From the Roanoke Beacon – December 15, 1898
Returned Home to Die – As the morning brightened into day on Wednesday last the messenger of death entered the home of Mr. Louis P. Hornthal, on Third street, and wafted to the great beyond the spirit of Mrs. Hornthal’s grandfather, S.H. McRae, Esqr., aged 81 years.
Mr. McRae, in years agone was one of the leading citizens of this town, doing a large shingle business, and before the war was a large slave owner and quite wealthy. Some years ago, he moved to Lewiston, Bertie county, which has been his home ever since. About two weeks ago he came to Plymouth, as the has often done, to visit his grandchildren, Mrs. L.P. Hornthal, Mrs. H.S. Ward and Mr. Clarence Latham. He was in feeble health, but no uneasiness was entertained by him or his people until a few days ago, when he took his bed and gradually grew worse until his sufferings was relieved by death at 8 o’clock on Wednesday morning.
It seems that he had come back to the old home to die. The remains were consigned to their last resting place in the family vault under the shadow of old Grace Episcopal Church, in which so many of his loved ones are sleeping the sleep of the just, on yesterday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock.
