Crossville Chronicle December 13, 1934

While the condition of Prof J S Cline was reported some better Wednesday of last week, he took a turn for the worse Thursday morning and passed away at 9:00 a.m. as the result of a paralytic stroke he sustained Monday, November 26. He passed his 80th birthday October 15th.
Funeral services were held in the Congregational Church last Sunday afternoon by Rev A Nightingale. In spite of the day being very raw and disagreeable, people were present to the extent of the capacity of the two rooms of the church.
Crossville Masonic Lodge, of which he had been a member for many years, performed Masonic rites at the gravesite.
He is survived by his wife; 5 sons, Virden Z, Cornell, Rolloe, Kermit and Delmas; 4 daughters, Lois, Iona, Ida and Irma; 2 sisters, Mrs S C Brown, Athens; Mrs B C Bishop, Crossville; 1 brother, S C Cline, Crossville.
All of his children, who were not here before his death, arrived from Chicago Friday afternoon before the funeral. Besides the immediate members of the family, the married sons and daughters were as follows: M/M Kermit Cline, M/M Rollo Cline, M/M Lucien Saracino, Mrs G W Proffitt, Cornell and Delmas Cline, and Ida Cline.
Josiah S Cline was born October 15, 1854 in St Joseph county, Indiana. At the age of 16 he moved with his parents to Tennessee and located 4 miles east of Crossville.
At the age of 18 he taught his first school near his home. Shortly after the close of his school term, he returned to northern Indiana where he worked his way through Valparaiso Normal Institute, graduating with honors in 1882. Shortly after graduation, the President of the college made this statement "Of the many thousand students that I have come in contact with in our school, Mr Cline is the most brainy."
The early years after graduation were spent teaching in Indiana and Iowa. In Iowa he was Superintendent of Schools in Wapello, where he met the lady who afterwards became his wife. In June 1890 he was married to Lillian S Sweeney. To this union were born 12 children, 9 of whom are still living.
For more than 43 years, Professor Cline has been connected with the educational interests of Cumberland county, serving in an official capacity for 37 years as County Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Prof Cline was always a tireless worker and was very active up until 10 days before he was stricken. On his 80th birthday he walked more than 20 miles and visited four schools.