
 him socially or on business he w^ore a smile of 
 character upon his countenance, justly inviting all 
 to believe in his integrity and justice to his fellow 
 man. He was one of the few men that I never 
 heard ought against in any particular. 
 
 But a few years ago, I have it from good 
 authority, he took hold of the business oars of life 
 in Greensboro, with a steady, energetic pull and 
 push from that day to the day of his death. He 
 left behind him a business trace in life which but 
 few^ men can brag of. At the bottom of the lad- 
 der he commejiced a poor boy, and at the time of 
 his death, though young in years, he stood amongst 
 the wealthy. He w^as held in the highest esteem 
 by his fellow men. Dr. Kilgo justly said in his 
 eulogistic words of him that the colleges, the 
 churches and the business institutions had lost help 
 in the death of Mr. Branson. 
 
40 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Every man, woman and child in North Durham, 
 coming under his touch, either in business or 
 socially, will miss his ever welcoming smiles. 
 
 The writer has had live years knowledge of him 
 advisedly and in business transactions and he was 
 ahvays courteous and plain spoken. No one could 
 come in close business touch with Mr. Branson 
 without loving and respecting him. We will so 
 much miss his daily business trips to our town. 
 "Our people," as he used to call those about the 
 mills, will this morning, and every morning to 
 come, miss the elastic step, the broad smile of 
 encouragement he w^ore each morning through the 
 mills. May our loss be his gain. His wife and 
 two children, may the shadowing^wings of angels 
 ever guide their pathw^ay through life, and when 
 the final morn shall dawn may they be received 
 amongst the redeemed, father, mother, sister and 
 brother, all singing Hosannah's to the most high 
 God. 
 
 [Raleigh News and ObseiTer.] 
 
 The news of the death of Mr. Will H. Branson, 
 by the bursting of a steam pipe in the pump room 
 in the East Durham Cotton Mills yesterday, carried 
 sorrow- and grief to all parts of the State. The 
 sudden ending of the life of any good man makes 
 genuine regret, but when one so widely known and 
 highly esteemed is thus removed from a useful and 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 41 
 
 busy life, the grief is as poignant as it is wide- 
 spread. 
 
 Less than forty years old, Mr. Will H. Branson 
 had won for himself high position in North Carolina 
 in business, in his church and in the regard of his 
 fellows. He won it by his ability, his industry and 
 his integrity. He was a man of his word. He was 
 true to his promises. He was direct, straight- 
 forward, manly. As secretary and treasurer of 
 two of the most prosperous cotton mills in the 
 State, and bank director, his place among the first 
 business men of Durham was established ; as trus- 
 tee of Trinity College, in which institution he took 
 a deep interest, his advice and counsel were sought 
 by his co-trustees and the faculty; as Sunday 
 School superintendent, steward of his church and 
 treasurer of the North Carolina Conference, he was 
 a leader in Methodist circles. In all the relations 
 of life he hved up to his professions, and will be 
 missed by a large circle of business associates and 
 friends. In an ideal home, which was his king- 
 dom, the hearts of all who read the sad news will 
 go out in tender and loving sympathy that from 
 one of hope, of light and joy, it is suddenly con- 
 verted into one of darkness and gloom, for its light 
 and happiness w^ent out when Will H. Branson 
 passed away yesterday. The devoted wife and 
 children are the objects of universal sympathy, 
 and many prayers will go up for them in many 
 homes in North CaroUna that He that doeth all 
 
42 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 things well will give them His grace and His 
 
 strength in the day of their bereavement and 
 anguish. 
 
 The following article, taken from the Neivs and 
 Observer of November 28th, 1895, tells in ^Dart the 
 story of his successful life, and shows the estimate 
 in which he was held while he lived. There is a 
 mournful pleasure, now that he is dead, in feeling 
 that he knew while in health that he was appre- 
 ciated. We quote from the issue of November 
 28th, 1895 : 
 
 "Mr. Branson was born at Cedar Falls, Ran- 
 dolph county. May the 23rd, 1860. In 1872 he went 
 to Greensboro with the hardware house of Odell, 
 Ragan & Co., afterwards Odell and Company, and 
 remained there until 1885, when he came to 
 Durham to acce^Dt the position of secretary and 
 treasurer of the Durham Cotton Manufacturing 
 Company — he was then only 24 years old— a very 
 young man to be called to a position of such 
 responsibility. But he had a wise head, had 
 shown high qualities as a business man. was a con- 
 sistent. God-fearing, Christian man, and to these 
 high qualities he added industry and old fashioned 
 sense that before- the- war people called horse 
 sense. He had no desire for those pleasures that 
 claim so large a share in the hfe of so many young 
 men He knew life was real and earnest, and it 
 was the man who planned wisely and worked faith- 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 43 
 
 fully who sooner or later got to the top. He was 
 ambitious as a boy but he had none of the notoriety- 
 seeking sort of ambition. It was an ambition that 
 sought the goal by doing well every duty that fell 
 to him . 
 
 "'Who is the most popular man in Durham?' 
 was asked a company of young Durhamites not a 
 great while ago. 'Will Branson. ' two or three 
 answered, and all in the company agreed that he 
 w^as. 
 
 "In 1892 the Dukes and others planned to build a 
 large cotton factory. They had not the time to 
 give the business their personal attention, and they 
 looked about to find a man of business judgment, 
 experienced in the cotton mill business and having 
 the peculiar talent necessary to make it pay. They 
 did not have far to look, and selected Mr. Branson, 
 who as secretary and treasurer of the Pearl Cotton 
 Mills, has again demonstrated his practical ability. 
 
 "Where else, not alone in North Carolina, but in 
 the United States, will you find a man just 35 years 
 old secretary and treasurer of two such great man- 
 ufacturies, enjoying the confidence of every 
 capitalist and every poor man in the towm in which 
 he resides? You will find a few others, but in 
 almost every case they are older before they are 
 called to such responsibilities, or thej^ are the sons 
 of wealthy men and have had pecuhar advantages 
 at the start. Mr. Branson ow^es his present posi- 
 tion chiefly to his own capacity and industry, the 
 
44 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 friendship and assistance of wealthy friends being 
 based upon respect and regard for him as a man, 
 and contidence in his ability and integrity. 
 
 In addition to his dual duties as secretary and 
 treasurer of two great cotton factories, Mr. Bran- 
 son is a director in the Durham Cotton Manufac- 
 turing Company, the Pearl Cotton Mills Co., the 
 Odell Manufacturing Company, in Concord ; the 
 Kerr Bag Manufacturing Company, of Concord; 
 the Greensboro Female College Association; the 
 State University Railroad; Trustee of Trinity 
 College, and director of the Fidelity Bank, of 
 Durham. These positions show the estimate the 
 business world puts upon Mr. Branson's capacity 
 and influence, and still stronger than words i)f his 
 usefulness to Durham and the State. 
 
 "But, busy man as he is, Mr. Branson is never 
 too busy to find time to take interest in church 
 work. In addition to his work in his home church, 
 Mr. Branson, as stated above, is a trustee of the 
 two great colleges of the Methodist Church, 
 Trinity and Greensboro, and htis been treasurer of 
 the joint board of finance of the North Carolina 
 Conference since 1889, and was a delegate to the 
 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 C!hurch, South, that met in Memphis in 1894. Mr. 
 Branson was married in Greensboro, December 7, 
 1885, to Miss Clara Sergeant. And, with all the 
 business successes and honors that have come to 
 him, no man is more devoted to his family. An 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 45 
 
 all around successful, high-toned, useful citizen is 
 W. H. Branson. The best wish for W. H. Branson, 
 Jr., is that.he may grow hke his father. " 
 
 [From report of Commencement of Trinity College, in Raleigh 
 News and Obsorer. ] 
 
 Just as the speaking ended. Dr. Kilgo, w^ho 
 had been two unwell to come out, entered and 
 received applause as he took his seat between Mr. 
 W. Duke and Bishop Duncan. He spoke of how 
 painful it had been to him to be compelled to absent 
 himself from the speaking. 
 
 Meuiorial services were held in honor of the late 
 W. H. Branson. Dr. Kilgo made the address. He 
 said Mr. Branson w^as one oi the few monumental 
 men who are created. His absence is mourned on 
 every hand. He was a clean man. No deed 
 needed to be covered. His biography needs no 
 apology. He always thought himself right. No 
 unclean word or broad joke escaped him. That 
 virtue w^as commended to young men. 
 
 He had that high type of honesty that makes a 
 man the lover of the truth. He was a tine example 
 of a husband — he was united to his wife in that 
 mystical union out of the plan of divine fellowship. 
 He taught how to love and make a woman happy. 
 He was a good father, and left the impress upon 
 the son who bears his name and countenance. He 
 
46 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 was a man of integrity. He belonged to no party. 
 He loved his friends intently. I felt honored by 
 his affection. He illustrated the truth that in the 
 South young manhood has the best tield for suc- 
 cess. When he began work as a boy he had 15 
 cents; he left a comfortable fortune. His means 
 showed what others could do. He never com- 
 plained at conditions and never charged Providence 
 with being unkind. 
 
 He was built for a hero. He was the veritable 
 image of the statue of an old Greek god. His life 
 cannot end. He has gone to show the angels how 
 a man can live among the eternities and grace the 
 courts of God. 
 
 [ Rdkiylt Morning 1*(M. ] 
 
 W. H. Branson, secretary and treasurer of the 
 East Durham Cotton Mill, is dead, and J. C. 
 Mathes. general superintendent of the mill, is so 
 seriously injured that his recovery is doubtful; in 
 consequence of the bursting of a steam pipe in the 
 pump-house of the mill. The accident occurred at 
 10 o'clock this morning, and Mr. Branson lingered 
 between life and death until 5:15 this afternoon, 
 when he died. He was scalded in the most shock- 
 ing manner, and in the interval between the 
 accident and his death he suffered untold agony. 
 
 The two men were in the pump-house, a small 
 brick structure detached from the main building. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 47 
 
 when a large steam pipe used to carry steam from 
 the boilers to the pump, burst. This pipe was live 
 inches in diameter, and the steam almost cooked 
 the men from head to foot before they could get 
 out of the room. The little room was really con- 
 verted into a steam box, and so great was the 
 pressure that one wall of the house gave way and a 
 hole about live by six feet was torn through it. 
 This explosion relieved the pressure of steam and 
 saved the men from seething to death in the hot 
 steam. 
 
 As soon as the pipe burst, Mr. Branson rushed 
 to the door and tried to open it, but could not on 
 account of the pressure. He then ran to a window 
 and knocked it out with his fist, and in doing so 
 cut his hand and arm in a very painful manner. 
 Mr. Mathes then ran lo the door, and the release 
 of steam through the hole and window made it pos- 
 sible for him to open the door and he ran out. Mr. 
 Branson had his head and shoulders in the 
 hole he had made in the window, calling for help. 
 
 The terrible pressure in the room is shown in 
 the wrecked building. When the pipe burst, the 
 wall in direct line of the force was the first to give 
 way. The steam then rebounded across the room, 
 and the wall on the opposite side from where it 
 first struck was cracked almost from top to bot- 
 tom. The building is of brick, and the walls are 
 15 or 18 inches thick. 
 
 As soon as help could reach the men, Mr. 
 
48 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Branson was taken to the office of the company and 
 Mr. Mathes was carried to his home next door to 
 the mill, to await the arrival of physicians. Four 
 were summoned, and were on the scene as quickly 
 as possible. Young lady nurses from Watts Hos- 
 pital were in attendance upon the scalded men 
 almost as soon as the physicians. 
 
 Late this evening Mr. Mathes was still 
 living, and hopes of his recovery were entertained. 
 He is barned terribly and is suffering the greatest 
 agony. While it is possible that he may recover, 
 it is feared that he will lose his sight. The skin 
 has sliiDped from his body in many places. 
 
 William H. Branson had lived in Durham thirteen 
 years, being actively identified with the manufac- 
 turing and business interests of the city. His 
 connection with the East Durham Mill dated from 
 his arrival here. Later 'he became secretary and 
 treasurer of the Pearl Mill. He was thirty-eight 
 years old. 
 
 In early hfe Mr. Branson resided in Greensboro 
 with Mr. J. A. Odell. a near relative, under whom 
 he received a most excellent business training, 
 fitting him for the responsible position which he 
 occupied. 
 
