USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Poems and sketches: consisting of poems and local history; biography; notes of travel; a long list of Wayne County's pioneer dead, also many names of those who lost their lives in defense of their country during the late rebellion > Part 7
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Yet, 'tis the fashion, and we do it, However wrong, or long we knew it ; We all debauch what should be pure, And need a prompt, heroic cure.
Then let us turn a leaf to-morrow - Renewed in grace, sans sin or sorrow - Rejoice in what the Lord may give, And lovingly and justly live.
Not only thank Him once a year, For that ungrateful doth appear ; Nor even one day out of seven, . But daily, render thanks to Heaven.
NOVEMBER 30, 1893.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
We are a puny race of creatures, With little range of mental vision ; And oft assume the role of teachers, When we deserve the world's derision.
Away with such presumptive folly - "Tis but the self-esteem of fools, Whose ways are evil and unholy, Because untaught of wisdom's schools.
Man's urgent need is common sense, To regulate his acts and deeds - A love supreme, without pretense, And works, instead of forins and creeds.
Thus, he may hope to show mankind That he is what lie seems to be ; And not, with dogmas, crude and blind, Obscure the little light we see.
Onward and upward, let us rise, From fictions to a truthful goal, And by just methods make men wise, With loving hearts and lofty souls.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
This is, indeed, a goodly world, So far as Nature's God has wrought ; But often have His creatures hurled His good intentions into naught.
Why not be men and brothers, all, And feel that tie which kindred brings ?- The ills of life by love forestall, Which out of every bosom springs.
Be just and true, that voice obey -
That still, small voice, within thy breast - Love God and man ; and every day, Through life and death, shalt thou be blest.
JANUARY 14, 1894.
AND THIS IS TRUE.
That man who undertakes to tell me what the future holds in store, presumes upon my ignorance or credulity, or both ; and as all men know such knowl- edge has never been imparted to any human being, he may safely be regarded as an impostor and a fraud.
SEPTEMBER 25, 1890.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
"BE JUST, AND FEAR NOT."
To be moral men and women, we must live up- rightly and deal justly -doing to others as we would that they should do unto us. We are always judged according to the deeds done, and not according to our faith or profession. Hence, it follows that what we do is the thing which stamps us good or bad. "Faith without works is dead."
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1892.
SOME REFLECTIONS.
When we attempt to ascend to a higher degree of goodness than that prescribed by morality, we are wholly out at sea. The mind cannot grasp the invis- ible or the unknowable, or attain to the unattainable.
A superstition is a false faith - a belief in improb- able or impossible things -- the religion of ignorance.
FEBRUARY 6, 1885.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
AS I SEE IT.
I find it impossible to believe that Deity ever created human beings in this world that He might punish them in a future state ; for, knowing the end from the beginning, as an All-wise Being must, such an act would be inconsistent with the nature and con- duct of a loving, just and merciful God -impossible, even, with a human parent ..
That great, first Cause, whose supreme wisdom and power created all things, and whose mysterious laws sustain a universe of suns- and systems of revolving worlds, whose numbers are infinite, and whose extent is without bounds - is too great and glorious to be com- prehended or understood by such puny, finite beings as ourselves. Yet reason teaches us (and it is our only guide) that, from such an exalted source, good alone can flow -only love, justice and mercy, to the least, as to the greatest of His creatures.
MARCH 2, 1884.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
JEWELS ARE JEHOVAH'S TRUST.
[ The following poem was written years ago, under the inspiration of the author's early teaching.]
It is written, it is written - And its truth all things disclose - Jesus is the fount of mercy, Yielding balm for human woes.
Sun and moon and stars attest it ; Angels sanction it, above ; And the very breezes whisper, "Jesus is the source of love."
Rustling brook and mighty river - As they course the earth's domain - Praise Him ever and forever, Low or loud, in sweet refrain.
All the universe of matter, All the planets, as they roll ;
Blue ethereal vault of Heaven - Boundless as the mighty whole -
All proclaim Him Lord and Savior, Mediator of our race - Only source of true redemption, Free contributor of grace.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
Come ye, then, who seek salvation In the gospel of our God : Worship Him, in truth and spirit -- Tread the paths His chosen trod.
Prize not highly earthly gifts,
Nor with Mammon barter gold : Heaven's hopes are endless bliss - Boundless wealth of love, untold.
There no selfish miser hoardeth Sparkling gems, or yellow dust - Such are toys of earthly children - Jewels are Jehovah's trust.
MARCH 13, 1852.
JESUS.
A Triple Acrostic.
