James A. Beecher ^{1 2 3}

   FamilySearch ID: KZF3-RG6.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Census in 1900 in Bloomfield Twp., LaGrange County, IN. ² James A. Beecher, nephew, 14, born Aug 1885, was living with Helen M. Merritt, 36, Sep 1863, and her husband of two years, Frances D. Merritt, lawyer, 50, Oct 1849. James and his father were born in Indiana, his mother in Michigan. Helen was born in Michigan, her father in Ohio, and mother in New York.

2. Census in 1920 in Shipshewana, LaGrange, IN. ⁵ James A. Beecher, 34, was living with wife Belva, 35; Julie C., 3 years 5 months when the census was recorded on 26 Jun 1920. James, Julie and their parents were born in Indiana. Belva was born in Indiana, her father in Ohio, and mother in Pennsylvania.

3. Residence: in 1920 in Shipshewana, LaGrange, IN. ¹

4. Cause of Death: Accident: Killed when his car was stuck by a train, 23 Feb 1932, Rome City, Noble, IN. James A. Beecher, a son-in-law of Mrs. Farver, was killed by a train. James A. was always known in and around Shipshewana as Jim Beecher. Jim was always known as everybody's friend, was in business in Shipshewana for many years but at the time of the tragedy he was employed by the Moline Farm Machinery Company as traveling salesman. At the immediate time of the accident Jim and a friend of his, Cecil Bixley, were traveling south out of LaGrange on highway number 9. Jim was driving his own car and about 30 minutes after leaving LaGrange, at a very dangerous crossing of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company,just north of Rome City, the car was squarely hit by a passenger train, also going south. The car, a light coupe, was demolished and Jim and his friend Bixley were both instantly killed. James A. Beecher was the fatherof Francis Beecher who was drowned in Pigeon River, near Howe, Indiana. Being everybody's friend, Jim certainly left a vacancy in the community.

5. Newspaper: Pharos-Tribune: Train Demolishes Auto; Two Killed, 24 Feb 1932, Logansport, Cass, IN. ⁴ Kendallville, Ind., Feb 24 -- Two men were killed near the Knelpp sanitarium north of here last night when their auto was struck by a Pennsylvania passenger train.
Cecil Bixler, 42, LaGrange, and James A. Beecher, 46, Shipshewanna, were the victims.

6. Newspaper: The Indianapolis News: Train Kills Salesmen, 24 Feb 1932, Indianapolis, Marion, IN. ⁶ Cecil Bixler and James A. Beecher Victims as Passenger Hits Auto.
LAGRANGE, Ind., February 24 (A.P.) -- Two traveling salemen were killed last night when a Pennsylvania passenger train struck their automobile at the Knight sanatorium crossing, eleven miles south of here. They were Cecil Bixler, age forty-two, of Lagrange, representative of the Rock of Ages Corporation, and James A. Beecher, age forty-six, of Shipshewana, employed by the Moline Plow Company.
Bixler, a world war veteran, is survived by the widow, his parents and a sister. Beecher leaves the widow, a daughter, his father and a brother.

James married Belva Farver, daughter of John Farver and Unknown. (Belva Farver was born on 1 Sep 1884 in , , IN,^{5 7 8} died in Oct 1974 in Shipshewana, LaGrange, IN ^{7 8} and was buried in Howe: Riverside Cemetery, LaGrange, IN ⁸.)