"Died on the Train"
lordmarcovan
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"Died on the Train"
Mourning token inscribed "L. Frank Gray/July 1st 1878" on 1858 Seated Liberty half dollar
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Obverse: original Seated Liberty design, unaltered. Reverse: "July 1st/L. Frank Gray/1878." inscription, with name in Old English lettering, ornamental border around rim. Ex-"10michaelelps951", eBay, 10/29/2015.
This love token was only my second purchase towards a new love token/engraved/counterstamped type set endeavor. I am primarily seeking pictorial love tokens, which this is not. However, the engraving style is nice, and I was intrigued by the presence of a full date (month, day, year) and mostly full name, thinking that might make it possible to discover some of the history behind this piece.
I had assumed this was a birth/christening gift, but after finalizing the deal with the seller I did some quick web searching, and discovered that an L. Frank Gray in fact died of consumption (tuberculosis) on that day, while traveling on a train. So unless there is some other intersection of the same name and date in history, it would appear that I fortuitously nailed the history of this piece down. It is a mourning token!
Interestingly, I also found some newspaper obituaries and details on his final resting place online. It doesn't get any better than this. This is one thing that can be amazing about love tokens- you can pin so much more of their history down than you could with a regular coin!
Syracuse Sunday Times, July 7, 1878
The findagrave.com memorial contained a treasure trove of geneaological and historical information, and a picture of Mr. Gray's tombstone.
(It seems the researcher has herself now joined him in the hereafter, so I must posthumously thank her.)
Engraved/Counterstamped/Oddball Type Set
Mourning token inscribed "L. Frank Gray/July 1st 1878" on 1858 Seated Liberty half dollar
Larger obverse picture
Larger reverse picture
Obverse: original Seated Liberty design, unaltered. Reverse: "July 1st/L. Frank Gray/1878." inscription, with name in Old English lettering, ornamental border around rim. Ex-"10michaelelps951", eBay, 10/29/2015.
This love token was only my second purchase towards a new love token/engraved/counterstamped type set endeavor. I am primarily seeking pictorial love tokens, which this is not. However, the engraving style is nice, and I was intrigued by the presence of a full date (month, day, year) and mostly full name, thinking that might make it possible to discover some of the history behind this piece.
I had assumed this was a birth/christening gift, but after finalizing the deal with the seller I did some quick web searching, and discovered that an L. Frank Gray in fact died of consumption (tuberculosis) on that day, while traveling on a train. So unless there is some other intersection of the same name and date in history, it would appear that I fortuitously nailed the history of this piece down. It is a mourning token!
Interestingly, I also found some newspaper obituaries and details on his final resting place online. It doesn't get any better than this. This is one thing that can be amazing about love tokens- you can pin so much more of their history down than you could with a regular coin!
Syracuse Sunday Times, July 7, 1878
The findagrave.com memorial contained a treasure trove of geneaological and historical information, and a picture of Mr. Gray's tombstone.
(It seems the researcher has herself now joined him in the hereafter, so I must posthumously thank her.)
Birth: Mar. 27, 1851
Danube
Herkimer County
New York, USA
Death: Jul. 1, 1878
New York, USA
son of Levi Gray & Sarah Devendorf
m. Elizabeth Wiswell (who m.2 Albert Watson)
........
Syracuse Journal
L Frank Gray
A telegram was received on Sunday by Mr Harry M Gray from his brother L Frank Gray saying he would leave St Louis Sunday evening for home, and requesting that one of his brothers should meet him in Cleveland. Mr DeWitt C Gray left on a train Sunday evening in compliance with the request and arrived at Cleveland one hour before the train upon which his brother was to arrive was due. When it arrived he was shocked by the information that his brother had died on the train twenty-five miles west of Cleveland without even an acquaintance near him. His greatest anxiety was to reach home before his death where he could take a last farewell of his brothers, and his strong mind nerved him even to walk across the car three minutes before he quietly dropped off into his last sleep.
Mr Gray arrived in Syracuse this morning with the remains of his brother which were taken to the residence of Mr Harry H Gray on Fayette street, where brief services will take place at half-past nine tomorrow morning. The remains will be interred at Little Falls.