Jesus, Thou Justly honored, grant that I Employ my Ev'ry hour in serving TheE ; Secure in Such a cause, we well may blesS Unequalled, Unexampled love from YOU. Surcease from Sin, we ask in our distresS, That our sad lives be fraught with happiness. DECEMBER 26, 1896.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES. ·
"JUST AS I AM, WITHOUT ONE PLEA."
Written during severe illness.
"Just as I am, without one plea," Gladly I come, dear Lord, to Thee ; For I have longed, for many a year, To see Thy Face and feel Thy cheer.
This world is sad and cold, indeed, And of Thy presence have I need - I feel that Thou wilt welcome me, However lowly I may be.
I do not love pretentious fames, Where formal superstition reigns ; Where Jesus - Mary's Son - is first, And God's great Name is scarce rehearsed ;
Where pomp and show and organ's peal, Magnificence, alone, reveal ; Where only pride and wealth abide, And poverty cannot preside.
Lo ! I have lived a simple life, Amid the world's turmoil and strife ; Have sought to be upright and just, And in the right, and Thee, to trust.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
I ne'er employ a mask to hide My weaknesses, whate'er betide, Nor feign to be a saint, when sin Has cankered all my soul within.
Self-righteousness, which long has striven To have its own exclusive Heaven, May find, at last, that all mankind, However vile, or base, or blind,
Will be as kindly welcomed there As multitudes whose trust is prayer ; His goodness, like a mantle, wide, Will shelter all - protect and guide.
For God is just - He made us all : The rich, the poor, the great and small : And from the first our frailties knew, And weaknesses we might pursue.
No earthly parent, here below, Condemns his child to endless woe - Much less the Father of our sires Consigns mankind to endless fires.
A shame on all such falsehoods tauglit - Intelligence well knows 'tis naught But relic of some barbarous age, A plague-spot on the " sacred page."
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
He giveth all His creatures peace --- From worldly strife a long surcease - Where they shall be forever blest, In one eternal, endless rest.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1896.
ALBUM PIECES.
TO BEAUTY.
Written by request, for Mary B-
There are moments in life · When the soul, in devotion, Has knelt at thy shrine In the depth of emotion -
Confessing how vainly It strove 'gainst enrapture, While bowed in submission And yielding to capture.
How ardent the feelings : The heart over-flowing - Its fountains unsealing, Its treasures bestowing.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
O ! Who would not give All of earth's brightest treasures,
One moment to live Through such transport of pleasures.
Alas ! that this world, With its clouds and its sadness,
Presents us no more Of its sunshine and gladness.
FEBRUARY, 1851.
TO MARY MASON.
Lady, when thou seest this, Kindly think of me the while -
And thou wilt confer a pleasure, Even in thy happy smile.
Surely, thine's a fairy spirit, Light and free and gladsome, ever - Chasing care away, and sadness, To return upon us, never.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
Would that I possessed the magic That is sparkling in thine eyes : I should vie with lovely Venus, Twinkling in the evening skies ; I should strive to be the Mistress Of a multitude of hearts, With no stratagem or weapon Save thy artlessness in arts.
SEPTEMBER, 1853.
TO GABRIELLA NEWTON,
On the Eve of Her Marriage to Mr. J. B. Hunnicutt.
May all the joys of earth be thine, And all the fav'ring stars combine To swell the volume of thy bliss In worlds to come, as well as this.
May sweet content and rosy health Be part of thy domestic wealth, And ne'er a care invade thy cot, But happiness be all thy lot.
DECEMBER 7, 1851.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO MARY FINLEY.
Written on our return from a picnic in the grove near Westville, Ohio.
The sun is now set, And the flowers are wet With the dew, which from Heaven descended ; And evening appears As the coming of years, With night's sable curtain suspended.
Farewell to the day, And to Phoebus' bright ray ; We will seek, in sweet slumber, repose, Till the dawn's early light Shall dispel the dark night, And Aurora shall smile as the rose.
May never a care To thy bosom repair, To lessen the joys of the hour ; But, morning and even, Fresh pleasures be given, To lighten the clouds that may lower.
MAY 20, 1853.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO MARY E. H.
O ! Mary, believe me, and deem it not strange That love is most fickle, and subject to range ; Like the bee on the floweret, he sips and he flies To seek some new victim - in gaudy disguise.
He pierces the delicate bud to its core, Then leaves it to pine on the stem, evermore ; His sting is the sharpest that mortals may know, His pleasures so sweet that no heart can forego.
A strange, contradictive compound is this love : It rules on earth, and it rules us above ; It kills or it cures us, it makes sick or well, And more than my pen or my fancy can tell.
