Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-09-14
A Golden wedding nt Halifax.

Written for The Phoenix.
The golden wedding of Rev. Mr.. Samuel
and Mrs Bersheba Fish. was celebrated at
Halifax on Thursday, August 30th. 1t was
an occasion of rare interest. and one which
: will be long remembered in that vicinity.
At one O'Clock in the afternoon Elder Fish
and wife sat down to dinner with their elev-
en- children, their wives, husbands, grand
children and other near relatives, to the
number of sixty. After dinner the after
noon was spent in pleasant conversation, re-
calling past incidents and relating the REM
inisccnces of personal history and expert
ence. In the early evening the neighbors
assembled. and after a collation., interesting
and appropriate exercises took place. Rev.
Henry c. Fish, d. d. Of Newark, New Jer-
scy. presided. After prayer, the following
hymn was sung, entitled, "The Golden We'd
ding" written by Il son-in-law, Rev. George
W. Clark, of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
We hail the Golden Wedding,
The wedding Of our sire,
And as we gather hither,
RciOin our family choir
Come friends, friends, together join
choir,
Sing of the golden wedding
The bountilul golden wedding,
Of the golden wedding
The wedding Of our sire.
We come from this wide country,
Where scattered we have been,
TO this our parents mansion,
Come friends, come friends, &c.
| va coma with Gifts md hlessinrs.
We come with earnest prayer,
To cheer our aged parents,
Mid trial, toll aud care.
Come friends, come friends, &c.
We come to seek their blessing,
To hear them speak again;
Such rich and blessed seasons,
ut rarely fall to men.
Come friends, come friends. &c.
The tables here are laden,
With choicest kinds Of fare
The tokens OF affection,
And of parents care.
Come friends, come friends, &c
For fifty years parents
Have swcctly journeyed on;
Nav MANY more be given,
Before their setting
Come friends, come friends, &c
May richest earthly blessings,
Be with them to the end,
And grace and mercy ever
Their lives and souls attend.
Come friends, come friends, sc.
The sons and daughters were then Gale,
upon, according to their age, for remarks
: Mr.. Alonzo 5. Fish, Of Ottowa, Illinois, tn
first born, was the first to speak lie brief
reviewed his personal history, and very feel
ingly referred to the way Providence ha
: led him on through life,
The three next in cOursc-AIrs. Survie
II. Niles of West Halifax, Mrs. Bersheb
l.. Niles and Mr.. James p. Fish of Halfa,
not indulging in remarks. Rev. Henry
\ Fish, ID. d., of Newark, n j., then gave a
interesting and instructive sketch of the an
cestry and descendants of his father, tn
t Rev. Samuel Fish From this sketch it aI
, pears that the Fish family sprung from a
ancient Saxon root; the name is upon IN
records of the German nobility, the spellin
being Fisch. At very early date branc
of this original stock is found in England
and upon the colonization of New Englan
/. three persons of this name-Nathaniel, job
r. and Jonathan Fish, came to this country an
settled first at Lynn, Mass, 1t is suppose
that John settled afterward in Groton, CT
as we find man of that name with wife an
children among the first settlers there
1866. He had at least three sons, the thir
of whom was Capt. Samuel Fish, born
1886. Samuel had at least seven childre
the next to the youngest being Nathan, bon
in 1899. Nathan had several children IL
e first-born was named Nathan, after himsel
Of and born 1927. The last Nathan had
children, seven sons and seven daughter
cd The second of these was Samuel Fish. boz
at Groton, Ct, in 175l. He moved to Ha
de fax about the year 1881, with his young vii
Susan Lamb, whom he married January 5t
al 1777. He had eight children, the sixth
whom was Samuel, born October 18th, It's
- married to Survier Packer, Jan'y 3lst, lSl
y They had three children, two now livin
She died May LIST, 1915. March 10th, 18l
he was married to Bersheba Packer, and h
twelve children, nine of whom are now Ii
ing. The living descendants of Rev. San
uel Fish are eleven children, twenty-fi
grandchildren, and three great-grand-ch
dren.
T.. Rev. Mr.. Fish is pastor of the Bapt
a church at Halifax. He has preached in {
town over fifty years, and delivered neal
IDS eight thousand discourses All of his ch
dren are hopefully pious, and with one c
ception he has led each of his children in
n. the baptismal waters, and welcomed the