Kern County Obituaries

Thomas Jefferson Spratt

Submitted by Don Stowell; 13 Feb 2008

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit 
or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations 
desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain 
the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of 
the submitter. All persons donating to this site retain the rights to 
their own work.

Source Unknown; 16 Dec 1943

EAST KERN OLD TIMER PASSES ON 	
Old timers of East Kern will view with a great deal of sadness the passing of 
Thomas Jefferson Spratt who died of heart disease on December 3, 1943 while 
on a hunting and prospecting trip in Grapevine Canyon.	
Thomas Jefferson Spratt was born on February 16, 1874 in Grapevine Canyon, 
Kern County, Calif., and there he lived and died. He never married.	
Around the first of the month he started up the Canyon carrying his gun and 
prospecting tools, and the heavy climb proved too much for an old heart.
Having been absent from his home for several days caused his nephews, Paul 
Giraud and Ernest Zucco to notify the sheriff's office that he was missing and a 
searching party was formed which scoured the hills in every direction. On 
December 11th his body was found on the mountain top by the above mentioned 
nephews who notified the sheriff's office, the Coroner upon examination found that 
he had been dead for several days.
His father, John Spratt, a Spanish-American War veteran, came from Ireland and 
settled in Kern county. A brother, John L. Spratt was once Governor of 
Minnesota. 
He is survived by a sister, Mrs. Annie Zucco of Independence, Calif., a half-
brother, Henry Mike Lamont of Portersville, Calif., a nephew, Paul Giraud of 
Grapevine Canyon, a nephew, Ernest Zucco of Independence, Lewis Hamilton, 
another nephew is in the South Pacific with the Armed Forces.
Tom will be missed by scores of friends and neighbors to whom he was known 
for his kindly spirit and his ever ready willingness to assist in almost any 
undertaking	.	
The O'Donnell Funeral Home Mojave had charge of the funeral arrangements. 
Funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Floyd Bailey, pastor of the 
Community Congregational Church of Mojave and interrment took place 
yesterday in the Mojave cemetery.