 Mr. Branson was an active worker and leader 
 in the Methodist church since early life. He was 
 treasurer of the North Carolina Conference and a 
 trustee of Trinity College, 
 
 Some years ago Mr. Branson was happily 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 49 
 
 married to Clara, daughter of Mr. B. E. Sergeant, 
 a leading manufacturer of Greensboro. Several 
 children have blessed this marriage. 
 
 Arrangements for the funeral of Mr. Branson 
 have not been made, but will be announced after 
 the arrival of relatives from Greensboro and 
 Concord. 
 
 [ Concord Standayd. ] 
 
 A horrible accident occurred at a cotton mill at 
 Durham, Friday before noon, when a pipe coming 
 from a newly erected pump burst, filling the room 
 in which Mr. W. H. Branson and superintendent 
 Mathes were in with steam. So full of steam was 
 the room that the door could not be opened. Mr. 
 Branson, during his suffering in the room, broke 
 out a window glass and called for help. At last the 
 wall on one side of the building broke and let out 
 the steam, but it was too late to save the life of 
 Mr. Branson, whose body was bad^.y scalded. He 
 died that afternoon a few minutes after five o'clock. 
 The condition of the superintendent was reported 
 very serious on Friday night. 
 
 The sad news in regard to Mr. Branson came 
 here that day, several dispatches having been 
 received by Mr. J. M. Odell at different times. 
 Besides being a shock to his friends and acquaint- 
 ances, the death rests heavily on the families of 
 
50 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Messrs. J. M. and W. R. Odell. Mrs. Branson is 
 a sister to Mrs. W. R. Odell, and the love and care 
 of almost a father has been bestowed upon the 
 deceased by Mr. J. M. Odell. 
 
 Mr. Branson was one of the most enterprising 
 mill men of our State and he held a position which 
 will be a hard one for his successor to fill. 
 
 [ Concord Times. ] 
 
 On last Friday morning, Mr. W. H. Branson, 
 secretary and treasurer of the East Durham 
 Cotton Mill, met his death in a most horrible 
 manner by the bursting of a steam pipe in the 
 mill. Superintendent J. C. Mathes, who was with 
 him was also badly scalded. The following par- 
 ticulars are taken from a special dated Friday to 
 the Raleigh Post : 
 
 "The accident occurred at 10 o'clock this morn- 
 ing, and Mr. Branson lingered between life and 
 death until 5:15 this afternoon, when he died. He 
 was scalded in the most shocking manner, and in 
 the interval between the accident and his death he 
 suffered untold agony. 
 
 "The two men were in the pump house, a small 
 brick structure detached from the main building, 
 when a large steam 2:)ipe used to carry steam from 
 the boilers to the pump, burst. This pipe was five 
 inches in diameter, and the steam almost cooked 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 51 
 
 the men from head to foot before they could get 
 out of the room. The httle room was really con- 
 verted into a steam box, and so great was the 
 pressure that one wall of the house gave way and a 
 hole about five by six feet was torn through it. 
 This explosion relieved the pressure of steam and 
 saved the men from seething to death in the hot 
 steam . 
 
 "As soon as the pipe burst, Mr. Branson rushed 
 to the door and tried to open it, but could not on 
 account of the pressure. He then ran to a window 
 and knocked it out with his fist, and in doing so 
 cut his hand and arm in a very painful manner. 
 Mr. Mathes then ran to the door, and the release 
 of steam through the hole and window made it pos- 
 sible for him to open the door and he ran out. Mr. 
 Branson had his head and shoulders in the 
 hole he had made in the window, calling for help. 
 
 '^The terrible pressure in the room is shown in 
 the wrecked building.. When the pipe burst, the 
 wall in direct line of the force was the first to give 
 way. The steam then rebounded across the room, 
 and the wall on the opposite side from where it 
 first struck was cracked almost from top to bot- 
 tom. The building is of brick, and the walls are 
 15 or 18 inches thick. " 
 
 Mr. Branson was well known in Concord and all 
 over the State. He was a brother-in-law of Mr. 
 W. R. Odell, their wives being sisters. He was 38 
 years old, and had lived in Durham thirteen years. 
 
52 IN MEMOKIAM. 
 
 He was also secretary, and treasurer of the Pearl 
 Mills at Durham, and held other positions of honor 
 and trust. He was treasurer of the North Cai-olina 
 Conference and a trustee of Trinity College. He 
 was also superintendent of the Sunday School at 
 Carr's Methodist church in East Durham. He was 
 a genial and popular man, and few men gave prom- 
 ise of greater usefulness. He was in Concord just 
 a week before the sad ending of his life, and was 
 then the picture of health and vigorous manhood. 
 
 Mr. Branson leaves a wife and two children w^ho 
 have the tenderest sympathy of a large number of 
 friends all over the State. The funeral services 
 were conducted at Trinity Church. Durham, on 
 Saturday, by Dr. Kilgo and others. The remains 
 were taken to Greensboro by. special train for in- 
 terment. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Odell and Mr. and 
 Mrs. W. R. Odell, of Concord, attended the funeral. 
 Mr. Branson carried life insurance to the amount 
 of 130,000. 
 
 Mr. J. C. Mathes, who was also scalded in the 
 fearful explosion, is getting on well and will re- 
 cover. The physicians think that his eyes will be 
 saved. 
 
 [ The Charlotte Ohsen-er. ] 
 
 A terrible accident happened .at East Durham 
 this morning, a few minutes xmst 10 o'clock, and 
 as a result Mr, W. H. Branson, secretary and 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 53 
 
 treasurer of the East Durham Cotton Mill and the 
 Pearl Cotton Mill, is dead, and Mr. J. C. Mathes, 
 general superintendent of the East Durham Mill, 
 may lose his life. Mr. Branson lingered until the 
 late afternoon. They were in the pump room, a 
 small brick structure, when a five-inch steam pipe 
 burst and they were scalded in a fearful manner. 
 In fact, both of the men were burned all over the 
 body. The skin was peeled off in many places and 
 the attending physicians said at the outset that 
 they were in a serious condition. 
 
 Messrs. Branson and Mathes had gone into the 
 pump room to look after the pump, which was a 
 new one. When the steam was turned on the large 
 pipe burst, filling the room with steam and scald- 
 ing the men as above described. The experience 
 these men passed through is one of horror. When 
 the pipe burst the small room was really converted 
 into a steam chest, and so great was the pressure 
 that the door to the room could not be opened. 
 Mr. Branson first tried to get out in that way but 
 finding that he could not open the door he ran to a 
 window and knocked it out with his fist. In the 
 meantime the pressure of the steam was so great 
 that one of the walls gave way and a hole was torn 
 through it about five by six feet in size. This 
 allowed the steam to escape and Mr. Mathes 
 opened the door and ran out. Mr. Branson had 
 his head and shoulder through the opening he had 
 made in the window and was calling for help. The 
 
54 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 walls of the building were of brick and about 15 
 or 18 inches thick. The wall opposite to where the 
 explosion occurred was cracked almost from bot- 
 tom to top. 
 
 Mr. Branson was carried to the office of the 
 company and Mr. Mathes removed to his home not 
 far away. Physicians were soon on the scene and 
 together with nurses from the Watts' Hospital and 
 loving relatives and friends everything possible 
 was done to relieve the suffering of both men. 
 
 Physicians this afternoon, before Mr. Branson's 
 death, said that both men were burned all over the 
 body and that their condition was serious. It was 
 then thought that Mr. Mathes and probably Mr. 
 Branson would lose their eyesight at all events. 
 
 If the wall to the building had not given away it 
 is thought that both men would have been cooked 
 alive before they could have been rescued from the 
 trap in which they were caught. 
 
 Later. — Mr. Branson died at 5:15 this after- 
 noon, after considerable suffering. He was 38 years 
 old, had resided in Durham thirteen years and 
 leaves a wife and two children. No arrangements 
 have been made for the funeral yet. 
 
 Mr. Branson was related to the Odells, of Concord 
 ana Greensboro, and the family is awaiting their 
 arrival. 
 
 At 8:40 o'clock tonight Mr. Mathes is some better 
 and there are hopes of his recovery, though he is 
 not out of danger yet. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 55 
 
 Mr. E. M. Andrews, who is a brother-in-law of 
 Mr. Branson, received the following telegram late 
 yesterday afternoon: 
 
 "Mr. Branson was scalded this morning- and died this 
 afternoon at 5:15 o'clock. 
 
 "Durham Cotton Mfg. Co." 
 
 [ The Charlotte Observer. ] 
 
 The remains of the late and lamented Mr. W. H. 
 Branson were taken to Greensboro this afternoon 
 on a special train for interment. The funeral train 
 left Durham at 3 o'clock and there were about 50 in 
 the funeral party, including the pall and floral 
 bearers, ministers, relatives and friends. The 
 train returned to Durham tonight. 
 
 The funeral service was conducted from Trinity 
 Methodist church this afternoon at 1 o'clock. The 
 service was conducted by his pastor, Rev. D. N. 
 Caviness, of East Durham; Dr. Jno. C Kilgo, pres- 
 ident of Trinity College; Dr. E. A. Yates, Presiding 
 Elder of this district, and others. Dr. Kilgo made 
 the funeral remarks and paid a glowing tribute to 
 the life and work of Mr. Branson. Rev. Mr. 
 Caviness read the first lesson and Dr. Yates the 
 second. Several beautiful songs were rendered 
 by Messrs. J. H. Southgate and Prof. Hamaker; 
 Mesdames Mattie Jones and C. W. Toms, and Miss 
 Bessie Whi taker. 
 
56 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 The pall bearers were Messrs. J. H. Southgate, 
 F. M. Sharpe, R. G. Jones, Y. E. Smith, F. L. 
 Fuller, and J. F. Wily, of Durham, Mr. C. H. 
 Ireland, of Greensboro, and Mr. J. G. Brown, of 
 Raleigh. The floral bearers were Messrs. Otis 
 Smoot, J. W. Goodson, M. W. Reed, R. L. Wharton, 
 H. B. CJraven, Ed. Pugh, Macon Alston, Dr. W. P. 
 Few and Prof. R. L. Flowers. 
 
 Durham is in mourning today. Mr. Branson 
 was loved by all, from the laborer to the million- 
 aire, and his tragic death has touched every heart. 
 The grief- stricken wife and little ones have the 
 sympathy of all our people. 
 
 Mr. Branson carried considerable insurance on 
 his life. Among the loolicies was one in the Penn 
 Mutual for ^10,000; a policy in the Provident 
 Savings and Equitable for ff 13,000; and an accident 
 policy in the Fidelity and Casualty for |^5,000. 
 
 Mr. J. C. Mathes, who passed through the 
 ordeal of steam with Mr. Branson is still living, 
 and there are hopes for his recovery. He rested 
 quietly all of today and his physicians have hopes 
 of saving his life. He was burned in a fearful 
 manner and has suffered agonies since the terrible 
 accident. His eyes are still closed, and as yet it is 
 imx^ossible to say whether he will lose his eyesight 
 or not. His friends and relatives all hope for the 
 best, and they have some hope that his eyesight 
 may be saved, and that he will be restored to 
 health again. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 57 
 
 [The Ch a tint If Obscrirr.] 
 
 That was a shocking' occurrence yesterday at 
 Durham, by which Mr. W. H. Branson, secretary 
 and treasurer of the Durham Cotton Manufacturing 
 Comi)any and of the Pearl Cotton Mills, lost his life. 
 Mr. Branson was one of the best and most useful 
 nijen in the State and his tragic death is an event to 
 be deplored, on his family's account, first, but not 
 on its account alone, but likewise for the sake of the 
 interests with which he was connected, and of the 
 State, of which he was so good a citizen. 
 
 [ The Gycenshoro Evening Telegram. ] 
 
 A telegram to Mr. J. A. Odell about noon today 
 brought the sad news to his many friends in 
 this city that Mr. W. H. Branson had been 
 badly burned. In what manner the accident 
 occurred is not stated. The news that his con- 
 diticm is critical brings sorrow enough without 
 reciting the harrowing details. He is secretary 
 and treasurer of the Durham Cotton Mills, and 
 Mr. Matnes. the superintendent, was also burned. 
 The following is the tirst message received : 
 
 "Mr. Branson and Mr. Mathes have been badly bm-ned. 
 We have a doctor and trained nurse dressing- their wounds. 
 "Durham Cotton Mills Co." 
 
