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WILL J. MAJOR.
"The gay will laugh when thou art gone,
The solemn brood of care plod on,
And each one, as before, will chase
His favorite phantom; yet these shall all
Leave their mirth and their employment,
And shall come and make their bed with thee."
The above lines, penned by America's great poet of Nature, in his incomparable "Thanatopsis," strikingly sets forth in a few phrases a picture of death. Since the beginning of the world death has been looked upon as "the king of terrors " Why this should be so, since it is as common as birth or any other natural occurrence, the biographer leaves to more philosophic minds. The manner of laying the dead away has been given much thought by the various peoples of the earth, and many and diverse methods have been promulgated; in fact, all times, and places and customs are noted by the historian, from the methods of certain savage tribes, who suspend their dead in tall trees to the present rapidly-growing method of cremation, when all that is earthly of a mortal quickly disappears in a wave of white heat. It has always seemed to be the prevailing desire of most nations to preserve the bodies of the dead as long as possible, and,, this being so, thinking men began devising means whereby this could best be accomplished, and thus resulted the art of embalming, ages ago, and although the methods have undergone changes from time to time, it is doubtful if the twentieth century undertaker can do his work any more effectively than did the Egyptian embalmer in the days of Pharaoh. The most advanced and satisfactory methods of embalming are employed by Will J. Major, well known undertaker of East Commercial street Springfield.
Mr. Major was born in Iroquois county, Illinois, December 19,1861. He is a son of Robert D. and Ellen (Hitchcock) Major. The father was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, about 1839, and was a son of James Major and wife. James Major was born in Indiana back in the days of the first settlers and there he grew up, but finally located in Illinois where his death occurred in 1877, after an active life as a farmer. His wife, who was a native of Pennsylvania, preceded him to the grave by several years. Robert D. Major learned the carpenter's trade in early life and followed this in connection with farming for a livelihood. He remained in Illinois until 1883 when he went to Montana and followed his trade, remaining there until 1885, when he came to Springfield, Missouri, where he continued carpentering practically until his death in 1896. Politically he was a Republican, was a member of the Baptist church, and belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he passed all the chairs in the local lodge. Ellen Hitchcock, mother of our subject, was born near Niagara, Falls, New York, March 30, 1832, a daughter of John and Eliza Hitchcock. She died in St. Louis, Missouri, September 4, 1914; at the age of eighty-two years and six months.
Will J. Major received a common school education, spending two years in the high school at Aurora, Illinois. He remained on the home farm until he was eighteen years of age, then began learning carpentering and cabinet making, at which he worked until 1898, having attained a high degree of skill in each. He then spent four years as assistant custodian in the Springfield postoffice. Then went to work for J. M. White, a pioneer undertaker of this city, and, making a careful study of the business, he passed the state board examination in 1909, and was duly qualified to enter the profession, and has since been in business for himself at 230 East Commercial street, and is now one of the busiest and most popular undertakers in Springfield, maintaining large, modernly equipped and well furnished parlors and his treatment of his patrons is always courteous and honorable.
Mr. Major was married April 15, 1886, to Anna B. Reynolds, who was born in Nebraska, October 1,1869. She was a daughter of a highly respected family, and she received a good education, and proved to be an excellent helpmeet. This union has been blessed with three children, namely: Mabel, born July 4, 1890, is the wife of John Hulse, of Springfield; E'Ilene, born in September, 1892, is the wife of Lee Donald, of Kansas City; Helen, born July 25, 1897, is at home.
Mr. Major is prominent in fraternal circles, belonging to Springfield Lodge No. 218, Independent Order of Odd Fellows of which he is past grand, has been district deputy grand master for three years, and has been secretary of the same for the past eighteen years; he is a member of the Empire Encampment, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past chief patriarch; also Springfield Canton No. 23, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of Julia Lodge No. 72, Daughters of Rebekah. He also belongs to the Loyal Order of Moose, Bears, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Knights and Ladies of Security, Modern Woodmen of America, Woodmen of the World, Modern Brotherhood, Knights and Ladies of Honor, and the Court of Honor.
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