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Acton Memorial Library |
Civil War Records of Aaron Swift Fletcher
Obituary for Aaron Swift Fletcher
The Concord Enterprise, February 19, 1913
A NATIVE OF ACTON
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A. S. Fletcher, Who Died the 11th,
One of Town's Best Known Citizens
Tuesday, Feb. 11, Aaron S. Fletcher died at his home on Maple st., after an illness of a little over a month. Early in January he was stricken with a severe attack of rheumatism, complicated with hardening of the arteries that caused most extreme suffering for two weeks, when the rheumatism was conquered and the remaining days being comparatively free from suffering, other than mental from the pressure on the brain.
He was born in Acton, March 7, 1830, on the Abel Cole place, working hereabouts until 1859 when he went to California, making the trip from Oklahoma, in ox teams, where the government obliged all emigrants to wait until there were sufficient numbers to make it safe for them to go safely against the Indians. He joined the Acton Davis guards in 1851, when the company was first organized and was among the first to respond to Lincoln's call April 15, 1861, and marched through Baltimore April 19, 1861, with the 6th Mass. as one of the three months men, holding the position as 1th [sic] Lieut. of Co. E. During the summer of 1862 they were reorganized and he was mustered into service for nine months as 1st Lieutenant of Co. E, 6th Regt. He served until March 6, 1863, when he resigned to take charge of the stone works at Port Deposit, Md. for the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore R. R., constructing the first bridge across the Susquehanna river.
He was married in January 1886 to Miss Sarah T. Kidd of Port Deposit. For the next few years he was, in company with his brother, A. S. Fletcher, building bridges for different railroads on the eastern shore of Maryland. In 1869 in company with the late Henry Shapley, they built all the bridges on the Mass. Central from Wayland to Oakdale. He also helped construct the Reformatory buildings at Concord Junction. He did the stone work on the Fitchburg R. R. from Boston to Greenfield, rebuilt the bridges on the Marlboro branch and laying the first track from Hudson to Marlboro.
For many years he carried on the ice and coal business in this place, until sickness compelled him to give up manual labor, only busying himself about his place and garden until he was taken ill last month.
He was a man of positive ideas and of that sterling integrity that has made good names for our old New England families. His wife died July 12, 1909. Their union was blessed by four children, two dying in infancy, the others, W. S. Fletcher and Mrs. H. E. Willis, both of this place, survive him, as do two brothers and three sisters. Funeral services were at his late home on Friday, with burial at Woodlawn.
SOUTH ACTON
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Card of Thanks
We extend our sincere thanks to the many friends and relatives for their beautiful floral tributes and sympathy and kind assistance received during our late bereavement.
W. S. FLETCHER and family.
H. E. WILLIS and family.