William Swaney
December 12, 1902
Manning Monitor

Sudden Death of W.L. Swaney.
W.L. Swaney, who has been a resident of Manning since last January died Tuesday morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. W.H Barger, at Gray, where he was visiting. He retired Monday night apparently in his usual health, and was found dead the next morning when they went to call him, heart failure being the cause of death. His wife who had been at Kimballton taking care of their daughter Grace was sent for and on Wednesday the body was taken to the Cameron Township farm where the funeral services were conducted Thursday by Rev. Alexander Bennett, of the Manning M.E. Church, with burial in Viola Center Cemetery, Viola Center, Iowa.

William Latta Swaney was born February 21, 1847, in Jackson County, Iowa, and resided there until his marriage in 1873 to Miss Arminda Wilson at Preston. To them seven children were born, Milton B. and William S. have preceded their father to the great beyond. The remaining children David LeRoy, Mrs. Ada Mabel Barger, Wilson B., Minerva Grace and Albert J., are well known and respected residents of Manning and vicinity, except, Albert who lives in Des Moines.

Mr. Swaney came to Audubon County in 1874 and settled in Cameron Township on a piece of raw prairie he worked hard and faithfully and at the time of his death owned 400 acres of fine land well improved. About five years ago he gave up active management of the farm and last January moved to Manning. His health had not been the best for the past eighteen years, but apparently he was improving recently and his death was a great surprise to all.

When he came to Cameron Township but four voters resided within its limits. Among his first doings was assisting in the survey of the township, using a wagon wheel in lieu of a surveyor's chain.

During thirteen years he held the office of Justice of the Peace in his home township. He progressed with the times and was known to all as thorough and enterprising farmer and businessman. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and his relations to the lodge and his social intercourse with his friends was always pleasant. The passing of a pioneer is a profound sorrow and the friends and acquaintances one makes in twenty-eight years of continuous residence in a county which was a almost a wilderness at the beginning are numbered in the thousands. The good deeds to his credit, the helpful acts he performed to benefit his neighbors and friends are countless. Truly of him can be said well done. At the funeral services the large gathering of friends gave evidence of this.

The following relatives were present from abroad: James Swaney, of Preston; Mr. and Mrs. Lon Swaney, of Maquoketa and Mrs. Mary A. Mills of Chicago.

William Latta Swaney died very suddenly and unexpectedly last Monday morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. William Barger in Gray where he and his wife had come but a few days previous to make a short visit intending to return to their home at Manning the latter part of the week. Mrs. Swaney was called away a few days previous to his death out in the neighborhood of Kimballton to care for their daughter Miss Grace Swaney and was not present at the time of the death. The announcement of his death on Monday morning was a great surprise and shock to his many friends and relatives of this vicinity and came wholly unexpected as he was apparently in the best of health, he being present at an entertainment at the hall in Gray the evening before and when he retired he showed no traces of illness and was in the best of spirits, and thus we are reminded.

"In the midst of life we are In death."
He was born near Preston in Jackson County, Iowa, February 21, 1847, and died December 16, 1902, at Gray, Iowa.

He was a son of David and Sidney Swaney who were pioneers of Jackson County and coming there at an early date suffered the inconveniences and hardships of pioneer life. Mr. Swaney was one of eight children and received his education and early boyhood training at the home of his parents.

At the age of twenty one he decided to penetrate the great and unexplored west and for a number of years he was a resident of this part of the country.

He was married February 12, 1873, to Arminda Wilson, a native of New York State and who still survives him.

In the summer of this same year he came to Audubon County and purchased 80 acres of the then wild and raw prairie land for which Iowa was noted in those days. Mr. Swaney was a man of cordial and genial nature and soon won many friends in his new home and was elected to many offices of honor and trust, such as township Justice of Peace, trustee, member of school board, assessor, and township delegate and filled these offices in a manner befitting his election for a number of years in succession. Eighteen years ago he was stricken with epilepsy, it gradually growing worse until last Monday when he died from the effects of it.

He was formerly a member of the Veritas Lodge No. 392, A.F. and A.M. which is located at Audubon and had the degrees of Masonry conferred on him while in Jackson County. He was the father of seven children five of whom survive him: Roy, Ada M., Wilson B., Minerva G., and Albert, and his affectionate wife who are left to mourn the loss of a kind and indulgent husband and father. The funeral services were held at his Cameron Township home Thursday at 11 A.M. by Rev. Bennett pastor of the M.E. Church at Gray and at Manning. The interment took place at the Viola Center Cemetery.

Thus an old resident of Cameron Township and one of her pioneers and builders has been taken from us in the midst of health. The entire community extend their sympathy in this hour of affliction and realize in his death the loss of a good citizen and one of the county's pioneers.
Audubon County Journal, December 25, 1902