58 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 A second message in answer to enquiry by Mr. 
 Odell was as follows : 
 
 "Mr. Branson burnt neai'ly all over the surface of his 
 
 body. His condition is critical. 
 
 "Mrs. Branson." 
 
 The Telegram earnestly hopes Mr. Branson's 
 injuries are not as serious as is now feared. Many 
 earnest prayers will go up for both the unfor- 
 tunate victims of the cruel blaze. 
 
 [The Greensboro Evening Telegram.] 
 
 Verily, in the midst of life we are in death. 
 Only two or three days ago we met Mr. W. H. 
 Branson on the streets of Greensboro, in good 
 health, handsome in the bloom and prime of man- 
 hood, vigorous and full of Hfe; we can still hear his 
 voice as he cordially greeted us. Today that fine 
 form lies cold in death, that voice is hushed, and 
 that heart, ever big, loyal and true, is still. Our 
 news columns yesterday told of his fatal burning, 
 yet we dared to express the hope that he would get 
 well. 
 
 We had enjoyed a personal acquaintance with 
 him for only a few months; but we knew him to 
 love him. He was our friend. A man with con- 
 victions and the manhood to stand by and express 
 them. Frank, positive, honest to a fault. Bold 
 and aggressive to a degree that could but be 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 59 
 
 adniirecl by those who did not think with him, he 
 was a true friend to his church and loyal to all her 
 institutions. This fact will tower with his other 
 virtues and ever be a bright and shining monu- 
 ment to his memory. 
 
 Good, noble friend, farewell! May the God of 
 men and nations comfort, console and sup^Dort, in 
 this sad hour of darkest and deepest earthly 
 affliction, the bereft widow and dear little children. 
 
 [ Greensboro Daily Record. ] 
 
 Mr. J. A. Odell received a telegram from the 
 Durham Cotton Mill Company a little after 12 today 
 saying that Mr. Branson and Mr. Mathes, who are 
 the secretary and treasurer and superintendent of 
 the mill, had been badly burned and that a physi- 
 cian and a trained nurse were in attendance. 
 
 The wire came too late for Mr. Odell to catch the 
 noon train and he at once wired Mrs. Branson, her 
 answer being that the whole surface of Mi-. Bran- 
 son's body was badly burned and he w^as in a 
 critical condition. 
 
 Mr. Odell can only conjecture how the accident 
 occurred, but thinks it was caused by escaping 
 steam while moving a small engine. He will go 
 down tonight. 
 
 Mr. Branson lived here a number of years, mar- 
 rying a daughter of Mr. B. E. Sergeant, and, though 
 
60 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 living in Durham in recent years, he is almost con- 
 sidered a resident of Greensboro, his relationshi})s 
 and business calling him here often. 
 
 Great anxiety is felt here over the result, for 
 any kind of a burn is painful and when the entire 
 body is involved his sufferings must be intense, 
 though he is in the prime of life, strong and vigo- 
 rous, and his friends hope for more cheering news. 
 
 [ Greensboro Daily Becord. ] 
 
 Mr. W. H. Branson, who met with a most painful 
 accident, as related yesterday, lingered until 5:15 
 yesterday afternoon, when death relieved his 
 suffering. 
 
 Mr. Mathes, superintendent of the mill, also 
 injured badly, is still living, but with little hope of 
 recovery. 
 
 The news was received yesterday afternoon too 
 late to get any particulars of how the accident 
 occurred, but the story is told today by the Raleigh 
 Post, from which this extract is made: 
 
 "The tw^o men, Mr. Branson and Mr. Mathes, 
 were in the pump house, a small structure 
 detached from the main building, when a large 
 steam pipe used to carry steam from the boilers 
 to the pumx), burst. This pipe was live inches in 
 diameter, and the steam almost cooked the men 
 from head to foot before they could get out of the 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 61 
 
 room. The little room was really converted into a 
 steam box, and so great was the pressure that one 
 wall of the house gave way and a hole about live by 
 six feet was torn through it. This explosion re- 
 lieved the pressure of steam and saved the men 
 from seething to death in the hot steam. 
 
 "As soon as the pij^e burst Mr. Branson rushed 
 to the door and tried to open it, but could not on 
 account of the pressure. He then ran to a window 
 and knocked it out with his fist, and in doing so cut 
 his hand and arm in a very painful manner. Mr. 
 Mathes then ran to the door and the release of 
 steam through the hole and the window made it 
 possible for him to oi)en the door and he ran out. 
 Mr. Branson had his head and shoulders in the 
 hole he had made in the window, calling for help. 
 
 "The terrible pressure in the room is shown in 
 the wrecked building. When the pipe burst the 
 wall in direct line of the force was the first to give 
 way. The steam then rebounded across the room 
 and the wall on the opposite side from where it 
 iirst struck was cracked almost from top to bot- 
 tom. The building is of brick, and the walls are 
 15 or 18 inches thick. 
 
 "As soon as help could reach the men, Mr. 
 Branson was taken to the office of the company, 
 and Mr. Mathes was carried to his home next door 
 to the mill, to await the arrival of his physicians. 
 Pour men were summoned and were on the scene 
 as quickly as possible. Young lady nurses -from 
 
62 IN MEMORTAM. 
 
 Watt's hospital were in attendance upon the 
 scalded men almost as soon as the physicians. 
 
 "Late this evening Mr. Mathes was still living, 
 and hopes of his recovery were entertained. He is 
 burned terribly and is suffering the greatest 
 agony. While it is possible that he may recover, it 
 is feared that he will lose his sight. The skin has 
 slipped from his body in many places." 
 
 News of the accident was received here with 
 expressions of deep regret, for, as remarked in 
 yesterday's Becord Mr. Branson is a Greensboroite, 
 though living in Durham for the past fifteen years, 
 and number as his warm friends all w^ho know 
 him. He was born at Cedar Falls, in Randolph 
 county, March 23rd, 1860, and came to Greensboro 
 in 1872, soon taking a position with the wholesale 
 and retail dry goods firm of Odell, Ragan & Co., 
 w^here he remained until 1885, the firm in the 
 meantime going out of business and the Odell 
 Hardware Company talking its place, &c. He w^as 
 a half-brother to Mrs. J. A. Odell, of this place, 
 making his home with the family until he accepted 
 the i)osition of secretary and treasurer oi the Dur- 
 ham Cotton Mill, at Durham. He was happily 
 married to Miss Clara Sergeant before his depart- 
 ure from Greensboro and leaves a devoted wnfe 
 and two children, w^hose grief is past describing. 
 
 Mr. Branson was an active worker and leader in 
 the Methodist church, which he joined in early life. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 63 
 
 He was also treasurer of the North CaroUna 
 Conference and a trustee of Trinity College. 
 
 Mr. Odell and Mr. B. E. Sergeant caught a 
 freight yesterday afternoon after receiving news 
 of his death and reached Durham last night about 
 10 o'clock. This morning Messrs. Geo. S. and 
 W. T. Sergeant, brothers-in-law, and Mr. C. H. 
 Ireland went down. A number of other relatives 
 and friends were at the station intending to go, 
 but learning the interment would be in Greensboro 
 did not do so. Mr. W. R. Odell, who married a 
 sister to Mr. Branson, accompanied by Mrs. Odell, 
 came through from Concord on the 11:15 train last 
 night. 
 
 Funeral services were conducted in Durham 
 this p. m., and the body arrived here on a special 
 train this afternoon at five, and w^as taken at once 
 to Green Hill. 
 
 Quite a number of friends accompanied the 
 remains from Durham. 
 
 [ Greensboro Daily Record. \ 
 
 Through a drizzling rain the body of William H. 
 Branson was brought to Greensboro, as related, 
 and buried Saturday afternoon. Over fifty friends 
 from Durham accompanied the remains, returning 
 on the special after the ceremonies were over. 
 
 Flowers covered everything, these beautiful but 
 
64 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 silent tokens of love, telling far better than words 
 the esteem and love of his legion of friends. 
 
 Mr. Branson was a prudent and safe man, not 
 only in the business in which he w^as engaged, but 
 he looked ahead and prepared, not only for his own 
 salvation in the world to come, but for the earthly 
 comfort of his wife and children, should he be 
 called away. 
 
 It will never perhaps be known beyond a doubt 
 what caused the steam pipe to break, catching the 
 men in a veritable trap of death, but Mr. Geo. S. 
 Sergeant, brother to -Mrs. Branson, and engaged 
 for a number of years in the machine business, 
 says he thinks it was caused by a defective "T" 
 at a joint. The smallest defect would- have caused 
 the break, and as a "T" is acknowledged to be 
 the weakest of all joints. Mr. Sergeant thinks this 
 is the cause. 
 
 The house, or room, in which it occurred, had 
 just been built for the use of a large pump and the 
 first thought was that the sudden turning on of 
 the steam had blown out the cylinder head of the 
 pump, but this was not the case, for it is still 
 intact. 
 
 Mrs. Branson, while she has not yet of course 
 made up her mind, will probably make Green sboi-o 
 her home, for here live her father, mother and 
 brothers, and it is the home of her childhood. Of 
 course she has warm friends in Durham, but it is 
 natural she should prefer Greensboro. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 65 
 
 [ Textile Exxielsior. ] 
 
 A fearful accident occurred on Friday morning, 
 March 24th, at 10 o'clock, at the factory of the 
 Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company, which 
 is situated in East Durham, N. C, one gentleman 
 receiving severe scalds which resulted in death a 
 few hours later. W. H. Branson, secretary and 
 treasurer of the company, and J. C. Mathes, gen- 
 eral superintendent, were in the pump house that 
 supplies water for the engines that run the mills. 
 A five-inch pipe, in which steam had just been 
 turned, bursted with terrific force, throwing scald- 
 ing water and steam all over the room, making 
 the place a veritable cauldron and seething hell. 
 Before either of the two gentlemen could get out 
 they were horribly burned all over the body. Mr. 
 Branson lingered until 5:15 o'clock that afternoon, 
 when his soul returned to the God who gave it. 
 Mr. Mathes, while painfully and almost fatally 
 burned, is improving. It is thought that he will 
 recover, but if so will be disfigured for life. 
 
 A brief sketch of Mr. Branson, whose horrible 
 death fell as a pall over the people of Durham and 
 other towns, may not be amiss just at this time. 
 
 William Henry Branson was born at Cedar Palls, 
 Randolph county, North Carohna, May 23, 1860. 
 In 1872, at the age of 12 years, he went to Greens- 
 boro, taking a position with the hardware house of 
 Odell, Ragan & Company, which firm afterwards 
 
66 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 changed to Odell & Company. He remained there 
 until 1885, when he came to Durham to accept the 
 position of secretary and treasurer ot the Durham 
 Cotton Manufacturing Company. At that time he 
 was 24 years old, a very young man to be called to 
 a position of such responsibility. But his was a 
 wise head; as a business man he posessed the 
 highest qualities; he was a consistent, God-fearing 
 Christian man; added to all these qualities was 
 industry and what is termed "horse sense. " Life 
 was real, life was earnest with him. He planned 
 wisely and worked faithfully. His ambition sought 
 the goal of doing well every duty that fell to him. 
 
 [Rakigli Christian Advocnte.^ 
 
 On last Friday morning, March 24, the news 
 w^ent over the city of Durham and throughout the 
 State, that William H. Branson had been seriously 
 scalded by steam from a pipe which had burst. 
 The details of the accident were harrowing in the 
 extreme. Mr. J. C. Mathes, superintendent of 
 Durham Cotton Mills, of which Brother Branson 
 w^as secretary and treasurer, suffered also from 
 the explosion. Shut up as these two men were, in 
 a little brick room filled with escaping steam 
 strong enough to prevent the opening of the door, 
 and finally to blow a large hole in the wall, it is 
 strange that they lived an hour afterward. Mr. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 67 
 
 Mathes still lives, but Mr. Branson, after suffering 
 hours of agony, died about 5 o'clock Friday 
 afternoon. 
 
