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Moundsville Echo, June 112, 1931

DAVID ALEXANDER GAMES

Prominent Moundsville Man, Almost Centenarian, Succumbs Early Today of Injuries Received in Mishap.

One of the two oldest people of Marshall county and of the veterans of the Civil War, died at 4 o'clock this morning.

David Alexander Games, who received a broken hip Wednesday, passed away early this morning at the home of his son James W. at 215 Morton avenue. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made definitely and the time cannot be announced today.

Mr. Games was either 94 or 96 years old. The army records give the former; the family Bible the latter. When Mr. Games enlisted in the first company of volunteers organized in Marshall county in June 1861, he gave his age as 24. The Bible, bearing a date of having been printed in 1877, contains the dates of birth of all the children, in the writing of his wife, and near the last are the names and dates of Mr. and Mrs. Games.

The entry for Mr. Games, in ink in the writing of his wife, is: "David A. Grimes was born in the year of our Lord 1835 February 27." That would make him 96 years old last February 27.

By the army record Thomas S. Terrill of Fork ridge is nearly three years older than Mr. Games, while by the Bible Mr. Terrill is about two months older as he will be 97 in December of the present year. Mr. Terrill also is a veteran of the Civil War and is active every day at light farm work.

THE FAMILY

Mr. Games and Mary Jane Auten, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Auten, were married and raised a family of whom the following survive: James W., Samuel, and Louis of this city and Alvy of Deep Valley, Greene county, Pa., Mrs. Mary Riggs of Fourth street and Grant avenue, Mrs. Dora Johnson, also of this city, and Mrs. Cora Hartzell of near Batson Forks, Moundsville, R. D. 1.

Mrs. Games died August 16, 1911, aged 63.

There are 23 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.

ALWAYS LIVED HERE

Mr. Games was born near where he received the injury that resulted in death. He was working there at clearing a field from the woods when he quit and came to Moundsville and enlisted in the army. He lived for more than 42 years at the home on Morton avenue. Always he lived in or near Moundsville.

Tho not a number of any church, he was pronounced in his attachment to the Church of God, the church of his wife. It is related by members of his family that often the neighbors would hear him pray when he retired at night. During recent years he would tell his children and grandchildren that he wanted to go he said he had lived long enough - and every night he prayed to the Lord to "take him home to Janie."

Not a Sunday passed, whether permitting and often during the week, he walked to his wife's grave, would remark about whether the grass needed cutting and walk home. Recently he would ride over and back, the last trip being made last Sunday.

Tuesday afternoon of this week he walked to the home of his daughter, Mrs. Riggs, carrying a cane, but went home in a car. He ahd been showing increasing weakness for two months, but not much more than a year ago he told his daughter that he felt just a little older than when he was 60 and no older than when he quit work at 70.

HEALTH AND SIGHT SPLENDID

His health was splendid. No person ever was more regular in habits. Every night at exactly 9 he retired and when working he arose at 4 but the past 25 years at 7. Recently he rested on a bed for a brief time in the afternoons.

Wednesday while visiting his daughter Mrs. Hartzel he walked out and showed them where he was working when he left for the war, then went to the house and rested and a grandson asked him to see him unhitch the horses and see how they would run to pasture. One horse, blind of one eye, did not see Mr. Games and ran against him, and in the fall his hip was broken.

Mr. Games had his second sight. He seldom used glasses and would thread a needle and mend his clothing as neat as a woman could do it, up until the last.

His pension was $100 a month.

In politics Mr. Games' father was a democrat and he followed without variation but all or nearly all his brothers and children were republicans.

WAR RECORD

S. R. Hanen is now the only living survivor of Co. I, the first company to volunteer in Marshall county. J. W. Purdy was the first captain and when he resigned H. W. Hunter was promoted from lieutenant.

That company was mustered in the 3rd W. Va. Infantry, later became the 3rd Mounted Infantry and still later was consolidated with the 2nd and became the 6th Cavalry.

The battles in which Mr. Games participated in the three years he was in the war were in the following order: Allegheny Mountain, McDowell (Bull Pasture Mountain)Franklin in Pendleton county, which was an all day skirmish, Cross Keys in the Shenandoah valley, then a series of battles leading up to the Second Battle of Bull Run, Rocky Gap half a mile from White Sulphur Springs, the Salem raid under Averill which was 17 days and the biggest raid of the war, then a battle above Covington, and last was Droop Mountain.

Three or four years ago he said that he never missed a march or a battle, never was wounded and never was sick a day in the army