PORTRAIT OF THOMAS BELDEN SODEN (1841 - 1918)
Thomas Belden Soden was born 15th March, 1841 in Otsego County, New York
Of British parents from Warwickshire, England , his father was Benjamin Soden
and his mother was Sophia Emery Soden.He married Kate Rose Belden on
28th February , 1866 in Stroughton ,Wisconsin and he died on 9th September , 1918.
They had 8 children :
Benjamin Lewis Soden , Elmina Alverda Soden Edmonds ,
Maude Kate Soden Dittmer McMullen Crosby , Thomas William Soden ,
Guy Belden Soden , Sylvia Ann Soden Horn , Sarah Subrina Soden Mathys , Rock Rollo Soden .
On the 9th September , 1957 his eldest daughter, Elmina Alverda wrote the following
poem about her father:
GRANDPA THOMAS SODEN
I had a Grandpa Soden whom I admired very much
Although at times, no long ago, he was the subject of talk and such.
Men thought he ran from the Civil War a slacker who never fought.
Not once did he defend himself, nor answer to such a taunt.
He stood all the ridicule and was tagged a yellow man,
But still hed not defend himself - gossip never ran.
Its sure he had some friends , but to him it didnt matter,
For by his quiet nature he seldom engaged in chatter.
I loved my Grandpa dearly , not for his kind ways alone
His voice in anger was never raised , never a surly tone.
We never heard him utter a word, his character to defend,
And he spent but little time with the few he called my friend.
He had traveled to California , Lincolns orders to complete;
Our history books skim through the facts of the gold shipment he helped defeat;
But never a word from Grandpa even when the war was done.
Our Union was saved from destruction but Gramps never carried a gun.
Never does his name appear for one courageous deed,
His Civil War activities were his constant , silent , creed.
You know by now that Grandpa was the apple of my eye,
It was only after his death we learned , he had been a Northern Spy.
(Excerpt taken by kind permission from Pat Bauer's Webpage on her ancestors.)
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Not so far in time from the above piece of history we have here the obituary notice for Thomas and Kates granddaughter in Vancouver, Canada -
Kate Belden
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~soden/genealogy/obituaries3.htm
The Vancouver Columbian, Tuesday, August 15, 1967
KATE CARR, 76, Clark County
(Granddaughter of Thomas Soden and Kate Belden)
A Clark County resident for most of her life, Kate Alcenia Thankful Edmonds Carr died Sunday (August 13, 1967) at the age of 76.
She was a past Democratic committee woman for Clark county, and was a member of the League of Women Voters, Women's Auxiliary, and the Teamsters Union.
Mrs. Carr had lived at 3615 W Street at the time of her death. She was born in Ridgefield on August 11, 1891.
Survivors are a son, Donald Y., Vancouver; five daughters, Mrs. John Maska, Los Angeles, CA, Mrs. Gerald Marrs, Vancouver, Mrs. Norman Marrs and Mrs. Dale Mapes, both of Portland, and Mrs. Lloyd Frank, Shawnee, KS; a sister, Miss Alverda Edmonds, Vancouver; and 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Vancouver Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow at the IOOF Cemetery in Kelso, WA.
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