Welty, Joel (1857-1903)

Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1903 Dec 24 p. 4

Birth date: 1857 Apr 15

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Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1904 Jan 7 p. 6

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Welty. — Den 20. Dezember 1903 in Ft. Wayne, Ind., Joel Welty im Alter vom 46 Jahren, 8 Monaten und 5 Tagen. Schon in frühster Kindheit verlor der Dahingeschiedene seine Mutter durch den Tod. Im Frühling des Jahres 1868 zog sein Vater mit seiner Familie von Wayne Co., Ohio, nach Moniteau Co., Mo. Nach einiger Vorbereitung in der mennonitischen Bildungsanstalt zu Wadsworth, Ohio, widmete er sich einige Zeit dem Lehrerberuf. Später wurde er, am 15. April 1882, durch die hl. Taufe in die Berner Gemeinde aufgenommen. Am 3. April 1887 verehelichte er sich mit Dina Lehman, Tochter des schon verstorbenen Predigers Peter S. Lehman. Diese Ehe wurde mit 6 Kindern gesegnet. Die Gattin, 6 Kinder, 4 Geschwister, 2 Halbgeschwister und die betagte Stiefmutter betrauern seinen Hinscheid. — Trotz eines arbeitsvollen Geschäftlebens und trotz liebevoller Fürsorge für seine Familie, hat der Verstorbene dennoch Zeit gefunden, auch in der Gemeinde mit der Gabe zu dienen, die ihm der Herr verliehen hatte, denn als Sonntagschullehrer und in sonstigen Ämtern legte er helfende Hand ans Werk. Auch die Allgemeine Konferenz der Mennoniten von Nordamerika hat er sich verbindlich gemacht, indem er 12 Jahre als Geschäftsführer ihrer Buchhandlung diente. — Die Leichenfeier fand am 23. Dez. von der Berner Gemeinde aus unter zahlreicher Beteiligung statt. S. F. Sprunger redete Worte des Trostes und der Belehrung über das Schriftwort 1. Mose 24, 56 und J. W. Kliewer (englisch) über 2. Kor. 5, 1.

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The Mennonite obituary: 1903 Dec 24 p. 1

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Welty. — On Sunday evening, Dec. 20, at his home in Fort Wayne, Ind., after a severe illness of several weeks, Joel Welty, aged 46 years, 8 months and 5 days. Bro. Welty’s health began to fail last May, and in October he was operated on for appendicitis. Since then he gradually sank, his case greatly puzzling his physicians. A post mortem examination only revealed the real cause of his demise, a vicious growth having formed at the opening from the stomach into the intestines. Short funeral services were held at his late home in Fort Wayne, Wednesday, Dec. 23, by Rev. Mr. Bailey, of the Congregational church, and on the afternoon train the remains were brought to Berne, his former residence, where services were conducted in the Mennonite church by Rev. S. F. Sprunger in German and Rev. J. W. Kliewer in English in presence of a full house.

Joel Welty was born in Wayne Co., Ohio, April 15, 1857. He lost his mother through death when he was only 11 days old. When a boy eleven years old his father moved to Moniteau Co., Mo., with his family, where he spent his youthful years on the virgin prairie. In Spring 1878, he entered the Wadsworth, Ohio, Mennonite academy, taught one term of school after this on Sonnenberg, Wayne Co., Ohio, and three winters in the Germain settlement around Berne, Ind., two winters in District No. 8, and one in No. 9, Monroe township.

On May 9, 1882, the deceased founded, what is now the book store of the Mennonite Book Concern in Berne, which he in partnership with his brother Daniel conducted under the name of Welty Brothers, until in fall 1884 in time of the session of the General Mennonite conference at Berne the firm sold out to the conference and became the publishing house of that body, now known as the Mennonite Book Concern. Deceased was the manager of the firm until 1896. He also started a book bindery in connection with the store, but in 1896, believing Fort Wayne to be a better location, moved the bindery to that city. In 1896 he and others bought the bindery of the conference he resigning from the managership of the Mennonite Book Concern. The last few years he has been at the head of a large paper box factory and has become one of the prominent manufacturers in Fort Wayne.

On April 3, 1887, Bro. Welty was married to Miss Dinah Lehman, of Berne. She survives him with six children — Magdalena, Harry, Viola, Paul, Ivan and Carl. He also leaves to mourn his early departure two brothers and two sisters, a half-brother, Prof. B. F. Welty, of Bethel College, Newton, Kan., a halfsister, and a step-mother in Berne, Mrs. Elizabeth Welty, also survive him.