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Benjamin F “Ben” Christian

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Benjamin F “Ben” Christian

Birth
Dickson County, Tennessee, USA
Death
12 Oct 1886 (aged 69)
Whitesboro, Grayson County, Texas, USA
Burial
Whitesboro, Grayson County, Texas, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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When a man dies and those who knew him all say he was a good man, and his life has been worthy to be an example for every young man, then those who knew him not will appreciate anything that will perpetuate the memory of such a noble character. Such a man was Benjamin F. Christian, who first saw the light in Tennessee about the year 1814. He came to Texas in 1844 and settled in Upshur County. He removed from there to Bonham shortly afterward, and married a daughter of Capt. Mabel Gilbert. In 1858, he located in Sherman and engaged in the hotel business. His wife died in 1863, and in 1864 he was married to Miss
Lou Davis, daughter of Micajah Davis, one of the earliest settlers of Grayson County. After the loss of the late war he removed to Whitesboro and engaged in the mercantile business with Capt. Sam B. Savage. He died October 16th, 1886. His last wife survives him.

"Uncle Ben," as he was familiarly called, was a devoted Odd Fellow. It may be justly said of him that he was the father of Odd Fellowship in North Texas. For years he traveled from the Sabine to the extreme western frontier, even when the Indians deprecated the western counties, organizing Lodges and lecturing. Under dispensation of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, he instituted the first Lodge in the Indian Territory, at Caddo. He was a charter member and organized the Lodge at Whitesboro, which was named for him, in the year 1868. In 1872 he was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
He was a consistent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and one of the most active workers in the Old Settlers' Association, having delivered a most touching valedictory at the reunion in Sherman in August 1886, about two months before his death. He was buried at Oak Wood Cemetery in Whitesboro, Texas.
When a man dies and those who knew him all say he was a good man, and his life has been worthy to be an example for every young man, then those who knew him not will appreciate anything that will perpetuate the memory of such a noble character. Such a man was Benjamin F. Christian, who first saw the light in Tennessee about the year 1814. He came to Texas in 1844 and settled in Upshur County. He removed from there to Bonham shortly afterward, and married a daughter of Capt. Mabel Gilbert. In 1858, he located in Sherman and engaged in the hotel business. His wife died in 1863, and in 1864 he was married to Miss
Lou Davis, daughter of Micajah Davis, one of the earliest settlers of Grayson County. After the loss of the late war he removed to Whitesboro and engaged in the mercantile business with Capt. Sam B. Savage. He died October 16th, 1886. His last wife survives him.

"Uncle Ben," as he was familiarly called, was a devoted Odd Fellow. It may be justly said of him that he was the father of Odd Fellowship in North Texas. For years he traveled from the Sabine to the extreme western frontier, even when the Indians deprecated the western counties, organizing Lodges and lecturing. Under dispensation of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, he instituted the first Lodge in the Indian Territory, at Caddo. He was a charter member and organized the Lodge at Whitesboro, which was named for him, in the year 1868. In 1872 he was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
He was a consistent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and one of the most active workers in the Old Settlers' Association, having delivered a most touching valedictory at the reunion in Sherman in August 1886, about two months before his death. He was buried at Oak Wood Cemetery in Whitesboro, Texas.

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  • Created by: JSB
  • Added: Jan 23, 2016
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157382669/benjamin_f-christian: accessed ), memorial page for Benjamin F “Ben” Christian (1 Jul 1817–12 Oct 1886), Find a Grave Memorial ID 157382669, citing Oakwood Cemetery, Whitesboro, Grayson County, Texas, USA; Maintained by JSB (contributor 47567935).