Wednesday, Feb.19, 1889
ALEXANDER COPELAND
Captain ALEXANDER COPELAND was born Sept. 16, 1831, of plain, God-fearing parents, in a humble and quiet home on North Pacolet, Spartanburg county, and continued with them until his 20th year, when he, with some young friends neighbors- caught the " California Gold Fever " and left for California about the year 1850, where he attained his majority and spent some years successfully mining.
Returning to his old home he settled down with his aged parents and beloved as a farmer until the late, unfortunate war came on when he promptly volunteered in Company "F", 13th South Carolina Regiment and was elected orderly sergeant and thus battled for his countrys rights for four long, anxious and self-sacrificing years. He rose gradually until he became Captain of the company and so remained until the close of the war. Though often exposed in several battles, he escaped injury, save a slight wound in one leg. After the war , he returned again to his old home and resettled this time by marrying MISS FANNIE, daughter of Capt. SAMUEL JEFFERIES of Union county in 1868, with whom he lived happily until her death in April, 1874. She left one son, SAMUEL, who is now nearly grown and promising. May he prove to be worthy of his excellent father and mother.
In July , 1876, he married the second time to MISS ELLA, youngest daughter of Hon. SIMPSON BOBO, of precious memory, with whom he lived a useful and active life, until that life was ended on the 5th of December, 1889, by a sudden and painful accident. He leaves his widow and two young children, besides SAMUEL to mourn his tragic death.
Captain COPELAND , physically was no ordinary man. In mental ability, far above the average. While in his youth he had limited opportunities , yet in after life he became a very mature, thoughtful, well-rounded man. As a husband, worthy of imitation, as a neighbor, few surpassed him, as a farmer, intelligent, very successful, as a Christian, humble and decided from that April Sabbath, 1875, when he gave his heart to God and afterwards in May his hand to the writer for the M.E. Church, South.
In October 1883 he had a special warning that this was not his permanent home. In directing about his gin his arm was caught and badly lacerated, that amputation was necessary and from that hour he was a well man no more.
He left home on the 3rd of December in his usual health to attend to his farming interests on Pacolet Rivers and Buck Creek and returning the morning of the 5th driving a young and spirited horse down one of the long Pacolet hills, the horse ran and threw him violently from his buggy at the foot of the hill and was left unconscious and so badly injured that he died that night between eight and nine o'clock. Thus has passed to his final home one of nature's noblemen of old friends and neighbors that met together on his burial day in the New Prospect cemetery.
May his boy, SAMUEL and little ALICE, catch his fallen mantle and wear it worthy as he did.
His old pastor and friend. JAS. F. SMI