John Robert Petrie January 25, 1923
(from Sycamore Tribune January 27, 1923)

John R. Petrie, veteran of the Civil war, member of a family which came
from Van Buren, N.Y., and settled in Charter Grove, this township, over
70 years ago, died at the home of his daughter Mrs. William Snyder on
West State Street, in this city yesterday, Thursday morning, Jan. 25, of
pneumonia and complications, after an illness of about two weeks, at the
advanced age of 86 years.

John Robert Petrie was born in Canton, N.Y., Aug. 10, 1836, and was only
a lad in his "teens" when he came with his parents Leonard and Martha
(Wilson) Petrie and their several children to Sycamore. Here he
attained the years of manhood, and on July 4, 1860, was united in
marriage at Dekalb to Anna Lovelace.

Soon after his marriage he responded to his country's call and enlisted
for service in the Civil war. He continued in active service, a good
soldier, to the end of the war. For a number of years he was employed
in farming, then in sinking wells, and as a brick-maker and was widely
known as a wood-chopper, being for many years largely employed in the
woods, and with his powerful arms had probably felled more trees than
had anybody else in the county.

His wife died seven years ago. He leaves surviving four sons:
Clarence, Bert, Otis, and John, one daughter, Mrs. Alice Snyder, and
nine grandchildren.

Mr. Petrie was one of the few surviving members of Potter Post, Grand
Army of the Republic, which had always been the largest post in the
country, of the members of which there are now only ten surviving, and
military honors will be shown at the funeral which will be held at the
home of deceased's son, Otis Petrie, on Stark avenue, at 2:30 o'clock on
Sunday afternoon. Rev. N.E. Spicer, pastor of that church, which Mr.
Petrie attended, will conduct the services. The interment will be in
Elmwood cemetery.