Beware, then-O, Mary - of Cupid's sly darts, And shield thee against his gay wiles and his arts ; For seldom we meet with a heart that is true - So fickle and changeful, their number is few.
MARCH 17, 1851.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO MARY ELLEN WARD.
And thou wouldst have me write, Ella, Upon this spotless page ; And write thee something eloquent - Witty, perchance - or sage.
But O ! I ne'er possessed the gift To charm with lay divine ; To sparkle with a ready wit, Or eloquently shine.
Mine is an humbler muse, by far - Unused to lofty flights - Preferring more familiar haunts, To fame's untrodden heights.
Here, then,'s a health to thee, Ella : May joy be ever thine, And love and hope and faith, for thee, A garland, fair, entwine ;
And friendship - purest, peerless gem - May it be set within it ; And thou, and I, and those we love, Appreciate and win it.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
Wishing no care may cloud thy brow, Nor sorrow dim thine eyes, I ask that thou remember me While youthful scenes arise.
JANUARY 27, 1853.
TO ELMIRA BASSET.
-
Acrostic.
Elmira, friends unknown to thee, Long have loved the name thou bearest : Many who were fair to see - In death now sleeping - once the rarest, Radiant gems of life and love - All now gathered home above.
They, like thee, were bright and joyous : Naught of care had marred their pleasures : Birds of song were not more free - Happiness was theirs, the treasures.
May it likewise be thy lot, That, through life's dull round of cares,
Sorrow - all to thee forgot - Ne'er may cross thee unawares.
FEBRUARY 7, 1850.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO REBECCA D. STRATTAN.
When, in the course of after years, we shall be led to take a retrospective view of life, it will be pleasant to revert to early scenes and their associa- tions, to home and its endearments, and the thousand happy hours we spent beneath its venerable roof. Those ties which early bind us to a parent, brother, sister, or associate, will be long in breaking, for the mind dwells fondly on the past, and reckons all the little incidents of youth as golden sands, when, in com- parison, we view them and associate their glitter with the grosser and less real pleasures of maturer life.
There also is a sacredness connected with the happi- ness of youth which makes the vain attempt to be as light of heart and free from care, in after years, a very mockery. So I have often thought it must be pleasing to review a volume on whose leaves are written thoughts and sentiments of those we cherished as our early friends, and though they be no more, they speak a lan- guage to our hearts, the memory of which we long regret to lose.
Thus, may it please thee, " Becca," when, in many a year to come, thou dost peruse these lines, to think of me as one who was, at least, thy friend.
AUGUST 28, 1852.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO SARAH F -.
The flowers have ceased to bloom, dear friend- Their leaflets fall and fade, And naught is seen but withered leaves, Through all the woodland glade.
They tell us of departed Spring, Of Summer's changing glow, Of Autumn and its somber hues, And Winter's chilling snow ;
They tell us, too, of blighted hopes, Which, in the bloom of youth, Shone brightly as the radiant sun, And beautiful as truth.
· But now, alas ! they all are fled - Both faded hopes and flowers - And naught is left us but regrets, For life's young, dreamy hours.
May we so live that when the close Of life's long year is past, We all may join the friends we loved, Where joys through ages last.
NOVEMBER 10, 1852.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO REBECCA MEEK.
May care never rifle thy cheek of its bloon1, Nor dim thy bright eye with a tear ; But freshness and beauty bloom on to the tomb, And love, to thy heart, lend its cheer.
WRITTEN IN 1854.
TO JULIA BRADY.
As memory often wanders back To scenes of yore, I find, alack ! How very few, Of all we loved, remain to cheer Our passage through this mundane sphere, From day to day.
Alas ! they have been called to rest - Their dwelling is among the blest, Beyond the sky. Farewell, old friends - a long adieu ! We, too, expect to follow you - At least to try.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
We hope to share that higher bliss - That joy unknown to worlds like this - In peace divine. O, what a rapture we shall feel, Permitted at His feet to kneel, And seek His shrine.
So, when the sunmons, dread, is given, May we be all prepared for Heaven, And its repose.
Then let us duly act our parts - Perform His will with willing hearts - Nor shun the close.
OCTOBER 21, 1853.
VALENTINES.
TO MISS MARGARET McCOY .*
A Valentine.
The rose, in its beauty, has charms for the eye, And a sweetness, exhaled in perfume - Which, sooner or later, must perish and die, For brief is its season of bloom.
So thou, fairest Margaret, beautiful now In all that this world can bestow, Must also depart, like the roses, I trow, Though spotless and pure as the snow.
May never a care that is harsher than zephyr E'er ruffle thy delicate form, But softly and lightly be fan'ed thy fair brow, Unapproached by life's pitiless storm.
