James Lawther

Title: Obituary Notice
Type: Newspaper
Date: 1916
Source: Litchfield Independent

Description: This announcement of Lawther's death appeared in the Litchfield Independent in 1916.
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Activities:

1. Since Lawther lived in Ireland at the end of his life, what does the fact that his death notice was published in the Litchfield newspaper tell us about him?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The fact that this notice was published in the Litchfield paper suggests that there were still people in the area who knew him or had worked with him and would want to know about his death. It suggests that Lawther was an important person in the town even though he had not lived in the area for quite some time.
2. What contributions does this note mention that Lawther made to the local community?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The note mentions his activities with the Camp Brog camping party and his giving of real estate and public buildings in the area.
3. This notice was published in the Litchfield newspaper one week after Lawther's death in Ireland. How do you think the news was able to travel back to Minnesota that quickly in 1916?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The most likely option is that the news was transferred via transcontinental cable to some family members or friends in the area. These family members or friends probably notified the newspaper, which published the article.
4. What might we be able to guess about the other people listed in the article? Why would a death notice for one person be likely to list the names of other people who are not related?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: It is likely that the other persons, members of the Camp Brog camping party, still lived or were known in the area of Litchfield. Listing those names was a way of identifying more specifically who Lawther was in the community and what connections he had made there.