Samuel had been troubled with heart problems for several years, and in the past month had gone through some "bad spells," so his death may not have been a surprise to those closest to him. Still, it was untimely — he died a week short of his 52nd birthday.
He had been born on March 17, 1867, in Wheeler, Indiana, to Michael and Eliza Quinlan. Samuel spent his early childhood in the area, and although, in the late 1870s, the family moved to Oklahoma, he evidently maintained ties in the Hobart area. Jessie Bullock went out west to become Mrs. Quinlan on July 30, 1899. They spent most of their married life in Oklahoma.
Samuel described himself in 1900 as a "merchant" — he had a part interest in a country store. By 1910, he was the Woods County recorder of deeds, an office he held for four years. At the time of his death, he was president of the school board of Alva, Oklahoma. "He had been an active personage in the development of his town and county," said the Gazette. "He was a man highly respected by all who knew him."
Besides Jessie and the children, Samuel was survived by six brothers and a sister — one brother being a Catholic priest at Fort Wayne, which makes it a little surprising that Samuel's funeral was held in the Unitarian Church. It took place on Sunday, March 16, under the direction of the local Masons (Sam had been a member of the Alva, Oklahoma Masons). Fannie (Mrs. Fred) Werner sang.
The ground in Crown Hill Cemetery being too waterlogged from recent heavy rains to allow for digging, Sam's coffin was placed temporarily in the Smith vault, until it could find its final resting place.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Sources:
♦ 1900 Census.
♦ 1910 Census.
♦ "Deaths for the Week." Hobart Gazette 14 Mar. 1919.
♦ "Funeral of Samuel Quinlan Held at Unitarian Church Sunday." Hobart News 20 Mar. 1919.
♦ "Samuel Quinlan Passes Away at Alva, Oklahoma." Hobart News 13 Mar. 1919.
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