Miami Union
May 5, 1898

Sidney L. Chaffee was born May 17, 1820, and died April 20, 1898, at his home in Tippecanoe City. A good man has come to a good end. Such in brief is the history of the kind hearted public-spirited old gentleman, whose life ended so peacefully last Friday at 4:40 P.M.

No word of tribute or encornium are needed to embalm his name in the memory of the people of this beautiful village. His life was an "open book, " the perusal of which was denied to no one. From the time he came to this state from his early home in New York, a poor lad, unaided and unalone, to the time his gentle soul took its flight from earth, he was a respected citizen, whose means and abilities made him prominent in the affairs of the town. He possessed to a greater degree, perhaps, than any other man of his time, that admirable quality called civic pride. For the last half century, there has scarcely been an activity of the town which has not felt the marked impress of his potent influence. His support was withheld from no undertaking which ended in making the town more prosperous or more beautiful. Schools, churches, societies and even individuals shared liberally of his open-handed generosity, while his approachable nature made him as yielding to the pleas of distress as his daring spirit made him eager for business. With a quiet yet intense joy, he realized that he had had large share in making this place better than he had found it. Certainly this was a pride which the true citizen only can feel.

The history of this county would be far from complete, which did not recognize his active, aggressive business career and which did not give due prominence to the liberal spirit which supported his enterprises. Yet to those who stood within the inner circle of his life, he appeared a man of few words but of the deepest convictions. To them, the current of his nature seemed deeply bedded and moved silently.

The sunset days of his life reflected a character of the highest existence. Patient and uncomplaining, he bore the tedium of a long illness; tender and trustful as a little child, he enjoyed his home and his friends; and at last, quietly as the coming of a summer evening, he glided from the scene of his earthly home to the silent beyond.

Yes, the noisy brain has stopped, and the tired arm which had so often been lifted to deeds of kindness and benevolence, is at last folded for rest over his troubled heart, but his modest, gentle nature, will live forever in the grateful remembrance of those who know him best and loved him most.