| Death of Capt. C. H. Eager
Capt. Charles H. Eager died at the home of his daughter and only child, Mrs. Frederick Woods, 21 church street, Newton, this morning. He had been ill with pneumonia, but the crisis seemed to have passed, Jan. 24, and his friends expected that he would recover, but heart failure terminated his life. Capt. Eager was born at Northboro, Sept. 8, 1830, and was a son of Col. William and Harriet (Wittemore) Eager. His father died at Northboro in 1837, but his mother lived till 1869. Capt. Eager came to Fitchburg in 1848 and engaged in the crockery trade with Henry R. Phelps, their store being in Central block. Later he formed a partnership with Nathan Whitcomb and the firm of Whitcomb & Eager were engaged in the hardware business at a store which occupied a part of the site of the Phoenix block. Shortly before the breaking out of the Civil War, Capt. Eager was in trade at Baltimore. The assault on the Mass. 6th regiment greatly affected him and he promptly returned to Fitchburg to offer his services to his country. He had previously served in the Fitchburg Fusiliers when it was a state militia organization, and when it was mustered into the United States service as Company B, 15th Mass. regiment, Aug. 1, 1861, he was commissioned second lieutenant, he was promoted to first lieutenant, May 11, 1862, and to captain, Oct. 15, 1862. He resigned on account of ill health, Feb. 2, 1864. He was a brave soldier and a fine officer. He was in nearly all the battles in which the regiment was engaged up to the time of his resignation. After his discharge from the army Capt. Eager was employed at the adjutant general's office in Boston for several years. Later he was connected with the United States and Canada Express company, which was afterwards merged into the American Express company, and he had charge of all the company's incoming express matter and money at Boston. Failing health compelled him to retire from the responsible position in the autumn of 1899. Mrs. Eager, who was before her marriage Miss Zibbie (sic) Wetherbee, a sister of Mrs. Alfred R. Ordway, died in 1885. Capt. Eager leaves besides his daughter, one brother, John D. Eager, of Niantic, Ct., and one sister, Mrs. Laura W. (Eager) Eager of this city. The funeral will be at Newton on Monday; the hour is not yet learned. |