FEBRUARY 14, 1852.
* Miss McCoy was the daughter of Daniel McCoy, one of the con- tractors for the stone-work of the old National road bridge, at the west end of Main street, erected between 1833 and 1835.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO MISS PHŒBE C-
In reply.
Lady fair, lady fair, tell me thy name - Make thyself known to me, fearless of blame. Suspense is unpleasant, and therefore would I, By knowing thee better, exchange sigh for sigh.
Avoid the cold glances which flash from mine een, And change them to love and to mildness, serene. Perhaps, as you say, fair enchantress of love, If I knew thee, I'd give to thy rival the glove.
But thou hast none, I trow - I am free from the chain -
And perhaps, if thou strivest, thy object may'st gain ;
'T is not beauty, alone, that I madly should prize, Nor affectation's arts, nor a love in disguise :
But simple effusions, direct from the heart - Spontaneous, and free from the foibles of art ; Ad referendum, I leave it with thee, To grant my request, or be silent, ye see.
FEBRUARY 14, 1851.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO REBECCA D. S
A Valentine.
I love the maiden in whose heart Nature forms the nobler part, And whose feelings gently flow, Unrestrained by art or show ;
In whose happy smile we see Kindness and sincerity, And in whose expressive eyes Earnest thought and feeling lies ;
One who feels respect is due A father and a mother, too, And, with due regard and tact, Always knows her part to act.
Such an one I long have known - Scarcely daring to confess How my spirit hath been moved By her grace and loveliness.
FEBRUARY 14, 1853.
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
TO MISS REBECCA MEEK. -
Dear " Becca," I meekly suggest it to you -- Not wishing that others should know it - That if you incline to dispose of your heart, On me you'll be pleased to bestow it.
I'll try to deserve it as much as I can, And love it and cherish it well ; So do not be blushing and causing delay, But if you will do it, pray tell, Immediately.
FEBRUARY 14, 1852.
TO MISS MARY R -.
Dear Mary, remember, 'tis Valentine day, And leap-year, forsooth, is 'at hand ; An' if ye'll display half yer charms as ye may, We will do as ye please to command.
I ne'er knew a "lassy " was handsome as yez, Without half a dozen spruce beaux From whom to select, with the greatest of ease, A partner - at least if she chose.
POEMS AND SKETCHES.
217
Then doff the fantastical airs of yer sex - Be "naturl " an' "aisy " an' free ; And when a young "gintleman " "axes " ye nex', Just answer affirmatively - Say yes.
FEBRUARY 14, 1852.
0
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LOCAL HISTORICAL SKETCHES.
PAPER NO. 1. .
N the 9th day of December, 1847, the writer hereof first set foot within the precincts of this fair city, and here he has ever since remained. It was then a mere village of some 2,500 inhabitants, acknowledging John Saylor as its chief executive and head. Elected, first, in 1845, he continued in office until 1852, when he was succeeded by the late John Finley, Esq.
At that somewhat distant period the Friends, or Quakers, as they were commonly called, exercised a very marked influence over the society about them, their numbers being much greater then than now, in proportion to population. They were a thrifty, honest, intelligent people, possessed of many virtues, while their wives and daughters were the peers of any in the land. As a people, however, they were rather 11011- progressive, and lacking in that spirit of worldly enter- prise so remarkably manifest at the present day. They were very tenacious of their religious opinions, and rigid in regard to their teachings and observances. To one not of their faith and unaccustomed to their modes
POEMS AND SKETCHES.
of thought, or manner of life, there seemed an ever- present feeling of restraint and repression -a sort of mental and physical embargo, by no means congenial to liberty of speech and action. Mirthfulness was rarely encouraged, and, if indulged in, was quiet and subdued ; while demonstrations of gayety were rare and guarded. Speech was as silver, but silence was golden. The brilliant hues of beautiful flowers, and the happy, gleeful songs of birds, seemed inappropriate to their surroundings. Instrumental and vocal music were but little understood or cultivated by the people of the time, and by members of their Society in no degree whatever. Such practices were regarded as sinful and as unbecoming the dignity, gravity and soberness of that peculiar people. Their speech and attire were alike of the plainest kind, and every color worn was in harmony with both. Under the shadow of their influence even pastors of other denominations discouraged the wearing of gay colors. Broad-brimmed hats and plain silk bonnets, wholly unadorned, were everywhere to be seen. A bearded face was the merest exception to a general rule, and was not unfrequently the subject of comment and criticism, while the unfor- tunate moustache was held in still greater disfavor, as its wearer was supposed to be of that class whose ways are dark and whose deeds are evil.