 His death is one of the saddest mysteries among 
 the permissive acts of Providence. So brave, so 
 tender, true and kind to others, his dying couch 
 was one of pain. In the full flush of young man- 
 hood, he met the dread messenger. But we knew 
 his heart and hfe, and we know all is well. William 
 H. Branson so lived that he was ready at all times 
 and under all circumstances to answer "Here!" to 
 the call of the Master. We know where he is. We 
 shall know where to find him when we have joined 
 the "great majority. " 
 
 We do not wish to anticipate his biographer, but 
 we give a short history of his life : 
 
 He was born at Cedar Falls, Randolpli county, 
 May 23, 1860. He was with a hardware company 
 in Greensboro from 1872 until 1885, when he was 
 married to Miss Clara Sergeant, of Greensboro, 
 and went to Durham to be secretary and treasurer 
 of the Durham Manufacturing Company, in which 
 capacity he acted up to the day of his death. 
 
 In addition to his duties as secretary and treas- 
 urer of two great cotton manufactories, Mr. 
 Branson was director , in the Durham Manufac- 
 turing Company, the Pearl Cotton Mills Company, 
 the Odell Manufacturing Company, in Concord ; the 
 Kerr Bag Manufacturing Company, Concord; the 
 Greensboro Female College; the State University 
 
68 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 railroad ; trustee of Trinity College, and director of 
 the Fidelity Bank. Durham. 
 
 Brother Branson was a business man of unusual 
 ability. This ability he placed at the disposal of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. South, of which 
 he was a devoted member. He served as treasurer 
 of the Joint Board of Finance of the North Carolina 
 Conference since 1889. In this capacity he did 
 arduous work. His brethren delighted to honor 
 him to the electing him to the District, Annual and 
 General Conferences. In Durham, as elsewhere, 
 Brother Branson was universally popular. People 
 loved him because he was loving. His death has 
 saddened the whole community. We have few like 
 him. Yet we thank our Heavenly Father for the 
 work w^hich he has already wrought and the 
 memory which will remain fresh and green 
 during the passing years. 
 
 He was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon in the 
 beautiful Green Hill Cemetery at Greensboro. For 
 the stricken wife and children we implore the 
 comfort and protection of the Spirit. They have 
 the sympathy and prayers of all true hearts. 
 
 [D. N. Cavinesfi, in Baleigh Cluistian Advocate.] 
 
 William H. Branson was born at Cedar Falls, 
 Randolph county, North Carohna, May 23, 1860, 
 and died at his home in Durham, N. C, March 24, 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 69 
 
 1899. When he was twelve years old he went to 
 Greensboro, N. C, to Hve with his brother-in-law, 
 Mr. J. A. Odell, with whom he hved until 1885. 
 During these years he had all the advantages of 
 a refined, Christian home, which was indeed ex- 
 ceedingly congenial to his young but great heart. 
 While here he received, in a practical way, a thor- 
 ough business training, for which work he was 
 peculiarly adapted. So thoroughly did he prove 
 himself to be a business man of tine parts that the 
 Messrs. Odell saw and appreciated his work, and 
 in 1885 they put him at the head of their manufac- 
 turing interests in Durham. The same traits of 
 character that characterized him as a man of 
 sterling worth and unusual business tact continued 
 to develop in him as the head of the Durham 
 Manufacturing Compan3^ When he took charge of 
 the mill it was comparatively small, but wiien he 
 laid his work down fourteen years later the mill 
 w^as capitalized at 1225,000. At the time of his death 
 he was secretary and treasurer of the Durham 
 Cotton Manufacturing Company, and also of the 
 Pearl Cotton Mi^l. He w^as a directoi* in these and 
 in other cotton mills in North Carolina. He was 
 also a director in the Fidelity Bank of Durham, a 
 director of the Southern and Seaboard railroads. 
 He was trustee of Trinity College and of Greensboro 
 Female College. 
 
 As a business man he, perhaps, had no superior, 
 and but few peers. Though he was a man of such 
 
70 IN MEMORTAM. 
 
 wouderful business powers he delighted in giving 
 some of his best service to his church. For nine 
 years he served the North Carohna Conference as 
 treasurer of the Joint Board of Finance. Speaking 
 from personal knowledge of him, it was a pleasure 
 to him to 'do all that he did for the church. He 
 looked forward to the meeting of our annual Con- 
 ference with as much interest and hopeful antici- 
 pation as any clerical member of the Conference 
 possibly could. No man knew the members of the 
 Conference better than did Brother Branson. No 
 man ever gave the preachers a more cordial hand- 
 grasp or had a warmer place in his heart than did 
 he. He not only knew and loved the members of 
 the Conference, but when he addressed one of them 
 he delighted in using that familiar word to which 
 all Methodists have a birthright, "brother." His 
 devotion to his church was beautiful. Though in 
 the business world he was a giant, yet, he was one 
 of the most thoroughly consecrated Christian men 
 I have ever known. He did not get where he was 
 ashamed to recognize a Methodist preacher as 
 "brother." 
 
 One who played with him in childhood and who 
 has been intimately associated with him in all 
 their business life said, "I never heard Will use a 
 hard word or tell a smutty joke in my life. He 
 would not say a thing that he coukl not repeat in 
 the presence of ladies." All honor to such a man. 
 May the Lord give us many more like him. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 71 
 
 It was in 1876 or 1877 that Brother Branson was 
 converted and joined West Market Church, in 
 Greensboro, during the pastorate of Rev. S. D. 
 Adams. Soon after he joined the church he was 
 elected a steward and served in that capacity until 
 his death. A more efficient, faithful steward has 
 never served a church. He has been superinten- 
 dent of our Sunday School ever since its organiza- 
 tion. He kept the school in a fine condition all the 
 time. I have never seen but one weeping, sorrow- 
 ing Sunday School, that was Carr Church Sunday 
 School, on Sunday morning, March 25. when we 
 assembled for the first time after our beloved 
 superintendent's death. His chair was vacant, his 
 familiar form did not appear, but love for him was 
 in every heart, as the tears in all eyes attested. He 
 also served the church as delegate to District, 
 Annual, and General Conferences. 
 
 One who was intimate with him said: "I have 
 been with him in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New 
 York, and in many other places, but have never 
 seen him in any company, hotel or place, where he 
 did not, if ax)propriate, speak of his church in the 
 best of terms." 
 
 His life was an expcment of love and fidehty to 
 his church. A member of our Conference said : 
 "He was the most useful layman in the Conference." 
 
 On December 17, 1885, Brother Branson was 
 married to Clara Sergeant, of Greensboro, who, 
 with Annie and William H., Jr., survive him. 
 
72 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Helen, a bright jewel, preceded her father to the 
 Spirit World. Will not the prayers of our Confer- 
 ence ascend for Sister Branson and the two 
 children? May William H. Branson, Jr., worthily 
 wear the name of his sainted and noble father. 
 
 "Unless God be with us all our toil is m vain, " is 
 a quotation taken from a little memorandum book 
 found in Brother Branson's pocket after his death. 
 The quotation was in his handwriting. This 
 sentence gives us in a few words the key to his 
 success and usefulness. 
 
 "O happy, happy soul 
 In ecstasies of praise, 
 Long as eternal ages roll, 
 
 Thou see'st thy Savior's face. 
 
 "Soldier of Chri^, well done, 
 Praise be thy new employ ; 
 And while eternal ages run, 
 Rest in thy Savior's joy. " 
 
 [ Q. K. Nhnoclcs, in Raleigh Christian Advocate. ] 
 
 The tragic death of poor Branson came as a 
 terrible shock to his friends in Fayetteville, as it 
 did everywhere he was known. He w^as in the 
 truest and highest sense one of "Nature's noble- 
 men," and his loss will be keenly felt among us. 
 especially at the sessions of the Annual Confer- 
 ence, where in time past he met so many of the 
 
WTLLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 73 
 
 fiiends who now mourn his untimely end. The 
 church mihtant has lost a valiant soldier, and 
 Methodism in particular an earnest and zealous 
 member in the death of this good man. May the 
 shining example he has left us of unselfish 
 devotion to Christian duty prove an inspiration to 
 his fellow -servants of the Master in the Methodist 
 laity who remain. May peace evermore be his. 
 
 [Nashville {l^enn. ) Cliristian Advocate.] 
 
 It gives us deeper sorrow than words can 
 express to announce the untimely death of Mr. 
 William H. Branson, secretary and treasurer of 
 the Durham, N. C, Cotton Mill. The sad event 
 took place on the 24th inst., and was due to the acci- 
 dental bursting of a steam pipe. Brother Branson 
 was one of the foremost young business men of 
 North Carolina, and seemed to have a great future 
 before him. He was also an excellent Christian 
 and a staunch Methodist. Many who met him at 
 the last General Conference will learn with deep 
 regret that he has been taken away so soon. 
 
74 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT, 
 
 Durham Cotton Manufacturing ('ompany. 
 
 East Durham, N. C,, April 6, '99. 
 
 Whereas, William H. Branson, who for the past four- 
 teen years has been the efficient secretary and treasurer of 
 the Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company, has died 
 since the last meeting- of the Directors of said Company, 
 and it is not only proper, but in accordance with their 
 personal wishes, to spread on the records and let it be 
 known in what high esteem he was held by his associates, 
 therofore, be it 
 
 Besolved, That in every relation of life our departed 
 friend and associate was an ideal man. As a husband he 
 was thoughtful and attentive; as a father he was tender 
 and loving; as a neighbor he was kind and obliging; as a 
 man of business he had no superior in our midst; as a 
 Christian he exemplified the teachings of the Master. He 
 was a fearless, brave, heroic lover of truth. While he 
 loved popular approval he did not fawn upon it. When 
 he made up his mind that a thing was right no other ques- 
 tion seemed to concern him but its performance. He loved 
 his business and he was a friend of his operatives. What 
 a crown of glory awaits one of whom it can be truthfully 
 said that under his administration for fourteen years no 
 breath of scandal came near the mill people, "our people," 
 as he loved to call them, whose welfare was his chief 
 solicitude. The Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 75 
 
 has been tri-eatly blessed in having- him for its secretary 
 and treasurer, and will ever miss his efficient services. 
 
 Remlved, fiuther, That we tender to his wife and family 
 our deepest sympathy; that a copy of these resolutions be 
 spread upon the minutes of the Company, a copy be sent 
 to his wife, and also, that thej- be published in the Durham 
 Sun, Durham Morning Herald, Raleigh Post and Raleigh 
 Christian Advocate. 
 
 Geo. W. Watts, 
 H. W. Jackson, 
 B. N. Duke, 
 Committee. 
 
 Pearl Cotton Mills. 
 
 Durham, N. C, April 6, 1899. 
 At a meeting of the Directors of the Pearl Cotton 
 Mills, held this day, the following action was taken: 
 
 Whereas, William H. Branson, who has been secretary 
 and treasurer of the Pearl Cotton Mills since its organiza- 
 tion, has been called from his work on earth since our last 
 meeting-, we, his co-laborers, desire to certify our estimation 
 of his character, and do 
 
 Resolve, That William H. Branson was one of the best 
 equipped cotton mill men we ever knew, being thorougly 
 familiar with machinery and methods necessary to produce 
 given results. He was also a model organizer and director 
 of labor, being kind, yet firm; generous, yet mindful of the 
 interests of those he served, and knowing how everything 
 in the mills should be done. He was also a merchant, 
 finding ready sale for our production in the face of strong 
 competition, his honesty and integrity causing his custom- 
 ers to implicitly rely upon any statement he made and any 
 goods he sold them. 
 
76 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 We miss him, not only as a valued assistant in our 
 work, but as a faithful friend, whose warm t^i-eeting, cheery 
 voice and genial presence always encouraged us to better 
 endeavors. 
 
 We tender to his wife and family our deepest sympathy. 
 
 We order these resolutions spread upon the minutes and 
 
 a copy be furnished his wife; also to the town papers, 
 
 Raleigh Post and the Raleigh Christian Advocate with request 
 
 to publish. 
 
 J. M. Odell, 
 
 B. N. Duke, 
 
 W. A. Erwin, 
 
 Committee. 
 
 Odell Manufacturing Company. 
 
 Concord, N. C, July, 11, '99. 
 
 Whereas, Wm. H. Branson was a stockholder of this 
 corporation, and one of the most active and efficient mem- 
 bers of its Board of Directo)'s from his earliest connection 
 with it, and 
 
 Whereas, He was a man of the finest social qualities, 
 always genial and agreeable towards his fellows, and 
 
 Whereas, His moral character and religious life w^ere 
 of the best possible type, and 
 
 Whereas, He was suddenly cut off in the midst of his 
 days and usefulness by a fearful accident, which occurred 
 at his mill in Durham, N. C, on the 24th of March, 1899, 
 therefore, be it 
 
 Resolved, first, That in this sad event, showing the ways of 
 the Lord to be past finding out, we mournfully bow to the 
 will of God, and pray that his taking away may be 
 employed to the honor of His name. 
 
