EMERSON, EDWARD M. an old & respected resident who for more than 30 years was the machinist at the Deford Tannery at this place, died suddenly at his home on Mechanic Street at 9:45 p. m. on Friday after an illness lasting several months. Mr. Emerson had been in a serious condition for 3 months, his heart, kidneys & other organs being affected & he was subject to occasional attacks of an alarming character, one of these taking him off. He had his clothes on & went about the house & yard as usual on Friday, eat his supper & had been undressed to retire for the night when he expired almost instantly as he sat on the side of his bed. Two weeks ago he returned from the hospital where he was under treatment for 10 days. He was taken there after one of his alarming attacks. Recently he vomited a brass rivet which he had swallowed more than 30 years ago while employed at the tannery. It was hoped for a time that getting this poisonous substance out of his system might result in his recovery, but if the rivet had affected his health the trouble had gone too far to be counteracted. Mr. Emerson was cheered by the occurrence for a time & expected to get well in consequence. Edward Emerson was a citizen of unusual industry & of quiet peaceable disposition. Kindness of heart & a disposition to accommodate were among his outstanding qualities. He attained his 74th birthday the 17th of last December. Till his sudden breakdown 3 months ago he had not missed a day at his post in the 7 years preceding during which he had been employed as assistant to his son, Milton E. Emerson in the garage & livery business. He was regularly in charge of the work of transporting Skyland guests from the foots of the mountain to the top this being done with horse-drawn vehicles. His health always seemed to be better while on the Ridge. Though in rather advanced years Mr. Emerson went to Norfolk in 1917 after our entry into the World War & took employment as an engine hostler with the N. & W. railroad keeping this position for 5 years & resigning at the time of the big strike. Mr. Emerson was born at Shenandoah, this county & was the s/o William Emerson. In his early life he had rural employment near Luray & wagoned for Major Walker, father of Miss Mattie Walker of East Luray. On Christmas Day, 1877, he married Miss Mary Fleming of Luray who survives him. The couple celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary last Christmas. For some time after their marriage they lived on the Kendrick farm just South of Luray. Forty-five years ago they located in Luray where they built heir present home on Mechanic Street. Mr. Emerson was one of the original employees of the Deford Co. when they located their big tannery in Luray about 1880. On account of his natural skill as a machinist & carpenter he was put at that kind of work at the new plant & was looked to for service of this nature during all of his long connection with the plant. In early years he joined the Methodist church at this place. He is survived by his widow & the following children: Mrs. William R. Sanders of Rocky Mount, SC., Milton E. Emerson, Mrs. Thomas C. Brown & Thomas Emerson of Luray, Mrs. Keller Ambrose of Woodstock, Noah Emerson of Wilmington, DE. & Mrs. Irvin Coates of Alexandria. All of these children but Noah Emerson were at the funeral which was held from the home on Sunday, Rev. W. A. Lynch, pastor of the deceased conducting the services with interment in Green Hill Cemetery. Mr. Emerson outlived all of his brothers & sisters. These were Henry, Jacob & Joseph Emerson, Mrs. Sarah Martin & Mrs. Vic Hollingsworth of this county. Among those at his funeral were Mrs. W. R. Sanders of Rocky Mount, N. C., Mrs. & Mrs. Irvin Coates of Alexandria, Va., Mr. & Mrs, Keller Ambrose & 3 children of Woodstock, Miss Thelma Emerson, a granddaughter of the State Teachers College, Harrisonburg, Va., D. H. Emerson & family & Mrs. Mollie Foltz of Shenandoah city & Cletus & Homer Fleming nephews of the deceased from Covington, Va. The pallbearers were R. L. Shenk, D. P. Lillard, William Keller, Earl Shenk, J. M. Brown & Cecil Campbell. (PNC- issue 01 Jun 1928)