The good people of the village were generally dis- tinguished for simplicity of habits and manners, but
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
little effort was made in the direction of personal adorn- ment or display. We distinctly remember that eight yards of material constituted a pattern for a lady's dress, and sometimes even less would serve ; but times have changed - both larger views and ampler garments now hold sway. We remember, also, that the female head-gear did not then consist of those indescribable nondescripts now so fearfully and wonderfully formed, but simply, and in fact, of hat or bonnet, severely plain1-sans fuss or feathers. The folly and extrav- agance of display and dress came by degrees, and were the result of increased wealth, the war, and foreign innovation.
At that day, good boarding could be had for $1.50 per week, and the hire of a horse and buggy was but $1.25 per day. We had neither railroads nor turn- pikes (excepting one to Boston), while gas and electric lights, telephones and telegraphs were, as yet, of the things to come. But a "coach and four" used to carry the mail for " Uncle Sam," and the few unlucky passengers, whose business or necessities required them to be abroad in the land. Cattle, hogs and sheep were then driven by thousands, along the National road, 011 their way to some eastern market. The surplus pro- ducts of the country commanded but a nominal price : hauling by wagon was too expensive, and our present facilities for transportation were not yet in existence. At that time all the business of the village was trans-
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
acted on the three squares of Main street lying between Fourth and Seventh, that between Fourth and Fifth doing much the greater part. No mercantile business whatever was done anywhere off Main street.
A shabby old market-house stood in the middle of South Fourth street, about 150 yards from Main. On the present site of Reed & Vanneman's business block, corner of Noble and Fifth streets, and nearly opposite the west end of the passenger depot, was located Ken- worthy's tannery, the only structure in that vicinity. Where the passenger depot now stands, with its imme- diate surroundings, was an inclosed field, and on the west front of it was the "Quaker walk " leading to Friends' Orthodox Meeting-house-a large, plain, two-storied brick structure, erected in 1823. The walk referred to was partly planked, and separated from the main road by a row of posts. The writer distinctly remembers seeing a horse and buggy, with two occu- pants, stick fast in the mud in front of where stands the " Avenue House "- immediately north of the rail- road crossing, on the west side.
The brick business block now occupying the east side of Fort Wayne Avenue and covering a full square in length, and forming something of a triangle, stands upon "made ground," formerly a stagnant pool - whence came, in Spring-time, the doleful music of the frog. This was then the property of Charles W. Starr, by whom it is said to have been offered for a few
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POEMS AND SKETCHES.
hundred dollars, without finding a purchaser. On one occasion, the writer remembers, water was procured from this source to extinguish a neighboring fire. The old "Starr House," subsequently known as the " Meredith " and "Tremont," corner of Eighth and Main, was considered "away out of town," and even the Huntington House was thought to be inconven- iently far from business. An old inile-stone used to stand on the north side of Main street, between Tenth and Eleventh, marked "One-Half Mile to Richmond." Between Seventh and Tenth streets there were but few buildings, and Ninth street had, as yet, no existence. All east was either orchard, open field, or wood.
Basil Brightwell, Benjamin Strattan, Thaddeus Wright, Jesse ·Meek, John Haines, William Blanchard, John M. Laws, William S. Watt, Willian Petchell, . and Ralph A. Paige were our dry goods dealers, not one of whom is in the business at the present day, and only two of the ten survive, to answer to their names, to-wit: Wright and Strattan. Their com- panions have all gone hence, where barter and exchange are unknown and the weary are at rest.
Although not in business here at the time to which these papers refer, Daniel B. Crawford was, neverthe- less, a citizen of this vicinity for years before; and from 1850 until 1896-when he retired - has been a leading and prosperous dry goods merchant in our midst, and still survives, being nearly ninety years
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of age. He has also been identified with various other interests of the city and county, both secular and religious, until · his name has become as familiar as household words.
Messrs. Fletcher & Benton first sold hardware, on the southeast corner of Fourth and Main, afterwards known as "Nestor's corner," now Eggemeyer's, and east of the court-house. Subsequently, Thomas Benton alone engaged in the business, in an old brick building, corner Fifth and Main.
A single member of the old Wiggins firm - Charles O. - with some added juniors, until lately held forth at the same old stand as in days of yore. William L. Brady was also a pioneer, and for many years successfully engaged in the harness trade. Samuel and William Lynde will be remembered as among our principal grocers ; neither must we omit Elijah Githens, in the same branch of trade. The former long did business where George W. Barnes, for so many years, dispensed his excellent family supplies, and where Joseph A. Knabe lately catered to the public wants.
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