In 1881 a 3-column eulogy to James Rumley, Esquire, Clerk of Superior Court and Judge of Probate, was published in the Beaufort newspaper, Carteret County Telephone.
At a public meeting of the citizens of Carteret County held at the Court House 7½ o’clock, December 17th to pass suitable resolutions of respect to the memory of James Rumley, Esq., Clerk of Superior Court and Judge of Probate. W.F. Howland was elected Chairman, John D. Davis, Secretary and G.W. Charlotte, Assistant Secretary. On motion of Capt. Oaksmith, the Chairman appointed the following Committee on Resolutions: A. Oaksmith, R.W. Chadwick, A.C. Davis, L.C. Howland, James C. Davis. Honorable C.R. Thomas, being called upon, addressed the people in a few appropriate remarks, commending the many virtues of Mr. Rumley as displayed in his life as a citizen and as an officer.
Mr. Oaksmith’s eulogy covered three full columns of the paper.
“ To an intellect unequaled by his contemporaries, was added the garnered wisdom of long years of study until he became the most trusted and honored authority in law, in literature, in statistics and in general knowledge in this county. Possessed of a heart noble, and generous in its character and impulses, he passed through this life leaving in his daily paths constant evidences of his goodness. Possessed of a soul exalted and pure, he lived the life of a gentleman, which covers all of a Christian creed, and left the world without a stain on his name or fame. In all matters affecting the property, estates, laws, public duties and general interests, the citizens of Carteret without distinction had come to regard him as their chief advisor and friend.
You all knew his goodness, you all recognized his merit, you all knew his honesty, his incorruptibility, his kindness, his learning, his intellect.
You will always remember his quiet, unobtrusive, retiring dignity of manner, his genuinely gentlemanly courtesy, his frugal and simple life, his charity and high sense of honor.”
Resolution:
“Resolved, that the death of James Rumley, who had for many years filled the position of Clerk of Court of Carteret County and Judge of the Probate and many other positions of honor and trust during his long and useful life, this community has suffered a loss for which there can be no compensation except the virtues and the contemplations of his spotless character.”
Source: Files of the Beaufort Historical Association. Posted on ancestry.com on Wallace2FamilyTree.
Appleton Oaksmith