 Second- That we hereby tender our heartfelt sympathy 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 77 
 
 and prayer to the bereaved family, trusting- that they may 
 ever realize the presence and help of that Friend who can- 
 not be taken from them, and who will never leave nor 
 forsake them. 
 
 Third. That a copy of this paper be sent to Mrs. 
 Branson and a copy be spread upon our minutes, also a 
 pag-e of our record book be set apart as sacred to his 
 memory, 
 
 d. b. coltrane, 
 Thos. W. Smith, 
 Jno. a. Barnhakdt, 
 Committee. 
 
 Southern Cotton Mills. 
 
 Bessemer City, N. C, Sept. 13, 1899. 
 
 Whereas, Mr. Wm. H. Branson has died since our last 
 meeting, and under circumstances that render his death 
 especially pathetic; 
 
 Eesolved, That this Board record this expression of its 
 bereavement, deeply felt by each of us, his associates: and 
 that our company has suffered a severe loss in his death. 
 He was of full experience and fully endowed naturally to 
 fill efficiently the office that he held. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to Mrs. 
 W. H. Branson and a copy be recorded with the minutes 
 of the meeting. 
 
 For the Board. 
 
 S. J. Durham, 
 Secretary. 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Fidelity Bank. 
 
 Durham, N. C. April 1, 1899. 
 
 At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the 
 Fidelity Bank, held today, the following resolu- 
 tions were unanimously adopted: 
 
 Whereas, Since the last meeting- of this Board, William 
 H. Branson, one of its most honored members, has died; 
 and 
 
 Whereas, During- his life time his zeal and energy in 
 behalf of this bank were so helpful to it; 
 
 Besolved. By the Board of Directors of the Fidelity Bank, 
 in meeting- assembled, that this Bank by his death has lost 
 a prudent, loyal officer, who was a valuable factor in its 
 affairs; and that the members of this Board personally 
 have been deprived of the advice and assistance of a 
 diligent, active associate and fellow counselloi*, upon 
 whose judgment it was always safe to rely. 
 
 Remlved, further, That we hereby tender to his wife and 
 children in their sad bereavement our heartfelt sympathy 
 and condolence. 
 
 Besolved, further, That a copy of these resolutions be sent 
 
 by the secretary of this meeting to his family, and that 
 
 copies hereof be sent to the Baleigh Christian Advocate and 
 
 our city papers, with the request that -they publish them, 
 
 and further, that they be spread upon the minutes of this 
 
 meeting of the Board, upon a page of such minutes to be 
 
 set apart for that purpose. 
 
 John F. Wily, 
 
 Cashier and Secretai-y. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 79 
 
 Trustees of Trinity College. 
 
 The 24th day of March, 1899, was a sad day for Durham 
 and Trinity Colleg-e. On this day William H. Branson, 
 rejoicing- in the sti-ength of mature manhood, was called by 
 a most sudden death into the possession of that inheritance 
 which is incorruptible and undefiled; and that fadeth not 
 away, reserved in Heaven for him. 
 
 The Board of Trustees of Trinity Colleg-e, of which Bro. 
 Branson was a member, hereby declares itself greatly 
 bereaved in his death. He was a most valued trustee, 
 energetic, alert, and alive to every interest of TrinHy 
 Colleg-e, which he loved with an almost passionate devo- 
 tion. His place in the annual meeting was seldom vacant. 
 Though burdened with g-reat business interests he always 
 found time to obey the call of the College. His voice was 
 a familiar one, bold, decided, and carrying with it the 
 weight of wisdom. 
 
 The Board hereby expresses its appreciation of Brother 
 Branson not only as an official member, but as a Christian 
 g-entleman. It rejoices in the fact that the wealth of his 
 broad, consecrated manhood will long- be enjoyed by the 
 College of his love, the church in which he was an all day 
 laborer, and the g-eneration which he so faithfully served. 
 
 The Board would also express its deep sympathy for the 
 widow and children, who mourn the loss of one who was a 
 model husband. and father. It commends them to the One 
 whose providences are always loving and wise. 
 
 The Board hereby orders that a copy of this memorial 
 
 paper be sent respectively, to the family of the deceased, 
 
 the Durham papers, the Raleigh Christian Advocate, and the 
 
 North Carolina Christian Advocute. 
 
 T. N. IVEY, 
 
 In behalf of ihe Board of Trustees 
 
 of Trinity College, N. C. 
 
80 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Faculty of Trinity College. 
 
 Whereas, William H. Branson, who, for several years, 
 has been a Trustee of Trinity College, and also a member 
 of the Executive Committee of the said Board, and of the 
 Finance Committee of the Colleg-e, died on March 24th, 
 1899, the Faculty of Trinity Colleg-e desire to give expres- 
 sion to their love and esteem for the deceased: therefore, 
 be it 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of Mr. Branson the members 
 of the Faculty feel that the institution has lost one of its 
 most valued friends and supporters, and each member of the 
 Faculty a warm personal friend. In all his relations with 
 the College he has been actuated by an unselfish desire for 
 its success and welfare. There was no enterprise of the 
 College in which he was not interested, and to the solution 
 of all the problems of the College he brought the same 
 elements which made him so successful in his business, and 
 so influential in his church. No member of the Board of 
 Trustees ever performed his duty more faithfully or with 
 more ability, and the Faculty always felt that in him they 
 had an official and friend who was anxious to aid in any 
 enterprise for the success of the institution. By his warm 
 greeting and genial presence he made men love him as few 
 can do. Trinity College will miss him and the members of 
 the Faculty have lost a faithful and honored friend. 
 
 We tender to his wife and children our deepest sympathy, 
 and pray that God may strengthen them in this sorrow. 
 
 R. L. Flowers, 
 Jerome Dowd, 
 .1. S. Bassett, 
 
 CommiUee. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 81 
 
 Students of Trinity College. 
 
 Whereas, It has pleased God suddenly to remove from 
 our midst William H. Branson, and 
 
 Whereas, He, as a member of the Board of Trustees of 
 Trinity College, labored constantly and devotedly for the 
 betterment of the institution to which we belong, be it 
 therefore 
 
 Resolved, 1st, That while we bow in humble submission to 
 the summons which has called him away, we express our 
 great sorrow over the sudden and irreparable loss of one 
 so young and so strong. 
 
 Resolved, M, That the students of Trinity College have 
 lost in him not only a warm personal friend and personal 
 supporter, but also the inspiring presence of one who, by 
 his daily walk, has left us a worthy example of manly, 
 heroic character. 
 
 Resolved, 3d, That Trinity College and the Church of 
 North Carolina have lost one of their most consecrated and 
 capable workers. 
 
 Resolved, Ifth, That the State of North Carolina has 
 suffered a great loss in the death of one who spent all the 
 powers of a strong character for her educational and 
 material advancement. 
 
 Resolved, 5th, That we express to the bereaved wife and 
 children our heartfelt sympathy, and, as participants of 
 their sorrow, beg for them that consolation which alone is 
 sufficient. 
 
 Resolved, 6th, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to 
 the bereaved family, and copies to the Raleigh Christian 
 Advocate and the Trinity Archive for publication. 
 
82 in memoriam. 
 
 Greensboro Female College Association. 
 
 Whereas, W. H. Branson, a director of the Greensboro 
 Female College Association, has departed this life, and 
 
 Whereas, We desire to make record of the hig-h esteem 
 in which he was held by the Association, to express our 
 g-reat appreciation of his labors for the College, and to 
 chronicle our deep sorrow at this sad dispensation of 
 Providence: therefore, be it 
 
 Resolved, By the Board of Directors of the Greensboro 
 Female College Association: 
 
 1st. That by the death of W. H. Branson this College, 
 and the cause of Christian education generally, have 
 suffered an irreparable loss; the church has lost one of its 
 most devoted and useful members, and the State mourns the 
 loss of one of its best citizens. His was a positive charac- 
 ter. He performed "with his might" every duty which 
 devolved upon him. His capacity for work was simply 
 wonderful. His labors were incessant, and yet he never 
 seemed to be rushed, or in a hurry. His devotion to the 
 cause of education was intense, and his wisdom never failed 
 in .the council chambers of our Church institutions. He 
 was active in all Church work, and delighted to engage in 
 any movement for the elevation of humanity. A stronger, 
 gentler, better, manlier man it has not been our lot to know. 
 
 M. That we are in deep sympathy with the bereaved wife 
 and children in their grief, and commend them to the care 
 and comfort of Him who loves them and gave himself for 
 them. 
 
 3d. That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of 
 the Association, and that a copy be sent to the family of 
 the deceased. Dred Peacock, 
 
 O. W. Carr, 
 W. R. Odell, 
 
 Committee. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 83 
 
 Faculty of Greensboro Female College. 
 
 Greensboro, N. C, April 4, 1899. 
 
 The undersigned committee, on the part of the 
 Faculty of Greensboro Female College, draughted 
 the following resolutions of respect: 
 
 Whereas, In the providence of God, death has stricken 
 down in the flower of manhood, our friend and brother, Mr. 
 W. H. Branson; therefore, be it 
 
 Resolved, 1st, That in the death of Mr. Branson Greens- 
 boro Female College has lost one of her most faithful 
 trustees and devoted friends. 
 
 Besolved, 2d, That the State has lost one of her best 
 citizens, and the Church one of her wisest counsellors and 
 most loyal members. 
 
 Resolved, 3d, That we extend our deepest sympathy to the 
 g-rief-stricken wife and relations of our departed brother, 
 with the prayer that God's sustaining grace may be with 
 them in this time of greatest need. 
 
 Resolved, Itth, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to 
 the bereaved wife of the deceased, and that copies of the 
 same be published in the College Message, the Raleigh Clinst- 
 ian Advocate and the North Carolina Christian Advocate. 
 
 T. A. Smoot, 
 Lillian Long, 
 Minnie H. Moore. 
 
84 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 SYMPATHETIC TELEGRAMS. 
 
 Greensboro, N. C, March 24, 1899. 
 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Keep me posted as to Branson's condition; will be down 
 
 tomorrow morning-. All the people here deeply deplore the 
 
 accident and sympathize with you. 
 
 J. A. Odell. 
 
 New York, March 24, 1899. 
 To 3frs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. .C: 
 
 Greatly grieved to learn of Mr. Branson's accident. 
 Hope he is doing- nicely, and will soon be well. 
 
 Geo. W. Watts. 
 
 New York, March 24, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. .C: 
 
 Our deepest sympathy is with you in the loss of your 
 noble husband, whom I loved as a brother and esteemed as 
 
 one of my best friends. 
 
 Geo. W. Watts. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 We deeply sympathize with you. Your loss is ours, too. 
 
 T. N. IVEY. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 85 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 24, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 I have just received a teleg-ram advising me of your gad 
 loss. I deeply sympathize with you. Mr. Branson was 
 one of my very good friends and I shall miss him. 
 
 H. W. Miller. 
 
 Greensboro, N. C, March 24, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. B. Branson, JDurhayn, K. C: 
 Mrs. Glenn joins me in tender sympathy for you. 
 
 Tyre Glenn. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C., March 24, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. B. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Am greatly saddened by distressing news of your good 
 husband's death. Accept assurances of my sincere sym- 
 pathy. 
 
 R. T. Gray. 
 
 St. George, N. Y., March 24, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. B. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Prostrated over dear Will's death. Accept deepest sym- 
 pathy from all family. I leave for Durham Saturday 
 afternoon. 
 
 Henry G. Woodruff. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. B. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 My wife joins in tenderest sympathy. The whole State 
 mourns with you in loss of one of its best sons. 
 
 JosEPHus Daniels. 
 
86 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Baltimore, Md., March 25, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. E. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 Bessie joins me in deepest love and sympathy for you. 
 
 Sam. F. Patterson. 
 
 New York, March 25, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 You have my deepest sympathy in your great sorrow. 
 
 R. L. Patterson. 
 
 PvOXBORO, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 We deeply sympathize with you in the death of your 
 
 devoted husband. 
 
