Hide Article Text (OCR)
The Largest Crowd Ever Seen in Bennet’s Grove. BEST OF ORDER MAINTAINED. Crowd Variously Estimat ed at From Fifteen to Twenty Thousand, The Tenth Annual Old Set tlers' Picnic has come and gone. All that remains of it is a mem ory. Many that we there met we will meet no more. The old settlers are fast passing to the great beyond. They have done their work well. They have hewn down the forests and sub dued the soil and left us as a heritage one of the grandest countries the sun ever shone up on. Their ranks, as well as the ranks of the old soldiers, which two our mind involuntarily link together, are being depleted with a swiftness which is to be regretted. Let us honor then the old settlers and old soldiers while we may. The day was ideal and everything seemed to be propitious to a great meet ing. At 10:00 the chairman, A. P Asbury, called the meeting to order and fittingly opened the services with prayer by Elder Wm. O'Neal. This was follow ed by a short address by T. D. Morris, an old soldier of Terre Haute. The audience then sang ‘ALL Hail the Power of Jesus Name.’ Elder Er. G. Denney followed with a stirring address. Then the audience sang 4‘ Near er My God to Thee” as if they felt it. They were getting warmed up in good old fashion ed style. Elder Wm. O'Neal then made an address. Elder D. B. Cheney, pastor of the First Baptist church of Terre Haute was then discovered in the audience and called up to the stand. He made an address of high order on the ‘‘Ideals of Man. ’ The noon hour having now arrived an hour and a _ half was taken for dinner. The afternoon exercises open ed at 1:30 with an excellent ad dress by Ira H. Larr on the “Duties of Mute Men. ’ he spoke valuably for half an hour. From 2 to 3 was the hour set apart for the old soldiers. At the playing of the band at 2 o'clock, Commander M. A. Jen nings of Gaskins Post called all the old soldiers on the ground up to the stand. Nearly 100 of them responded. Among the number was Henry K. Pierson and Henry Ransford who were soldiers in the Mexican war as well as the war of the rebellion. Henry Ransford is 82 years of age. We did not learn the age of Mr. Pierson. There are now only four survivors of the Mexi can war in Sullivan county and Mr. Pierson and Mr. Ransford are two of these. After they had all gathered up at the stand, headed by the flag they all marched around the audience and then took possession of the stand. A rousing speech was then made by W. T. Crawford, beginning with the settlement of Vincennes and Tecumseh and winding up with Theodore Roosevelt, and showing what was necessary to make a suc cessful man and a successful nation. This was followed by an address by Hon. John C. Chaney, Congressman , elect from the Second district, who made an excellent address on the wonderful progress of our country. He was unstinted in his praise of the pioneers and was listened to with marked at attention by the may pioneers who gathered around the stand. This ended the addresses and the baby show was next in order, there were nineteen babies who competed for the prize. Their names were as follows: Jennie Lewis, W. F. Mundell, Herbert Branson, Ida May Watkins, Thelma Sparks, Helen Bland, Beatrice Shassere, Barnet Jew ell, Jr., Josie Jewell,Lon Apple Jr., Mabel Blanch Brown, Ola Kisner, Clarence Gambill, Od etta Barnhart, Dorothy Mc Crocklin, Sarah J. Goddard, Hazel Bailey, Verna Smith, Gertie Owens. Of this number Helen Bland, a granddaughter of Wm. Denney was awarded the prize. The chairman ob jected solely on the grounds that the baby was of kin to Bill Denney. The climbing of the greased pole was next. The top of the pole was reached by two boys—Charley and Adram Rus sell, sons of Frank and Steve Russell respectively. The 2 was divided between them. The eating of buns suspended by strings was among the very amusing features of the day. The prize was won by Adram Russell who got the dollar. The greased pig was caught by Harry Glenn of Shelburn who tied his pig and took it home. It is a red pig and it is hoped he will do well with it. Leslie Crawford won the pota to race and the Xl going with the same. The prize of Si for the tallest person was won by a man known as ‘Uncle Sam''a traveling ad vertiser for a Terre Haute den tist. fe won out over Marshal Scott by about one and one-half inches, being six feet, eight and one-half inches while Marshal touches the beam at six feet sev en. Marshal has always had a cinch on this prize here before and would have taken it this time if “Uncle Sam’ had not made his appearance. Bert Shaw ‘got