The Nebraska Teacher
December 1920, page 172
Current Events

John Adams Monroe of Plattsmouth is 86 years old and came to Nebraska in 1857. He is a member of an old New England family. There were nine sons in the family and they were named after the early presidents and other leading statesmen. There were Andrew Jackson Monroe, James Madison Monroe, Thomas Jefferson Monroe, and others. Mr. Monroe lives in the house where Peter A. Sarpy died and his collections of early Nebraska are among the most interesting.

Contributor: Becky Martin (47418636) •
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The Plattsmouth Journal (Plattsmouth, NE), Monday, February 20, 1928; pg. 1

Aged Resident Leaps to Death at County Farm

John Monroe, Aged 92 Years Climbs From Window and Leaps to Shed Roof Below.

From Saturday's Daily -

John Monroe, aged ninety-two, a resident of the this city, last night leaped to his death from the room in which he was sleeping on the second floor of the main building of the farm.

The aged man has bet n suffering from mental feebleness for some time and has required a great deal of care to prevent wandering away from the farm as he had desired to return to the former home in this city from which he was taken to the farm for better care and where he could he given the proper attention. The aged man was thought to be harmless and was given sleeping quarters with other residents of the farm in the dormatories (sic) located on the second floor of the building.

Last night shortly after midnight the aged man arose and was able to get the window raised and unhooking the screen that covered the window he started to crawl out and before the others in the room could prevent him or Superintendent Jess Elliott reach the scene, the unfortunate man had taken the plunge from the window, alighting on the roof of a small shed built over the cellarway on the west side of the building, from the shed roof he rolled to the ground some eight feet below and when rescued was suffering very much from his injuries.

Medical aid was summoned and it was found that he was suffering severe internal injuries and from which he died at 5 o'clock this morning.

The deceased leaves a wife who on Tuesday had gone to Omaha where two of the daughters reside, another daughter resides at Sidney, Nebraska, and the residence of the son, Elmer E. Monroe is unknown at the farm and so far the members of the family have not been located in Omaha. The funeral arrangements will be withheld until after the family can be communicated with.

John Monroe has been a resident of this city for a great many years, coming here in the early seventies and was a veteran of the civil war. Several years ago one of the sons was killed in the local yards of the Burlington, while he was engaged in switching. The deceased was long a familiar figure on the streets here, and up until the last year and a half was able to he around and performed his manual labor as well as a man many years younger altho he had passed his ninetieth year.
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The Plattsmouth Journal (Plattsmouth, NE), Thursday, February 23, 1928; pg. 1

Funeral of Civil War Veteran Held Today

John Monroe, Aged 92 Years, Is Laid to the Last Rest at Oak Hill Cemetery.

From Tuesday's Daily -

This afternoon at 1:30 at the First Methodist church (sic) was held the last rites for John Monroe, aged resident of this city, who died on Friday night as the result of a fall.

The services were in charge of the pastor of the church, Rev. Harold E. Sortor who gave words of comfort to the bereaved family and a sketch of the life of the departed, that has covered almost a century of existence.

During the service Mrs. E.G. Shallenberger gave two numbers requested by the members of the family, "Asleep in Jesus" and "Sometime We'll Understand."

The pall bearers were selected from the grandsons of the deceased. At the cemetery a short prayer was given and the soldier's last salute given by George Caldwell, bugler, as the body was laid to the last long rest.

John Adams Monroe was born April 1, 1835, in Shelby county (sic), Indiana, and passed away in the city of Plattsmouth on February 18th, 1928, at the age of 92 years, 10 months and 7 days, his death being the result of the injuries sustained by accidental falling.

The deceased had been a resident of this city since 1881, he and his family coming here from Missouri in that year. He was married October 20, 1860, in Gentry county (sic), Missouri, to Miss Rebecca E. McCarty, who survives him. They were parents of eight children, four of whom are deceased, those surviving being Mrs. Miranda Mayfield of Memphis, Neb., Mrs. Lillian Sparks of Broadwater, Nebraska, Mrs. Susan Nichols of Omaha, and Mrs. Lizzie Stephens of Omaha. They have also 36 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren.

Mr. Monroe was one of a family of nine brothers and five sisters, of whom there are surviving two brothers and three sisters, all residing in the state of Indiana. He was one of a company who in 1858 made a trip by wagon train from Leavenworth to Utah for the purpose of carrying supplies to the soldiers who were stationed there to protect the settlers against the depredations of the Indians.

He settled in Gentry county (sic), Missouri, in 1853, and was a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted October 8, 1863, in Company C, 12th Regiment of Missouri Cavalry. At the close of the war he located in Gentry county (sic), Missouri, where he and his family resided until they came to this city in 1881.

Mr. Monroe at the age of 18 years united with the Methodist church in his native state, and lived under its teachings until his death. He was quite well known here, particularly among the elderly people, and it was with regret that they observed during the past 11 years his physical condition was being impaired by reason of his advanced age, these infirmities causing the fall that resulted in his death.