 J. A. Long and Wife. 
 
 ROXBORO, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 To Mr. C A. Jordan, Durham, N. C: 
 Please tender Mrs. Branson my heartfelt sympathy, 
 
 R. E. Long. 
 
 New York, March 25, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 We cannot express how deeply we sympathize with you. 
 Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Fuller. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 87 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., March 24, 1899. 
 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson^ Durham, N. C: 
 
 Let one who knows what sorrow is extend his sympathy 
 and pray God's blessings on you in this sad hour. 
 
 J. B. Morgan. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 24, 1899. 
 
 2o Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Have just heard the sad news. Please accept our deepest 
 sympathy for yourself and family. 
 
 Lee & Latta. 
 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Allow me to trespass in this hour of your saddest 
 bereavement by tendering- my sincere condolence. Your 
 dearest one, and my friend, is gone. May we all at last 
 meet where there is no sorrow, no separation, and wh^re 
 every tear shall be washed away. God makes no mistakes. 
 
 E. J. Parrish. 
 
 Portsmouth, Va., March 25, 1899. 
 
 To Mr. W. A. Muse, Agent Durham and Northern Bailway, 
 Durham, N. C: 
 
 I beg- you will extend my deepest sympathy to family of 
 Mr. W. H. Branson, whom I personally knew and for 
 whom I entertained a very high regard. 
 
 E. St. John, 
 
 Vice-President. 
 
88 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Richmond, Va., March 25, 1899. 
 
 To Mr. W. A. Muse, Agent Durham and Northern Railway, 
 Durham, N. C: 
 
 Please extend to the family of Mr. W. H. Branson my 
 sincerest sympathy in the bereavement which has befallen 
 them, and express to them the loss which we keenly feel at 
 the removal of one whose judgment and influence and 
 support we have always so highly prized. 
 
 John Skelton Williams, 
 President. 
 
 Henderson, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 You have our sincerest sympathies and prayers in your 
 
 sad bereavement. May God's goodness and tender mercy 
 
 sustain you and the dear little ones in this darkest hour of 
 
 sorrow. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. D. Y. Cooper. 
 
 Greensboro, N. C., March 24, 1899. 
 To Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Will you bury Will there or bring to Greensboro? My 
 tenderest sympathy my dear, dear, sister. 
 
 Charles H. Ireland. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 89 
 
 LETTERS TO HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 27, 1899. 
 My Dear Sister Branson: 
 
 I have no words with which to tell you of the profound 
 grief that has shadowed my soul since the death of your 
 dear, g-ood husband. 
 
 I had for him a strong and abiding love, such as I have 
 for but few. I regarded him as one of my very best friends. 
 No man had my unbounded confidence more than he. One 
 of the brightest and most enjoyable features of my Annual 
 Conference experience was in meeting with him and work- 
 ing with him on the Joint Board of Finance — a work which 
 he loved so dearly and did so perfectly. 
 
 What words can I write you to tell you of how I will 
 miss him! 
 
 But I know this blow comes more heavily on you than 
 on any one else. All that I can do is to commend you to 
 the grace of Him who alone can understand why your 
 husband was taken. God has promised not to leave nor 
 forsake you. 
 
 I desired so much to come up on day of funeral, but 
 
 found I could not. You have my heart's sympathy; and 
 
 not only so, but I feel that I also am bereaved. May God 
 
 be very gracious unto you and your precious children, 
 
 and keep you unto that blessed reunion in the home where 
 
 death never enters. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 W. C. Norman. 
 
90 in memoriam. 
 
 Southern Christian Advocate. 
 
 John O. Willson, Editor. 
 
 Columbia, S. C, March 27, 1899. 
 My Dear Brother:* 
 
 My heart has sorrowed with you from the first tidings of 
 the trag-edy. Branson won my confidence and then my 
 affection, and T felt his death as a personal loss; but I 
 knew that he w^as so knit to you that it would be like 
 Jonathan's fall to David. How strange such a noble man 
 should be taken when true men are so much needed I But 
 God will not allow 'His cause or His children to suffer 
 without recompense. 
 
 Express my sympathy to family. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 J. O. Willson. 
 
 Charleston, S. C, March 27, 1899. 
 My Dear John:* 
 
 Your short note with its sad intelligence came to me this 
 morning. I reply at once to assure you that you do have 
 our sympathy and sorrow in your loss. 
 
 I well remember Brother Branson; quiet, unassuming, 
 patient, strong in conviction, a manly man. Such men 
 make us have faith in humanity. J am glad I knew him, 
 though only for a little while, yet long enough for me to 
 see a true man. Such a vision always enriches any life, as 
 it also obligates to a higher manhood. I pray God to 
 sustain his friends in their loss and to comfort his bereaved 
 family. 
 
 You will please express to Mrs. Branson my sympathy. 
 I met her last August. The Lord kindly regard you and 
 yours. Affectionately, your brother, 
 
 J AS. W. KiLGO. 
 
 nVritten to Dr. Kilgo and sent to Mrs. Branson. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 91 
 
 Guilford College, N. C, April 1, 1899. 
 Dear Clara: 
 
 Dear precious girl; how can I say what I feel? My own 
 heart aches; my tears flow; I think of you nearly all the 
 time. I have nothing- to say; I just want to take you in 
 my arms and pray God to give us faith, or strength, or 
 whatever we need, to say, ''Thy will be done," and to trust 
 Him and believe that out of all this ang-uish which I know 
 is yours His perfect purpose may be wroug-ht out. I do 
 not pretend to know whether He sends things, or how they 
 come, but I know that He can overrule everything, and 
 bring light out of darkness and "g-ive beauty for ashes, the 
 oil of joy for mourning, the g-arment of praise for the 
 spirit of heaviness, "— Isa. 61:3; and yet I know it is hard to 
 place ourselves so in harmony with the Eternal when our 
 very life is crushed under the burden of the present, and I 
 do not believe our God requires more than we can do or 
 regards our natural feelings as wrong. All we can do is 
 to throw ourselves on His love and mercy. He is our Father. 
 My love goes out to you in unbounded measure, and I 
 pray God to hold you in His hands. 
 Your friend, 
 
 Mary Mendenhall Hobbs. 
 
 [Wife of President Hobbs of Guilford College.] 
 
 Greensboro, N. C, March, 28, 1899. 
 My Dear Mrs. Branson: 
 
 I cannot tell you how inexpressibly shocked I am at the 
 awfully sudden taking away of your husband and my 
 friend. Only a few days ago I met him on our streets, full 
 of health and vigor, and I cannot yet i-ealize I shall meet 
 him no more. 
 
 I know that words of condolence and sympathy are 
 
92 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 empty sounds to you now in your sorrow, but I feel that I 
 must at least assure you of my g-rief over your loss, and 
 mine, and indeed that of the whole State, for your husband 
 commanded the respect, and even the esteem of all who 
 knew him, even casually, and I have known him for twenty 
 years. 
 
 May the God of the fatherless and widow comfort your 
 heart, for you do not sorrow as one without hope. 
 
 While he cannot return to us we have his life and char- 
 acter to assure us that we may go to him in his home of 
 
 rejoicing. 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 W. P. Beall. 
 
 Rockingham, N. C, March 30, 1899. 
 My Dear Clara: 
 
 The sad, sad news of your loss came to me in the papers, 
 and I feel sure that to no friend did they bring more of 
 real sorrow. Aside from my deep and heartfelt sympathy 
 for you, your dear babies, and all of the family, Willie's 
 death is to me a personal loss. For years, now, I have 
 met him very seldom, but he has always been one of "my 
 boys," as he used to be, when a member of my Sunday 
 School class in Greensboro for four years. Each time we 
 met he would recall the old days affectionately, and often, 
 when seeing Mr. LeGrand, would send some pleasant mes- 
 sage, or insist that we should visit your home. Only a 
 few weeks ago he told Mr. LeGrand in Raleigh that in his 
 home '-there would ever be a cordial welcome" for me and 
 mine. 
 
 Following his steps as he moved along, a useful, honored 
 Christian, it has been such a pleasure to watch the bright, 
 lovable Christian boy grow into a man, loved and honored 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 93 
 
 by all, and filling- nobly places of trust in Church and 
 State. 
 
 God, in His wisdom, has seen fit to take your loved one 
 home and my heart bows in g-rief and deepest sympathy 
 with you while I recall with thankfulness his noble life. 
 
 We know not why the blow has fallen, but it comes from 
 a loving Father's hand, and that same hand will guide us 
 if we hold it fast, even while we are in the blackest darkness 
 without one ray of light. Trust in God and He will bring- 
 out the light so that you will see His love and mercy some 
 day. It may not be all made plain till you have been 
 re-united in Heaven, but it surely will all be clear to us 
 then. My prayers go up with many others for you in your 
 sorrow, and I know that God will comfort and sustain you. 
 Kiss the children and give my love to Mr. and Mrs. Odell 
 and your own family, as they share your bereavement. 
 
 Mr. LeGrand joins me in every expression of sorrow and 
 sympathy, and even my children, who have heard me speak 
 so often of "My Sunday school boys," wish me to say how 
 they sympathize with you all. 
 
 Please excuse the writing as I am still nervous from the 
 severe headache which prevented my writing earlier. 
 Your affectionate friend, 
 
 Rebecca Wilson LeGrand. 
 
 Fayetteville, N. C., March 25, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C.: 
 
 Dear Madam— I have just read in the papers an account 
 of the untimely and shocking death of your good husband, 
 and although I am probably unknown to you, yet it was 
 my privilege to know Mr. Branson intimately and well, 
 and I speak the truth when T say that I have never known 
 a man who impressed me more favorably, and who, to my 
 
94 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 mind, combined to a greater degree all the elements of an 
 upright, Christian gentleman. He was, in a very positive 
 sense, a truly righteous man. 
 
 Let me assure you of my profound sympathy in this the 
 saddest hour of mortal life — the loss of a good, true, and 
 noble husband. I had looked forward to the time when we 
 should meet and have the pleasure of a week's friendly 
 and social intercourse during the session of our next 
 Annual Conference, where we have so often met before, had 
 he lived, but alas, it is a world of disappointment and 
 sorrow. He has gone to his reward, and a rich one it 
 will be. 
 
 Bro. W. L. Cunninggim, our beloved pastor, is deeply 
 touched by the sad event, and he, as well as all our Meth- 
 odist people here, whose good fortune it was to know Mr. 
 Branson, deeply sympathize with you in your sad bereave- 
 ment. May God comfort you with the consolations of 
 divine grace in the dark and trying hour. 
 Your husband's friend, 
 
 Q. K. NiMOCKS. 
 
 - Raleigh, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Greensboro, N. C: 
 
 My Dear Madam— I simply write a line to express my 
 profound sorrow over the sad news of your husband's 
 death. I have scarcely been able to think of anything else 
 all day today, and from the moment the news first reached 
 us yesterday. 
 
 It is needless for me to speak of my high regard and 
 admiration for him, for wherever he was known his high 
 character, both as a Christian gentleman and a man of 
 affairs, commanded the respect and confidence of all men. 
 
 My wife and mother send to you their sincerest sympa- 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 95 
 
 thy, in which I beg- to join, and we send by this evening-'s 
 express some flowers which we wish to be laid 'upon his 
 gi'a.ve. Most sincerely, 
 
 Herbert W. .Iackson. 
 
 11 Montague Place, London, April 7, 1899. 
 Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Odell, Greensboro, N. C: 
 
 My Dear P'riexNDS— Ella and I have just received a 
 letter from Prof. Cai-r informing- us of the awful accident 
 in Durham, resulting- in the death of our beloved friend, 
 W. H. Branson. We are terribly shocked and greatly 
 g-rieved at this inexpressibly sad intellig-ence, and write to 
 assure you of our heartfelt sympathy. How we wish it 
 were possible to write something that would in some meas- 
 ure mitigate your grief! While we cannot do this still we 
 are thankful for the privilege of at least adding our sorrow 
 to your own, and thus expressing- our sense of bereavement 
 by his untimely death. 
 
 What a loss to our dear College, to the Church— yes, to 
 the State! His like is not to be seen often, and his place 
 will be very hard to fill. 
 
 We are sure that we feel his death no less because of our 
 great distance away. Thank God our love for dear ones 
 is able completely to annihilate distance! 
 
 It is needless for us to point to you two theg-oodness and 
 mercy of God under such circumstances as these, for you 
 both know too well what this is by reason of your constant 
 communion with Him. We both pray earnestly that His 
 grace may be sufficient for you in this sad hour. How we 
 do feel for his disconsolate wife and orphaned children! 
 How we would like to be able to lessen their burden of 
 affliction! God knows all things and makes no errors, and 
 
96 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 in His own g-ood time we will be made to know His inscru- 
 table ways. 
 
