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next week.ChamneBs Reunion.The first general Chamnees Reunion held on the Dalton Fair ground last Saturday was a success in numbers, pleasure and interest. The various exercises were good; some of them of much literary merit. A conservative estimate of the number present belonging to the family puts it at about 250. The crowd was more than doubled by others who4 *were impelled by curiosity or interest. Wayne, Henry, Randolph, Delaware, Howard, Grant, Adams and jay counties were represented, and the State ot Kansas by Prof. W. C, Pidgeon and family. The exercises were opened by singing of Coronation,reading of the 43rd chapter of Isaiah, and invocation by Mahlon Chamness. The President, Mahlonspoke oi tne many presented there, and hoped t might all finally join in one grai union in the upper sanctuary. Repaired that the exercises of the day wouU give honor to the great Head of the church as well as our forefathers, many of whom were pillars in the church. In conclusion he showed the old family bible of the elder William Chamness, which is more than a. hundred years old, also the table which they used after coming from North Carolina more than fifty years ago.Jos. P. Chamness, of Geneva, Iod., followed in a response of some length.zie so venerates the name that she will not exchange it for any other. The early history of the family was next read. The origin of the family was peculiar. Anthony Chamness, its progenitor, was stolen in England when a boy and brought to North Carolina about 1730, and sold out till he was twenty-one years old to pay his passage. When he became a man he joined the society of Friends, married Sarah Cole and settled on Cane Creek, in Chatham county. To them were born five sons and five daughters. We can trace the descendants of but two of hi children, Joseph and Joshua. Joseph married Margaret Norton; for his second wile Hannah Beeson, each of whom bore six children. Joshua married Rachel Williams. They had four sons and four daughters.The reunion was composed entirely of the des-cendents of Joseph and Joshua.William S. and Ebenezer Chamness gave some recollections of their grandparents, which will be used as biographical sketches.Chamness, in his address of welcome, ... . TT , ,gave, cordial greeting to all prej^ spoke of the many broken famiiid^Hknflnt” Whfln rnnt.flnt.ment has hfloome.ent.” When contentment has. become interwoven into a man’s life as to be-bme a part inseparable from his character shutting out all ennobling pursuits beyond a certain limit, it has become to that man a misfortune and a calamity. Ignorance is often the result, and indolence the cause of contentment. Discontent arises either from ambition or from aspiration. The brute has neither ambition nor aspiration, hence is content. Man is both ambitious and aspiring, and is therefore restless. Ambition and aspiration are as distant aud opposite each other as are darkness and lignt. Ambition is a glorious cheat, as-He said that we from a distance, are piration is a glorious success.”. He em-grateful for the welcome received; even I bellished these sentiments with various a band-shake gives joy. The object of I illustrations to prove their correctness, the meeting is to do good. He emphas- j Prof. Pidgeon was on program for a ized the sentiment that fco do good we ‘must be good ourselves. What we do this day will count into eternity. We should lay the proper stick in the properhalf hour’s talk on The evening of the nineteenth century.” But the hour growing late and the crowd growing restless bespoke a few minutes on theplace. Our lives are just what we lei I great advantages of living in the eve ofGod make them.General responses followed in which letters were read from Anthony Chamness and Emily Cox, of Brunswick, N, C., Sarah Healton, of Whittier, Cal., M. W. Chamness, Hennessy, Oklahoma, and others. The response that followedthe 19th century, and excused himself from.further speaking.Resolutions of thanks to Anthony Chamnees and H. W. Dixon for their woik in examining records in N. C. were passed. Also to the executive eommifc-, .tee for their management of the reunion,these letters showed that they were I The committee on organization reporfc-highly appreciated. During the noon. I ed as follows: The reunion' shall behour the supply of loaves and fishes” held annually on the second Saturday seemed almost miraculous. We wonder of Aug., and selected the Dalton Fair how the ladies in these panicky days I ground as the place for ’94. The officers can find so much that is wholesome andare Mahlon Chamness, President; Jos. palatable to our voracious appetites. p. Chamness, 1st Vice-President; HenryThe afternoon exercises were begun. Chamness, 2nd VicedPresidenfc; Caroline by singing and invocation by W. C, Chamness, 3rd Vice-President; Z. Han-Pidgeon. The marriage certificate of son, correspondent sec,; A. A. Chamness, William and Isabel Chamness was read. I recording sec., Isabel Chamness, treas-They were married m Providence meet- urer.ing^N, C., Nov. 9, 1791. The roll ou The exercises throughout were inter-their desccndenfcs was read, showing spersed with singing by the choir. At that thev have reached the fifth genera- the close all engaged' in singing “God tion and number 322, 73.6 per cent, of | be with you till we meet again.” Bene-whom are living. Ella Reynolds recited diction by Joseph P. Chamness. The A Stray Sunbeam.” Wenlock Rey- crowd dispersed with fond anticipation nolds read a paper in which he eharac* I of meeting again in one year.terized the reunion as having a broad-purpose in binding together all having the same ancestry in a broadened friendship, more extended acquaintances and in perpetuating family history. TheZ, Hanson.Where Are We?Ed. Enterprise:—Had we not betterr hfilt in nl n vofi 1 iV i v pL Vl , I stop and inquire where we are ? Are wetil r iL* }iear^ in the millenium ? One would conclude^naanA T xr™ ”2,« abide in {rom tbe preaching and praying be hearsI in our churches that there is no more sin rhamip(2^miiv a ^° i ? *n tlje world. The prayers you hear are Win Jho 1T? a only for the peace and happiness of the,Chamness- boy|sajn^8lt; q^hey even pray earnestly fornnt?fh i tr.aU8* our financial troubles, but never a wordn Carolina, I for the wickedness of the land, such asnnv sk ° , a8®./9 I profanity, Sabbath breaking, gambling,n?^H?rfl ft? a beautiful or even the curse of all curses, the liquorpicture of his condition m life, worse .zLtt luupicture of his condition in life, worse than orphanage. But the strong English boy was not dismayed nor discouraged by their peculiar conditions. When he reached manhood’s estate he married one of Carolina’s fair daughters, and became the worthy progenitor of a large and intelligent family scattered, from Albemarle to the Golden Gate, and filling nearly every vocation in life, Sylvester Chamness in his response claimed that there is no reason for any sad reflections in the past, that the kidnapping of the boy had resulted in establishing a great family, and that if the boy had not been brought to America a great many worthy men and women would have sought wives and husbands elsewhere. He eulogized thefamily and claimed that even Miss Liz-traffic, with its attendant crimes, compared with which the financial condition is but as a drop to the bucket. They cry peace, peace, when there is no peace. Tne watchmen upon the walls, if they open their eyes, must see the sword coming, but are they warning(the people of the perils that are threatening our eoun-H.djK *10 and $20, Genuine Confederate Bills only- five cents each; $50 and $100 bills 10 cents each; 25c. and 50c. sbinplasters 10 cents each, SI and S2 bills 25 cents each. Sent securely scaledon receipt of price. Address, Chas, D.Barker, 90 Sf Forsyth St., Atlanta, Ga,. lt;*
Newspaper Details
Richmond Enterprise
Richmond, Indiana, US
Fri, Aug 18, 1893
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Lacy K.
IN, USA 10 Feb 2022
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