WILLIAM SPEED
OBITUARY
William Speed ~ Huerfano County, Colorado
The Independent, 5-15-1931, page 1
OLD TIME PIONEER OF COUNTY PASSES AWAY AT BUTTE VALLEY HOME
William Speed died this morning, May 15, at his home at Butte Valley, which he settled as a homestead in 1877. Mr. Speed came to this country from North Petherton, England in 1871, and first stopped at Abilene, Kansas, in the days of the famous Wild Bill Hickcock, then marshall of that western town, where buffalo roamed the plains.
He then moved to Huerfano County in 1872 and became associated in business with John Palmer and Jack Bond in sheep raising, and also was associated with Charlie and Harry Worthington. Mr. Speed experienced the excitement of grazing disputes between cattlemen and sheepmen of early days.
Uncle Billy, as he has long been familiarly known, won the admiration of the people of that day by his loyal and feerless stand for right and justice, which he advocated to neighbor and friend through life.
William Speed was married to Mary Frances Proffitt, a Butte Valley girl, June 24, 1877. He leaves a widow, two sons and two daughters to mourn his loss - Sidney Speed of Redwing, Fred Speed and Margaret Beeler of Butte Valley, and Mrs. Alice Dancy of Clayton, N.M.
Burial will take place at Butte Valley Cemetery
Sunday at 2 p.m. under auspices of Furphy Brothers
[His remains were moved to the Masonic Cemetery in Walsenburg on 5-22-1953.]
Addendum to Obituary: Preceded in death by a daughter, Della Speed McMahon, died Oct 25, 1918. See Obituary
William Speed was the father of Alice Speed Dancy, wife of Frank Lynn Dancy.
This Obituary provided, courtesy
of KAREN MITCHELL and the Huerfano County, Colorado, genealogy site at:
HUERFANO COUNTY, COLORADO