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■.A•ININETY-IWO YEARS OF AQOF COl XTV KIOHT^KfGHT VKAKS.Drake's llA'iutivcs, Xeig?)hors and Fiieiuls CelebrateDirt 111 (I a y A n n i versa ryLasv Salurday was the 92nd anniversarv of the birth of I^IanniniDrake, of Fairbanks township, an.liis children, ^^-randchildren, greatg r a n d c h i Id r e n and o I; h e i' i* e I a t i e sfriends and neiglibors to ihc nuinbei■of SO persons gathered at the home o1his son, James Drake, one mile southof Fairbanks, wdth whom the venerable gentleman resides, and celebrated the event in a manner most pleasing to him and appropriate to the occasion.1t1The guests came with their baskets packed to the limit with good things to eat and after the old gentleman had received the congratulations of his numerous visitors an hour or tw'o was spent in talking about the pioneer history of the country and other interesting topics, Mr. Drake being wonderfully well posted upon the ovents of the early day.s as well as lt;upon. those of more modern times, and it was an easy matter for him to entertain his guests.Two long tables were set and the tempting vfands spread upon them, after which two men picked up the large, easy chair in which Mr, Drake was seated and carried him to the festal board, where he was given the seat of honor. The dinner was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the feasting and merry-making lasted for an hour or more, and after all their appetites had been satisfied there wj^lenty of food left to have served another company fully as large.Manning Drake was born in Butler county, O., June 17, 1813, and when he was but 4 years of age his parents moved to Fairbanks towmship, Sullivan county, and settled within a mile of where he now lives. Here he grew to manhood and in 1833, when 20 years of age, he was married to Hannah Dix, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Seth Dix. Three daughters were the result of this marriage, and in 1839 Mrs. Drake died.In 1S4 1 Mr. Drake w^as united in marriage to Margaret Armstrong and to this marriage eight children, five sons and three daughters, were born, six of whom are still living. They are: Mrs. Malinda Gaskins, JamesJ., Ira, Manning E., Drake,and Mrs. Margaret Ellen Scott. Benjamin and Sarah are the names of the deceased children. Mr. Drake's second wife died October 22, I860.In 1870 Mr. Drake married his third wufe, his bride beiii.g Mary Wallace.■Notwithstanding Mr. Drake's 92*■ ■years of life, he is enjoying fairly good health. He is rather feeble, it is vrue, but. considering his age he is in as good health as could be expected and his hosts of friends are hoping that he may celebrate many other J)irtkday anniversaries before the Grim Reaper calls him to his reward.It does not fall to the lot of many iudividuals to live for SS years in one county and totvnship, but that is the record held by ]Mr. Drake, as he is now past 9 2 years of age and was but 4 years of age when his parents settled in Fairbanks township. He is a man with a remarkable memory and can relate events with absolute accuracy of detail that occurred SO years or more ago.Mr. Drake was one of the most successful farmers Sullivan county ever produced, and at one time owned 120 0 acres of laud in Fairbanks and Curry township?. While he was prosperous from the very beginning of his married life, i: was not uiu'' the brenlcing out or (lie iebellion iliM he began to acc-iiuuh'.te jjroiYOitv. Then evei’v opnoriunily that jjieseiit-ed itself was grasjied ^^ith a nrm liaiul and, being a good fuiant-uM', he nuide every doliai- count and in a tew years | ■was one of the largest laud owners of the county.Several yeai's ago he grew weary ofthe care of his faiuus and other property and divided up the greater portion of his landed estate among his children, liecpiug enough, however, , to iiisiu'G liimseif against want dur- pas1i:daCa1S'UB»P'UvlwViJUhih(hfRl‘!])I(/(haen'..1*• fc •ing Uie remainder of hi.s life. The ^property he now owns ^YOuid be suf- j boi ficient to make the average citizen 1 feel like a I'ich man, but it is a small portion of what he formerly posessed.He has heen and is a good citizen and deserves the .success he has achieved.caiwa
Newspaper Details
Sullivan Democrat
Sullivan, Indiana, US
Thu, Jun 22, 1905
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 03 Sep 2018
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