Person Page - 38

Death wins an empty victory in the taking of Miles Murphey Canaday, for his record in life was made and stands unchanged by his departure. His was a firm, straightforward life, lived intensively and courageously. He knew how to meet the little trials and problems of life with unfailing cheer and confident hopefulness. And no trial was so great as to break through his rigid integrity, which is the outstanding feature of his dealings with all men.

Throughout his lingering illness he looked with clear-eyed vision to life beyond the grave, as if he knew that Death would only take him lightly by the hand and lead him on.

Miles M Canaday was born August 17, 1851, the youngest of ten children of Nathan and Nancy Canaday. He was born to the pioneer life of Indiana on the farm northeast of New Castle which his father had entered direct from the government. His boyhood was spent on the farm clearing and tilling the soil. Through this early period ran the thread of sterner facts of life, demanding hard work, courage and strength. But he knew how to enjoy the country, and he appreciated his background of green spring meadows, summer fields of waving grain, broad corn fields with their autumn fodder shocks, the shadowy forest roads, and winter days like those immortalized in Whittier's "Snowbound." He gladly seized such small opportunities for education as came to him. By farming and teaching country school he saved enough to enable him to go to Cleveland for a course of bookkeeping at a business college. In 1882 he came back to New Castle and secured a place at the First National Bank where he remained for nearly twenty-one years. Then he resigned in order to assume the position of Assistant Secretary of the Central Trust & Savings Company at the time of its organization in 1903, and was actively identified with the growth of that institution until the time of his death.

On May 10th, 1883, he married Sarah Helena Schmidt, daughter of Lewis and Barbara Schmidt, and the new home was founded in a cottage at the corner of Church and Twelfth streets. In this home was reared a family of four boys, the third child, a daughter, having died in infancy. As a father, he devoted his life to his children. His unceasing labor was always with the end in view of giving them opportunities. In his last months of life his hopes to regain health were largely nourished by his desire to see completed the task he had set for himself -- to accomplish the school education of his four boys. With this wish in mind he hoped to live; but he was resigned to God's will, and felt prepared for death whenever it should come.

Beyond his love and devotion to his family and his delight in garden and orchard and all that has to do with home-making, he had great interest in all things that meant the betterment of the community and prosperity of the town.

His great civic pride took active form in efforts to secure many of the town's most important improvements. He was a forceful member of the town board from 1832 to 18__ when New Castle was in its formative period, and electric lights, cement walks and similar public utilities were, struggling for recognition. He was chairman of the board during a part of this period when these improvements were instituted. Again, three years ago he was elected to the city council of Greater New Castle and made Chairman of the city Finance Committee. He was serving in the capacity when illness took him from his duties.

He was a staunch Republican, and held it a man's duty to vote at every election.

In everything he undertook he gave his best efforts. He was an enthusiastic member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for 43 years, and for 16 years its treasurer. He was for 13 years an active member of the Independent Order of Red Men, and enjoyed the companionship and helpful friendliness of the members of these organizations.

He was a diligent and devoted member of the Christian Church for 63(?) years, having two years ago completed a term of ten years as treasurer of the church. For an even longer period he served as deacon and trustee in the church, and his interest in the practical development of his resources never wavered. The church in a deeper sense was a constant source of guidance and inspiration in his life.

He was proud of New Castle and all that belonged to it. At the hospital in Chicago he took pride in showing the friends he had made there the kind of roses that came from "New Castle, the Rose City."

Ten years ago he undertook the improvement of the Woodward estate on North Main street, and transformed it into an addition to the town. He always gave freely of his time and money to worthy local enterprises. Even to his last moments life seemed to him an endless call to new efforts and new hopes. After nearly a year of fruitless struggle with illness, he died at 4 o'clock on the morning of February 28, 1917, at the Presbyterian Hospital, Chicago.

To his wife and his four sons who survive him now comes that wistful longing that he might have lived beyond this time with them. But in the presence of the ancient mystery they have the consolation of his clean, ___ life. The immediate relatives who survive him are his widow, Mrs. M. M. Canaday, of New Castle; his four sons, Ward M. Canaday, of Toledo, Ohio; Miron S. Canaday of Ithaca, N. Y; Frank H. Canaday, of Chicago, and Wilbur D. Canaday, of Cambridge, Mass; a sister, Mrs. Jacob Gough, and a brother, Henry H. Canaday, both of New Castle.

All the surviving relatives look with pride upon the record of achievement and unimpeachable honesty and integrity which Miles Canaday left behind him. From one of New Castle's leading citizens comes the following tribute, addressed to Mrs. Canaday, the wife of the deceased:

"It is with sorrow that I learned of the passing of your good husband, and I hasten to extend to you and the boys my sincerest sympathy in this hour. But there is a brighter side, as my fifteen years of association with Mr. Canaday showed me. It is indeed good fortune to have spent one's life as a wife or son with a God-fearing, home-loving, and high type of man, and in the years to come this will be a consolation to you and your sons."
New Castle, Ind., March 4, 1917.¹