 Pray, again, be assured of our deepest sorrow and sym- 
 pathy, and believe us always with much love, 
 Your very true friends, 
 
 Dred Peacock and Wife. 
 
 11 Montague Place, London, April 7, 1899. 
 Dear I^Irs. Branson: 
 
 We have just received news of Mr. Branson's death and 
 hasten to write, assuring' you of our deep sorrow at this, 
 to us, very distressing^ news. While we know it is impos- 
 sible for us to write anything that will make your g'rief 
 less, still we want to assure you of our true sj-rapathy. 
 The fact that we are far away in a foreig-n land does not 
 mitigate the blow^ for us. Love does not recognize distance, 
 and we feel a great personal loss in his death. 
 
 This is a great loss to our College, Church and State. It 
 will be long before his place can be filled. 
 
 Pray, be further assured of our great sorrow, and allow 
 us to share your sorrow^ in the death of one dear to us all. 
 Sincerely and cordially, 
 
 Dred Peacock and Wife. 
 
 Norfolk, Va., March 25, 1899. 
 My Dear Mrs. Branson: 
 
 What can I say to you in expression of the deep sorrow 
 which has so suddenly and cruelly befallen us all? No 
 words at my command are adequate to convey to you how 
 appalling and shocking came the telegraphic news of dear 
 Will's death. At 12 o'clock last night came a telegram 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 97 
 
 from Ca])tain Odell announcino- the awful fact, which 
 simply astounded '.he entire family, and caused our heai-ts 
 to go out to you and youi- dear little children in the hour 
 of your irreparable loss. Personally I have lost a dear 
 friend whom I always loved as a brother and to whom I 
 ever felt so near. 
 
 Mrs. Woodruff and each of my family join me in tender- 
 ing- to you and the dear little ones our deepest sympathy, and 
 assure you that we share the great grief by which you 
 have been so suddenly overwhelmed. 
 
 T intend leaving- for Durham this afternoon to attend the 
 funeral, which I thought would occur on Sunday, as I 
 desired to show my last mark of respect to my dear friend 
 and lay a flower upon his grave in evidence of the love I 
 have for him. 
 
 Kindly give to Mr., and Mrs. J. A. Odell my kindest 
 reg-ards and beg- them to accept my sincere condolence. 
 
 May our Heavenly Father sustain and comfort you and 
 your little family; and be assured that in me you have 
 always a friend, ever willing- and ready to render to you 
 any service or comfort that may contribute to the happiness 
 of you and yours. 
 
 It will be a long time before I can realize that my dear 
 and good friend whom I loved has gone to his Heavenly 
 home. 
 
 Mrs. Woodruff will write you. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, r 
 
 H. G. Woodruff. 
 
 Odell Manufacturing Co. 
 
 Concord, N. C, March 30. 1899. 
 Dear Clara: 
 
 I enclose some letters received this A. M. I trust they 
 may be of some comfort to you. 
 
98 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 I never saw such an unanimity of sentiment as to tlie 
 character and life of Will as is expressed by all classes of 
 people. We are all thinking- of you every moment, and 
 will pray God to comfort you in this hour of your deep 
 sorrow. 
 
 Anything I can do for you please do not fail to drop me 
 a line. I trust you are all well. With love. 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 W. R. Odell. 
 
 Morgan & Hamilton Co. 
 
 Nashville. Tenn., March 27, 1899. 
 Dear Will:* 
 
 Your telegram startled me. I don't know when I have 
 been so shocked. What an awful death I That Mr. Bran- 
 son should have been taken in this way is distressing. I 
 have, ever since I first met him, looked upon him as a 
 noble fellow, and while I didn't meet him often, T have 
 heard so much of him from you and your father and in your 
 homes, that I, too, had grown unconsciously to respect 
 and love him, and so when your telegram came about 9:30 
 at night I felt that I, too, had lost a good and true friend. 
 My heart goes out to you all, as I wired you Friday night. 
 May God bless you and sanctify to your good this great 
 sorrow. Some of these days the mysteries will be made 
 plain to us. "His arm is not shortened to save! " It was 
 His plan and we must bow in submission to His will. 
 Remember me in great tenderness to Mrs. Odell and to 
 Mrs. Branson when you write to them. I wish I could say 
 something that would lighten the load and comfort them. 
 I know what they are passing through. My own ])ooi- 
 
 ^Written to Mr. W. K. Odell and sent to Mrs. Branson. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 99 
 
 heart is torn and bleeding-. Let us all remember that our 
 strength is from above, and that 
 
 " Not to the strong is the battle, 
 Not to the swift is the race, 
 But to the true and the faithful 
 Victory is given through grace." 
 
 Write me, dear Will, the particiulars when you tind time, 
 
 or send me papers. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Jo. B. Morgan. 
 
 Southern Railway Company. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 29, 1899. 
 
 Mr. W. R. Odell, East Durham, N. C. :* 
 
 My Dear Mr. Odell— I was absent in New York when I 
 received a telegram from my office advising- me of the hor- 
 rible accident causing the death of Mr. Branson. I can 
 scarcely realize that we will not be able to see him and get 
 his wise opinion on questions that aflfect, not only the 
 State, but the different individual interests in it. 
 
 Mr. Branson was one of my very good friends. He was 
 a man of sterlings worth and integrity and the State is the 
 sufferer by his death. I deeply sympathize with his family 
 in their sad bereavement. 
 
 The sad results of this accident bring home to us very 
 vividly that "in the midst of life we are in death." 
 
 With very high personal regards, I am. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 A. B. Andrews. 
 
 ♦Written to Mr. W. R. Odell and sent to Mrs. Branson. 
 
100 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 The Orton. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, March 26, 1899. 
 
 Mr. W. R. Odell, Concord, N. C. :* 
 
 Dear Sir — I read yesterday in a Charleston paper an 
 
 account of the sad death of Mr. Branson at Durham. I 
 
 have felt deeply moved by the death of such a true g-entle- 
 
 man, and he was always so courteous to me in my business 
 
 relations with him that I would like through you to convey 
 
 to his family the expressions of my deepest sympathy. I 
 
 did not have the pleasure of knowino- Mr. Branson's 
 
 family, but my high regard for him prompts me to write 
 
 you this letter, knowing that you were intimately acquainted 
 
 with him. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 S. B. Cary, 
 
 [Southern Sales Agent for Castner, Curraii <& Bullett.) 
 
 Philadelphia, March 28, 1899. 
 Mr. William R. Odell, Concord, N. C.:* 
 
 Dear Sir — It was with feelings of sincere regret that I 
 learned of the sad accident to Mr. Branson and of his 
 untimely death. I have felt all day as if a dark shadow 
 had been cast across my path. 
 
 We meet many men in business, or in social life, but I 
 have felt since making Mr. Bi-anson's acquaintance that 
 there were few who left so favorable an impression on erei^y 
 one who had the pleasure of knowing him. 
 
 His frank, cheerful nature made its impress wherever he 
 went. 
 
 *Written to Mr, W. R. Odell and sent to Mrs. Branson. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 101 
 
 While we had not been doing- any business with him 
 recently it was a matter of satisfaction to us that we had 
 known him and that our relations had always been so 
 pleasant. His memory will remain with us. I heartily 
 sympathize with his wife and children so suddenly bereft, 
 and to you, who were so close to him, I offer my sincere 
 sympathy. 
 
 It is hard for us to understand a Providence of this kind, 
 but as Christians we are forced to bow our heads and 
 believe that God knows best. 
 
 Yours very trul}^, 
 « James L. Wilson, 
 
 {of Jas. W. Cooke & Co., Philadelphia.) 
 
 Joshua L. Baily & Co. 
 
 Philadelphia, March 25, 1899. 
 Durham Cotton Manufacturing Co., Durham, N. C.:* 
 
 Gentlemen— We teleg-raphed you this morning as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 "We all join you and all your people in deepest sympa- 
 thy in the irreparable loss of our dear friend, Mr. 
 Branson. Telegraph hour of funeral." 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 [Die. by F. L. B.] Joshua L. Baily & Co. 
 
 Your answer at hand, saying it was necessary for 
 funeral to be held today, which we reg-ret. We should 
 have liked very much to have had the pj'ivile^e of attend- 
 ing the funeral and in offering- this last tribute of our 
 respect. 
 
 ♦Sent to Mrs. Branson. 
 
102 IN MEMORTAM. 
 
 The Whitin Machine Works. 
 
 Whitinsville, Mass., March 28, 1899. 
 Durham Cotton M'f'g Co., East Durham, N. C.:* 
 
 Gentlemen — We are very much shocked to learn, 
 through our Mr. Mayes, of the sad accident and death of 
 Mr. Branson. We feel that we, personally, have lost a 
 friend. The writer has valued Mr Branson's friendship 
 very much for a number of years, and I recollect many 
 pleasant interviews with him. 
 
 Will you kindly express to Mrs. Branson and family, 
 my sympathy. Yours truly, 
 
 G. M. Whitin. 
 
 East Durham, N. C, April 5, 1899. 
 
 Mrs. Odell:* 
 
 Dear Sister — East Durham is not as it was prior to 
 March 24. My loss is so great ! I never knew until since 
 that date how 1 loved Bro. Branson. He was as a brother 
 to me and I do miss him so much. 
 
 I wish I had some appropriate words of condolence for 
 you. Be was "as a brother to me" but a brother to you. 
 And such a noble, manlj^ brother he was. I lived close to 
 him and had the utmost confidence in his religion. I feel 
 that I have a stronger tie in Heaven by his having- died. 
 
 I have never seen more simple, candid, genuine love for 
 a Church than he exemplified for this Charch. A promi- 
 nent minister in our Conference said to me: "He was the 
 most useful layman in the North Carolina Conference." 
 He is gone, earth is poorer, but I believe that Heaven is 
 
 ♦Sent to Mrs. Branson. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 103 
 
 richer. We submit to His will, but yet it is so hard to 
 give up one so good and useful. 
 
 Will you please tell when he joined the church and who 
 was pastor':^ I w^ould like to know the name of his parents 
 also. And has he any bi-others or sisters except you? 
 
 Your brother, 
 
 D. N. Caviness. 
 
 Carthage, Mo., March 27, 1899. 
 Dear Sister Branson: 
 
 Words cannot express our sympathy for you in your 
 deep sorrow. Though far away we mingle our tears with 
 yours. How glad I would be to pen some word of comfort 
 to you, however little. 
 
 The telegram came yesterday evening ( Sunday) about 
 four o'clock. It was the saddest news that ever came to our 
 home. Taken al] in all I feel that my best friend is gone. 
 How I loved him! Did he know how I loved, esteemed, and 
 appreciated him? 1 hope he did. I tried to tell him some 
 times in my letters how I did love him. His letters were 
 always a joy to us all. When they came children and all 
 dropped everything 'till they were read. 
 
 He said in his last letter that he hoped to visit us some- 
 time, and somehow I thought it would be so. 
 
 We are pouring out our hearts to the Lord that He will 
 comfort and help you and the children. Dear little Annie, 
 that I learned to love better than any child that I ever saw, 
 except my own. 
 
 Bat you do have the sweetest of all comforts— /ze was the 
 Lord's. A noble man; an exceptional character; a follower 
 of the Master. Thank God for the hope of seeing him 
 again. Oh, that you could know how we sorrow and sympa- 
 ihize with you. But look up, dear sister, for the Lord's 
 promises will not fail. 
 
104 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 These lines fall far below what my heart long-s to express, 
 
 but I send them, praying that the Lord may keep you and 
 
 yours. 
 
 L. L. Johnson. 
 
 Publishing House Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. South. 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., March 27, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 Dear Sister — Dr. Kilg-o has just informed me of the 
 death of your excellent husband. Nothing could have 
 shocked me more. I am quite overwhelmed with the an- 
 nouncement and my heart pours forth its prayerful sympa- 
 thies for you. None can enter into your environments and 
 into your consciousness and tell all you feel, but we can 
 sympathize and assure you of prayerful and cordial 
 interest for you in this deep sorrow, and then the blessed 
 Lord looks with pitying eye upon you, and the assurance 
 of His word is that His grace is sufficient for you. Lean 
 hard upon him, sister; draw close to the hand that wields 
 the rod, and under the shadowing wiogs of the Almighty 
 shelter until He shall say "It is enough, come up higher." 
 Then you will regain the loved and the lost in the land of 
 the beautiful and the good. In that bright world the sad 
 word '"farewell" will not be heard, for we shall never say 
 good-bye in heaven. 
 