Mr Gray, who was the youngest of the four brothers, was born in Little Falls twenty-six years ago. He came with his brothers - John, Henry H and DeWitt - to Syracuse and was connected with them in business til about two years ago when failing health warned him to seek recuperation in another climate. He went to Kansas and became a herder of cattle. He returned to Syracuse late last winter to visit his relatives and friends and after a few weeks went to Colorado. It was apparent to him that his malady, consumption, was surely wearing his life away, and two weeks ago he wrote to his friends that he expected to return to Syracuse very soon. He came on to St Louis and then sent the telegram above referred to.
Mr Gray was a very popular young man, genial in his disposition and upright in action. A very large number of friends will deeply mourn his early death and sympathize with his widow and child and with other relatives who loved him for his manly virtues.
..........
Death of L Frank Gray
Many here were pained to hear of the death of Frank Gray last week. He died on the cars about twenty-five miles west of Cleveland while on his way to his home in Syracuse. On Sunday the 30th he telegraphed from St Louis to his brother Harry in Syracuse that he was on his way home and asked that one of his brothers meet him in Cleveland. His brother Dewitt Gray started the same evening and reached Cleveland an hour before the train on which Frank was to arrive was due. Upon its arrival he was shocked to learn that his brother died on the train about an hour previously. No acquaintance was with him when he died. He expressed great anxiety to reach home before he died where he could take a last farewell of his brothers. Towards the last he often asked the hour, hoping and striving to hold out till he should reach Cleveland. But three minutes before he breathed his last he walked across the car. He was in a drawing room car and was provided with a couch. The passengers were very kind to him and did all in their power for him during his last moments. Mr DeWitt Gray reached Syracuse with the remains on Tuesday morning and on Wednesday they were brought to Little Falls and funeral services were held in St Paul's church conducted by Rev EF Pember, pastor, and Rev Richmond Fisk of Syracuse.
The Syracuse Journal has the following: "Mr Gray, who was the youngest of the four brothers, was born in Little Falls twenty-six years ago. He came with his brothers - John, Henry H and DeWitt - to Syracuse and was connected with them in business til about two years ago when failing health warned him to seek recuperation in another climate. He went to Kansas and became a herder of cattle. He returned to Syracuse late last winter to visit his relatives and friends and after a few weeks went to Colorado. It was apparent to him that his malady, consumption, was surely wearing his life away, and two weeks ago he wrote to his friends that he expected to return to Syracuse very soon. He came on to St Louis and then sent the telegram above referred to. Mr Gray was a very popular young man, genial in his disposition and upright in action. A very large number of friends will deeply mourn his early death and sympathize with his widow and child and with other relatives who loved him for his manly virtues."
Inscription:
Passed to the higher life; aged 27y, 3m, 3d
Burial:
Church Street Cemetery
Little Falls
Herkimer County
New York, USA
Created by: Laura Plummer Ranville
Record added: Aug 28, 2009
Find A Grave Memorial# 41249444
Danube
Herkimer County
New York, USA
Death: Jul. 1, 1878
New York, USA
son of Levi Gray & Sarah Devendorf
m. Elizabeth Wiswell (who m.2 Albert Watson)
........
Syracuse Journal
L Frank Gray
A telegram was received on Sunday by Mr Harry M Gray from his brother L Frank Gray saying he would leave St Louis Sunday evening for home, and requesting that one of his brothers should meet him in Cleveland. Mr DeWitt C Gray left on a train Sunday evening in compliance with the request and arrived at Cleveland one hour before the train upon which his brother was to arrive was due. When it arrived he was shocked by the information that his brother had died on the train twenty-five miles west of Cleveland without even an acquaintance near him. His greatest anxiety was to reach home before his death where he could take a last farewell of his brothers, and his strong mind nerved him even to walk across the car three minutes before he quietly dropped off into his last sleep.
Mr Gray arrived in Syracuse this morning with the remains of his brother which were taken to the residence of Mr Harry H Gray on Fayette street, where brief services will take place at half-past nine tomorrow morning. The remains will be interred at Little Falls.
