Monday, Dec. 3, 1945
Grayson Merchant dies in Howe

James Lafayette Blackburn of Howe, former Sherman hardware store owner and pioneer Grayson county business man, died in a Sherman hospital at 3:30 a.m. today following an illness of six weeks. He was 74.

Mr. Blackburn owned a hardware store on W. Houston St., which bore his name for 15 years. He sold the concern to Jack Dodd several months ago and went into retirement at his home in Howe. Earlier, Mr. Blackburn had operated a hardware firm in Howe for 15 years.

An active Mason for many years, in North Texas, Mr. Blackburn was a past master of the Howe lodge. He was a member of the Howe Methodist Church.

Born in Georgia July 8, 1871, Mr. Blackburn came to Texas with his parents the late Albert and Elizabeth Blackburn in 1888. He was educated in Grayson county schools and attended college in Wisconsin. In June, 1898, Mr. Blackburn was married at Tom Bean to Miss Anna Hollinsworth, who survives.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Howe Methodist Church, with the Rev. C. J. Graves pastor, officiating. Assisting in the services will be the Rev. Harrison Baker of Dallas and The Rev. D. L. Payne pastor of the Howe Baptist church.

Burial will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Sherman, under the direction of the Dannel Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be S. L. Ricketts, Dr. J. L. Shelley, Y. R. George, W. W. Collins, Maxie Walling and Roy Morrison all of Howe and P. J. Waldrop and John W. Powell.

Surviving besides his wife are three daughters, Mrs. J. W. Wheat of Ardmore, Oklahoma, Mrs A. S. Luby of Tom Bean and Mrs H. C. Turhan of Howe; three brothers, R. B. Blackburn of Sherman, J. R. Blackburn of Denison and A. M. Blackburn of Durant, five sisters; J. P. Davis of Howe, Mrs. Canna Sherer and Mrs. Wesley Harding both of Tulsa, Mrs. Myrtis Phelan of Memphis and Mrs. Berta Grounds of Talpa, Texas and three grandchildren.

Taken from newspaper article in the Sherman Paper.