the prize for the shortest person over 21 years old. When asked his age Bert would not tell any farther than that he was twenty-one past; no doubt for fear it might interfere with his matrimonial inclinations. Uncle Ryant Bar net thought of competing for this prize until he saw Bert when he relinquished all claim. Uncle Jackson Hinkle was awarded the cane for being the oldest person on the ground. He will be 91 years old next Febru ary. Mrs. Ryant Barnet receiv ed the cane offered to the oldest woman. She will be 8 next March. The program was in terspersed throughout with music by the Farmersburg Cor net Band. The following old settlers re gistered their names and ages: Jackson Hinkle 903, Jonathan Smith 904, G. W. Allen 88, Nan cy Barnet 87, Ryant Barnet 87, Elizabeth Norris 86, Samuel De Baun 85, Wm. Curry 835, L. W. Maryme 83, Henry Ransford 82, C. C. Reed 81, F. R. Wallace, Sr. 80, Sarah J. Asbury 79, Henry Wood 79, Leyi McCoskey 79, J. A. Russell 78, Frank Clark 77, Frank Stock 76, John W. Williams 75, Wm. Allen 74, J. G. Lloyd 73, Lacey Cowen 73, Jerry Bennet 72, Robi. Thomas 71, S. B. Wardell 71, W. A. Cowen 71, Albert Cramer 70, W. C. Canaday 70, John Goodman 70, T. P. Hughes 70, John M. Branson 69, J. W. Devol 69, Wm M. Denney 69, Julia Ann Wil liams 68, D. S. Kester 63, W. H. H. Boles 68, J. W. Paddock 67, Jas. Forbus 67, D. L. Baldridge 67, A. J. Asbury 67, J. C. Car penter 66, Josephus Anderson 66, J.T. Halberstadt 63, John Heck 65, Miller Ward 65, Philip Fritz 65, J. S. French 65, Wm. A. Johns 65, Martin G. Fields 65, Clarissa Romin 65,A. Stuts man, 64, J. H. Bennet, 64, D. H. Jones 63, W. H. Lyons 63, A. M. Clark 62, Ed Young 62, P. S. Kester 61, W. H. Johnson 61, Barnet Jewell 61, John Ran kin 61, Samuel R. Cole 60, John Denney 60, David H. Bledsoe 60, Nan A. Denney 60, Arthur Bo wen 49, Wm. Scott 59, W. H. Bennet 59, Wm. J. Hough 59, John S. Johns 58, A. P. Asbury 58, W. R. Smith 58, P. A. Reed 57, Stephen Trueblood 57, Har vey W. Stevens 50. Thus ends the largest and most successful session of the Old Settlers’s picnic. The following letter from Will H. Hays to A. BP. Ashbury, written the day before the old settlers’ picnic explains itself. Mrr. Bays it will be remembered was to have been one of the speakers: Aug. U ¥, 1905. Mr. A. P. Asbury, Farmersburg, Ind. My Dear Mr. Asbury: I have just received word which will prevent my coming to Farmersburg tomorrow. I regret this very much, both be cause I like to meet the good people of Farmersburg and be cause I am always glad to pay my tribute to old age, to express the consciousness of my alliance with excellence which is depart ing. Old Settlers. Those two words stand for much. The word “Pi oneer’’ is a synonym for all that is noble, self sacrificing, cour ageous and progressive. I tell you, I believe in giving honor to whom honor is due. I do not believe in witholding our praise until the subject himself has passed beyond the reson ance of our encomiums. Through the efforts of our Old Settlers and Old Soldiers, this country has grown from an infant coal ation to a nation that has no equal. Today our shores are the stepping stones to freedom, our laws the very offspring of justice and our flag an inspira tion to men of all crimes. The seed flung abroad from our in stitutions have sprung up in harvest and the gleaners have left despotism broken in their track. Truly ours is a country grand, and we owe much to those who made and saved it. No one can gainsay this, my friend. And now, I say, let vir tue and valor be rewarded, and let these old men and women hear what we think of them.The debt we owe them we can never pay. But we can acknowledge the greatness of their service; we can see that there is no neg lected old age. Yes, let us at tend to it that there is ‘‘wo old father or mother sitting in low liness, dreaming of an absent son who never comes, or of a daughter who never writes.’’ If we are false to those who gave us birth we are false indeed. They conceived, created and continued the blessings we now enjoy, and now let us cherish a deep affection for the work they have done and for them, and let us again resolve to perpetuate what they have given us. May God bless the Old Settlers and Old Soldiers, for they have earned it, and may they still long, long be with us. Sincerely Yours, Will H. Hays.
Newspaper Details
Farmersburg Bee
Farmersburg, Indiana, US
Fri, Aug 18, 1905
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Gregg B.
IN, USA 02 Jun 2026
Other Publications Near Farmersburg, Indiana
Farmersburg Progress
Farmersburg News
Farmersburg Bee
