PORTRAIT OF THOMAS BELDEN SODEN (1841 – 1918)
Thomas Belden Soden was born 15th March, 1841 in Otsego County, New York of British parents from Warwickshire, England , his father was Benjamin Soden and his mother was Sophia Emery Soden.He married Kate Rose Belden on 28th February , 1866 in Stroughton ,Wisconsin and he died on 9th September , 1918.
They had 8 children :
Benjamin Lewis Soden , Elmina Alverda Soden Edmonds , Maude Kate Soden Dittmer McMullen Crosby , Thomas William Soden , Guy Belden Soden , Sylvia Ann Soden Horn , Sarah Subrina Soden Mathys , Rock Rollo Soden .
On the 9th September , 1957 his eldest daughter, Elmina Alverda wrote the following poem about her father:
GRANDPA THOMAS SODEN
I had a Grandpa Soden whom I admired very much
Although at times, no long ago, he was the subject of talk and such.
Men thought he ran from the Civil War – a slacker – who never fought.
Not once did he defend himself, nor answer to such a taunt.
He stood all the ridicule and was tagged a “yellow” man,
But still he’d not defend himself – gossip never ran.
It’s sure he had some friends , but to him it didn’t matter,
For by his quiet nature he seldom engaged in chatter.
I loved my Grandpa dearly , not for his kind ways alone’
His voice in anger was never raised , never a surly tone.
We never heard him utter a word, his character to defend,
And he spent but little time with the few he called “my friend”.
He had traveled to California , Lincoln’s orders to complete;
Our history books skim through the facts of the gold shipment he helped defeat;
But never a word from Grandpa even when the war was done.
Our Union was saved from destruction but Gramps never carried a gun.
Never does his name appear for one courageous deed,
His Civil War activities were his constant , silent , creed.
You know by now that Grandpa was the “apple of my eye”,
It was only after his death we learned , he had been a Northern Spy.
Written by Guy’s sister ,Sarah Subrina Soden, who was born May 23rd, 1883, at Eagle township, Sedgwick County, Kansas”.
(Excerpt taken by kind permission from Pat Bauer’s Webpage on her ancestors.)
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Not so far in time from the above piece of history we have here the obituary notice for Thomas and Kates granddaughter in Vancouver, Canada –
Kate Belden
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~soden/genealogy/obituaries3.htm
The Vancouver Columbian, Tuesday, August 15, 1967
KATE CARR, 76, Clark County
(Granddaughter of Thomas Soden and Kate Belden)
A Clark County resident for most of her life, Kate Alcenia Thankful Edmonds Carr died Sunday (August 13, 1967) at the age of 76.
She was a past Democratic committee woman for Clark county, and was a member of the League of Women Voters, Women’s Auxiliary, and the Teamsters Union.
Mrs. Carr had lived at 3615 W Street at the time of her death. She was born in Ridgefield on August 11, 1891.
Survivors are a son, Donald Y., Vancouver; five daughters, Mrs. John Maska, Los Angeles, CA, Mrs. Gerald Marrs, Vancouver, Mrs. Norman Marrs and Mrs. Dale Mapes, both of Portland, and Mrs. Lloyd Frank, Shawnee, KS; a sister, Miss Alverda Edmonds, Vancouver; and 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Vancouver Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow at the IOOF Cemetery in Kelso, WA.