DEATH OF ROBERT J. ARNOT



        An Earnest, consistent Christian Passes Away

        From Lexington News clipping



        Robert J. Arnot died at Lexington, Michigan, January 23, 1896
        aged 85 years lacking 24 days.
        His death was caused by heart failure, induced by pleurisy,
        and his last illness was of only six days duration. Funeral
        services were held in the Advent Christian Church, January 4,
        conducted by Rev.A.P. Moore of Buchanan, Michigan; assisted
        by 4 local ministers. The body was laid to rest in the Croswell cemetery.

        Mr. Arnot was born in Florida, N.Y., a village near Schenectady, February 14, 1811 (Valentines Day).

        His father came to this country from Scotland, near
        Edinburgh, at the age of sixteen.
        In 1825 they removed to a farm East of Toronto, Ontario.
        When he was 23 years of age his father gave him 50 acres of
        unimproved land, which he proceeded to clear up and occupy.
        On the 30th of March, 1836, he was married to Sarah Hall.
        Eleven children were born to them, as follows:

        *James
        *Elizabeth, wife of B. VanNest of Croswell
        *Irs, of Lexington
        *William, Cephas of Croswell
        *Silas of Jeddo
        *George of Lexington
        *Phebe J, wife of Dr. W.O. Randall of Port Huron
        *3 children who died in infancy
        *There are 28 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren
        in 1896.

        In March 1852, Mr. Arnot moved his family to an 80 acre farm,
        one half mile West of Lexington, which he occupied until his
        death.

        Some incidents in the journey to Michigan are worthy of
        mention. They drove from Toronto to Sarnia with two pairs of
        horses hauling the family and household goods, about half the
        way on snow. Arriving at Sarnia, they found that the only way
        to reach Michigan was by sending the horses down the river to
        cross on the ice at St. Clair, while the family and goods
        were taken across at Port Huron in skiffs

        and a small sail
        boat between cakes of floating ice. The ice was very rotten
        at St. Clair and men and horses were in great danger of
        breaking through. Mr. Arnot said that when he thought of the
        probability of going to the bottom with all his possessions
        and leaving his wife and five small children penniless,
        in a strange land, it gave him one of the greatest scare
        of his life.

        Another tale was that, after Robert J. Arnot's death in 1896, the huge granite marker on the Arnot Family burial plot was shipped by a Great Lakes Freighter from somewhere in the East to the Port of Lexington, Michigan. There it was hauled the six miles from Lexington to the Croswell Cemetary, Croswell, Michigan by a stone boat pulled by six teams of horses.
        He added to his possessions until he had given to each of his
        children a comfortable home.

        His wife died March 15, 1862. Afterward he married
        Mrs. Elizabeth Livingston, who still survives him.

        By strict attention to business Mr. Arnot secured an easy
        competency. He was able to attend to his business affairs
        up to the last week of his life.

        A local paper states that "Mr. Arnot has played an important
        part in Lexington's history. He was superintendent of the
        poor for Sanilac County for over 25 years, and was very
        conscientious and painstaking in the discharge of his duties.
        He was never known to oppress the poor, but many times
        assisted a poor family in purchasing a home."

        Mr. Arnot was an earnest and consistent Christian, and during
        his long contributed most liberally for the advancement
        of Christianity.