Mr Gray, who was the youngest of the four brothers, was born in Little Falls twenty-six years ago. He came with his brothers - John, Henry H and DeWitt - to Syracuse and was connected with them in business til about two years ago when failing health warned him to seek recuperation in another climate. He went to Kansas and became a herder of cattle. He returned to Syracuse late last winter to visit his relatives and friends and after a few weeks went to Colorado. It was apparent to him that his malady, consumption, was surely wearing his life away, and two weeks ago he wrote to his friends that he expected to return to Syracuse very soon. He came on to St Louis and then sent the telegram above referred to.
Mr Gray was a very popular young man, genial in his disposition and upright in action. A very large number of friends will deeply mourn his early death and sympathize with his widow and child and with other relatives who loved him for his manly virtues.
..........
Death of L Frank Gray
Many here were pained to hear of the death of Frank Gray last week. He died on the cars about twenty-five miles west of Cleveland while on his way to his home in Syracuse. On Sunday the 30th he telegraphed from St Louis to his brother Harry in Syracuse that he was on his way home and asked that one of his brothers meet him in Cleveland. His brother Dewitt Gray started the same evening and reached Cleveland an hour before the train on which Frank was to arrive was due. Upon its arrival he was shocked to learn that his brother died on the train about an hour previously. No acquaintance was with him when he died. He expressed great anxiety to reach home before he died where he could take a last farewell of his brothers. Towards the last he often asked the hour, hoping and striving to hold out till he should reach Cleveland. But three minutes before he breathed his last he walked across the car. He was in a drawing room car and was provided with a couch. The passengers were very kind to him and did all in their power for him during his last moments. Mr DeWitt Gray reached Syracuse with the remains on Tuesday morning and on Wednesday they were brought to Little Falls and funeral services were held in St Paul's church conducted by Rev EF Pember, pastor, and Rev Richmond Fisk of Syracuse.
The Syracuse Journal has the following: "Mr Gray, who was the youngest of the four brothers, was born in Little Falls twenty-six years ago. He came with his brothers - John, Henry H and DeWitt - to Syracuse and was connected with them in business til about two years ago when failing health warned him to seek recuperation in another climate. He went to Kansas and became a herder of cattle. He returned to Syracuse late last winter to visit his relatives and friends and after a few weeks went to Colorado. It was apparent to him that his malady, consumption, was surely wearing his life away, and two weeks ago he wrote to his friends that he expected to return to Syracuse very soon. He came on to St Louis and then sent the telegram above referred to. Mr Gray was a very popular young man, genial in his disposition and upright in action. A very large number of friends will deeply mourn his early death and sympathize with his widow and child and with other relatives who loved him for his manly virtues."
Inscription:
Passed to the higher life; aged 27y, 3m, 3d
Burial:
Church Street Cemetery
Little Falls
Herkimer County
New York, USA
Created by: Laura Plummer Ranville
Record added: Aug 28, 2009
Find A Grave Memorial# 41249444
Engraved/Counterstamped/Oddball Type Set
0
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Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
https://imdb.com/name/nm1835107/
Good job, but I am just not there yet.
That's OK, Mr. Gray never made it all the way there either.
Cheers, RickO
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
Think the paper would like to issue a correction about his age, which appears as two different numbers in the obit?
And remember this the next time you have somebody coughing next to you on an airplane..........
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Great work.
I wonder if he has any living descendants?
Good question. Probably so, since he didn't die childless, despite his short life.
Though 19th century people would have been far more accustomed to deaths like this than we 21st century people can imagine, it still must have been very sad and difficult for his wife and child.
WS
That's amazing.....and just one more reason that I'm sure this 'internet' thing is going to catch on........
The "Internet," eh? Is that thing still around?
Homer Simpson
Now you need to find the family and see if anyone wants the token......
Eventually, perhaps. That would certainly be an interesting postscript! But one of my past attempts in trying to track down the owner of a 1974 class ring I found while detecting was met with suspicion and I never got in touch with the owner. One of my detecting friends returned a good many rings, though, and that was neat.