 I loved your husband as a younger brother, and I shall 
 miss him when I go to the North Carolina Conference, for 
 it was always pleasant in going to anticipate meeting with 
 him. I know where he is and I know, therefore, where to 
 find him. Let us be true to our integrity . and walk with 
 God and we shall re-join him in the sweet by-and-by. 
 Sympathetically, 
 
 .1. D. Barbee, 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 105 
 
 Stone Mountain Railway Company, 
 
 Winston, N. C, March 27, 1899. 
 Dear Mrs. Branson: 
 
 I know full well how little there is in words of sympathy 
 at a time like the present, but having known your late 
 husband since he was a small boy, and having- in all these 
 years since that time counted him as my friend, and having 
 rejoiced at his success and usefulness, and predicted for 
 him a long and honorable life with prosperity and happi- 
 ness, rich in benevolence and in good works, I was greatly 
 grieved at his death, and feel that I would like to express 
 to you and your children my sincere sympathy, and in this 
 expression my family join me. Had I known of his death 
 before his burial, I would have attended his funeral. 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 G. W. HinshaW. 
 
 Cloverton, Ardmore, Pa., March 24, 1899. 
 My Dear Mrs. Branson, 
 
 I have just received a message over the telephone that I 
 could hardly believe, and cannot yet realize, of the terrible 
 accident at Durham today, and its fatal results this after- 
 noon. I have never had anything to shock me so before, 
 as I left Mr. Branson on Tuesday evening in such perfect 
 health and vigor. I took dinner on Monday evening and 
 breakfast on Tuesday morning with him, and spent most 
 of Tuesday with him, returning from New York in the 
 afternoon, and leaving him at Philadelphia on his train 
 bound for home, and I can only think of him as J saw him 
 then, in his splendid manly strength and with the kindly 
 smile, and the hearty clasp of the hand as he bid me good- 
 
106 IN MEMOKIAM. 
 
 bye, and while I feel very reluctant to intrude upon you at 
 such a sacred time, I cannot forbear to express in a few 
 poor words my deepest sympathy for you in your immeas- 
 urable loss. I feel that I have had a great loss in such a 
 friend, and to one who has lost so much more I can sympa- 
 thize with all my heart. 
 
 Mr. Branson leaves a place in this world that cannot be 
 filled, a place in the hearts of his many friends that will 
 always remain, and a memory that will never fade; the 
 memory of an honorable, upright Christian gentleman 
 whose good influence was felt by everyone who knew him, 
 and who leaves this world better that he has lived in it, 
 and as I reverently believe, to receive the reward promised 
 to those who lived as he did. 
 
 All our family and all our people join me in offering 
 you our deepest sympathy in this sad hour, and some time, 
 after awhile, I shall hope to see you when I visit your city 
 again. Meanwhile believe me, my dear Mrs. Branson, 
 Very sincerely, 
 
 Frederick L. Baily. 
 
 Charlotte, N. C, March 30, 1899. 
 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 My Dear Madam — I was absent from town when the 
 news of the harrowing and untimely death of your husband 
 reached me. Accept, dear madam, in this your hour of 
 sorrow and anguish, my sincerest sympathy and condo- 
 lence. I also mourn in his death the loss of a kind and 
 genial friend, whom no one ever knew but to love and 
 respect. 
 
 While no earthly power can restoi-e to you the kind 
 husband and loving father, yet nevertheless, it must be a 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 107 
 
 satisfaction to you, although a sad one, to know that he 
 leaves for his posterity a name as bright and unsullied as 
 the noonday sun. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 S. WiTTKOWSKY. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 My Dear Sister Branson: 
 
 My surprise was exceeded only by my g-rief when, at 7:45 
 last nio-ht, the messenger handed me a telegram from Bro. 
 Walker stating that Bro. Branson had suddenly been 
 removed from us. 
 
 In that hour my heart w^ent up in prayer to the Father 
 that you and your dear children might have strength and 
 grace to sustain you in the dark hour of grief. 
 
 Twelve years ago I first met Will Branson, as all famil- 
 iarly called him, and there has existed ever since a warm 
 friendship which I am glad to say is not limited to time, 
 but extends into the great beyond. 
 
 I am well aware of the inadequacy of human words to 
 console you in your grief, and yet I know the high esteem 
 in which your husband was held must be a great source of 
 comfort to you. 
 
 While, naturally, your grief is the most poignant, yet 
 there is a host of his true and loyal friends who mourn 
 with you today: for their personal loss is keenly felt. 
 
 I will turn my face to the Conference with a sad heart, 
 for he will not be there. For years he has been one of the 
 first to greet me and among the last to say good-bye. Ever 
 since our first meeting I have known him intimately and 
 always set great store by his friendship. 
 
 He was a man of sterling worth and integrity, always 
 frank and open in his dealings with men. Indeed did he 
 bare "without abuse that grand old name of gentleman." 
 
108 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 The town of Durham, our State, our Conference, are 
 made poorer by his removal and it will be a long: time, if 
 ever, before his place can be filled in our Church. While, 
 according to natural life, he lived out but half his days, 
 yet his life was complete because it was ordered according- 
 to the divine plan, and in that there is no imperfection. 
 
 There are three of you here and two are yonder, and 
 some day the home-bringing of those that remain will 
 re-unite the separated ones "to be forever with the Lord." 
 
 I commend you and yours to the grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. May Heaven sustain and give strength in this hour 
 of sore need. 
 
 My wife joins me in love and sympathy to you. 
 Your friend, 
 
 John H. Hall. 
 
 GOLDSBORO, N. C, March 24, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C, 
 
 Dear Madam — I wish to express my deepest sympathy 
 in this hour of sudden and sore bereavement, w^hen the 
 "waves and billows" of soi'row have gone over you. The 
 news of your husband's death was a great shock to me, 
 and I mourn his loss to his family, to the Church, and to 
 myself personally, for in our association I had been drawn 
 to him in aflfection. 
 
 He was such a true, noble, honorable man, and so faith- 
 ful and devoted to the church, and so useful in every way. 
 It seems a strange providence that took him, but God is 
 good. Why, we cannot tell, but some day you will know, 
 for I believe all the dealings of our Father with us here 
 will be made plain when we cease to "see through a glass 
 darkly." 
 
 Yours is a great loss, but few women have such a hus- 
 band as you had. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. 109 
 
 May He who loves you with more than a mother's love, 
 comfort you in this dark, sad hour. Do not trouble to 
 acknowledge this unless it shall be your wish. You will 
 have too many such to answer all. 
 
 Yours in sympathy, 
 
 F. D. Swindell. 
 
 LiNDELL Hotel. 
 
 St. Louis, March 27, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 My Dear Madam— I am just in receipt of a letter from 
 Mr. Morg-an, saying- he has just received a teleg-ram from 
 Mr. Will Odell, telling- him of the sad and unexpected death 
 of Mr. Branson. This is a g-reat shock to me and my heart 
 g-oes out with deepest sympathy to you and your dear little 
 children in this, your sad affliction. It is not only a great 
 loss to you and family, but Durham loses one of its best 
 citizens; Trinity Colleg-e and our Church a valued worker 
 and friend, and the State of North Carolina one of its 
 leading manufacturers. God bless and comfort you and 
 children in this, your great loss. I am. 
 Very sincerely your friend, 
 
 J. N. BOHANNON. 
 
 Washington, N. C, March 25, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C: 
 
 My Dear Sister— I am aware that no human words can 
 comfort your sad heart, but permit me to assure you of my 
 deep sympathy with you in the irreparable loss you have 
 sustained in the death of your noble husband. T have the 
 honor of claiming- him as my friend, and when the sad 
 
110 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 news of his trag-ic death reached me it overwhelmed me 
 with deep sorrow and I now join you in your deep grief. 
 
 Your husband was greatly beloved by the North Caro- 
 lina Conference and the whole Church, and nowhere, out- 
 side of his own home circle, will he be more sadly missed 
 than by his brethren of the Conference. Be assured that 
 the prayers of his brethren will ascend to Heaven for you 
 in this dark hour. His life was a guarantee that he was 
 ready for the Master's call. "He is not lost, but gone 
 before." Be assured of the prayers and sympathy of his 
 friend and your brother in Christ. 
 
 L. L. Nash. 
 
 McApoo House. 
 
 Greensboro, N. C, March 29, 1899. 
 My Dear AIadam: 
 
 I cannot tell you with what sorrow I learned of your sad 
 affliction, but want to tell you, you have my deepest 
 sympathy. He alone, in whom Will trusted, can comfort 
 and sustain you. May He ever bless and keep you. 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 H. E. Weisiger, 
 {of Bichmond, Fa.) 
 
 Southern Cotton Mills. 
 
 Bessemer City, N. C, September 13, 1899. 
 Mrs. W. H. Branson, Durham, N. C. : 
 
 Dear Mrs. Branson— I enclose you copy of a resolution 
 adopted at meeting of our Board of Directors yesterday. 
 
 Let me add my deep personal endorsement of the resolu- 
 tion, and of more. Mr. Branson w^as my warm personal 
 friend, and his place in my business gave me an encour- 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BRANSON. lU 
 
 ag-ement that his simple duties as director could not give. 
 I felt his absence yesterday painfully. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 S. J. Durham. 
 
 New Bern, N. C, March 31, 1899. 
 My Dear Mrs. Branson: 
 
 It was with profound regret and emotions that were o'er- 
 mastering- that I learned of your husband's death. 
 
 I knew him well,. I admired him for his strict integrity 
 and sterling qualities of mind and heart, I loved him for 
 his g-entle, manly ways, I respected him for his courteous 
 bearing and the high position he occupied among- his fel- 
 lowmen. 
 
 I feel that I, too, have sustained a loss, I feel that I, 
 too, can mourn with you ! My heart is saddened as T write 
 these lines, and unconsciously, almost, I ponder over the 
 past, I see him in the full vig-or of a glorious manhood, a 
 brig-ht future before him, a happy home, hosts of admiring- 
 friends, and everyihing- to make life pleasant and desira"- 
 ble. I am almost tempted to ask, why is this? But the 
 answer would come, the Master has called, his w^ork is 
 done, his mission is over. 
 
 With you it is a day of sorrow, with him a day of joy. 
 You put on the emblems of mourning, you g-rieve for him; 
 for him it is a coronation day. Only a little while, only a 
 little way— just across the river— a few years, maybe a few 
 days— and you will meet him, that meeting- by the river 
 of life, that meeting- within the pearly walls of the New 
 Jerusalem, that meeting- at the feet of the Christ, that meet- 
 ing will be far more joyous, far more glorious; for you 
 meet to part no more. 
 
112 IN MEMORIAM. , . 
 
 My wife joins with me in love and sympathy and prays 
 
 that the great God may comfort and bless you. 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 L. H. Cutler. 
 
 San Luis Potosi, Mex., March 27, 1899. 
 My Dear John:* 
 
 This morning-'s paper tells of the tragical death of Bro. 
 Branson; I am greatly distressed. We have lost an 
 exceedingly g-ood and valuable man. 
 
 Please express to his wife my sympathy with hei' in such 
 a trying experience. 
 
 He helped me in the work here by a special contribution. 
 Affectionately, 
 
 W. W. Duncan, 
 {Bishop M. E. Church South.) 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., April 20, 1899. 
 
 My Dear Madam and Sister: 
 
 My heart went out to you in deepest sympathy when I 
 heard of the great, great sorrow that has come upon you. 
 It is a sorrow whose bitterness no one can fully under- 
 stand. It is a sorrow I cannot explain. I can only 
 sympathize and pray that you may now feel the presence 
 of the crucified and risen Jesus, who was himself a Man of 
 Sorrows and acquainted with grief. May you feel the 
 clasp of his arms that are strong enough and tender 
 enough to embrace all who mourn. 
 
 Mrs. Fitzgerald joins in this prayer, I am. 
 
 Your brother in the one hope, 
 
 O. P. Fitzgerald, 
 {Bisho2) M. E. Church, South.) 
 
 *Written to Dr. Kilgo and sent to Mrs. Branson.