ELIJAH PALMER PHELPS

Elijah Palmer Phelps was born at Colborne Ontario, Canada, December 14, 1835. He spent his early life among lumber mills of New York. In 1850 he came west to Chicago and entered the service of the Illinois Central railroad in whose employ he remained thirty-seyen years. Twelve years he was an engineer and twenty-five years, a passenger conductor.

During the war he was running between Chicago and Cairo, Jll., as engineer taking the soldiers south before-and bringing them north after the war. He retired from service in 1893 and has made his home in Olathe since that time. Mr. Phelps contracted rheumatism during his railroad service and has suffered greatly from time to time with this malady. His last illness was of eleven days duration he died at 5:30 p. m., Friday, February 3, at the age of 69 years, 1 month and 20 day.

He was the oldest son of a family of six children and the last one to pass away. His nearest relatives remaining are four nieces and five nephews, four of whom reside in Texas, two in New York, one in Kansas, one in Nebraska and one in North Dakota. The funeral services were conducted at 1:30 p. m. Tuesday at the First Presbyterian church. He was a Knight Templar in good standing and the funeral was conducted under the auspices of that order.

Olathe Mirror
Feb. 5, 1905
Page 1, col 4