The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-07-08
The Johnston Family.
A Grand Reunion.

Grand Reunion.
On Friday evening, July End, there was,
at the residence of Father Johnston, in
Toledo, meeting of unusual interest
reunion of all his surviving children,
nine in number, with their wives and
husbands, and all of his twenty-nine
grand children excepting five.
Father U. S. Johnston was born in
Fayette County Pa, October 18th. 1907;
and his wife, formerly Mary Keister, at
Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pa,
Jan. 22nd, 1912. They were married
June 14th, 1882 Mt Pleasant, Pa, was
their home until the year 1872, when, fol-
lowing the majority of their children,
they moved to Toledo, Iowa, where they
have since resided.
They were the parents of eleven chill
drrn, two of whom died in infancy. Of
the remaining nine, eight live and pros
per in and about Toledo, and one, Lavina,
continues to reside at Mt. Pleasant, Pa,
the wife of Mr. Isaac Stauffer leading
| HercLanL OIL llaJ place.
The whole number surviving of the
Johnston family, including parents, chill
dren, with their wives and husbands, and
children's children, is forty-two, as fol-
lows:
PARENTs:-Father and Mother John
ston.
w. F. Johnston and wife, Toledo, Iowa,
1 child.
Wesley Johnston and wife, Toledo, Ia.
7 children
VIM. Wade and wife, formerly Susanna
Johnston, Toledo, Iowa, 9 children.
Isaac Stauflcr and wife, formerly La
VIVA S. johnson, Mt. Pleasant, Pa, s
children.
Jacob Yeser, Jr., and wife, formerly
Lydia X. Johnson, Toledo, Iowa.
! John W. Ebersole and wife, formerly
Sarah X. Johnston, Toledo, Iowa, chill
dren.
| George NJ. Berger and wife, formerly
Sarah X. Johnston, Toledo, Iowa, chill
drcn.
Winfield S. Johnston, Toledo, Ia, IN
married.
Ann Amanda Johnston, Toledo, Iowa,
! unmarried
All the above excepting five of the chill
drer of Mr.. Stauffer were present at the
reunion. There were also present Mrs
Shallenbcrger-- Mrs. W. F. Johnston's
fostcr-mother-E. G. Ebersole, cousin to
the Johnston children, and his wife, Mr.
John Owen and Miss Bell Ritter.
At o'clock supper was announced,
and after Father Johnston had, in most
fitting words, returned thanks for this
happy and yet solemn meeting, twenty
able bodied adults began united effort
to relieve the table of the burden of
breads, meats, fruits, pies, cakes, jcllies,
and ices under which it was made to
groan. But the effort was unavailing; for
Misses Amanda and Anna, who so skill
fully and gracefully waited on the guests,
seemed to have boundless reserve
s0merhsre, from which the table was re-
plenishcd as fast as the victualS disap-
peared; and at the end of forty minutes
the twenty adults fell back, willing to
concede that they were unequal to the
task of clearing that table. But there
were twenty chiLdren ready and anxious
to renew the assault; and after the COM
mandcrs of the victuals had had time to
re arrange their forces, the children were
let in. They made avigorous and gallant
onslaught, but, though they succeeded
admirably in putting the table in confu
sion, we were not able, at our last obsCr
walton, to perceive that the quantity of
good things was materially diminished.
Father and Mother Johnston have real
son to rejoice, in their declining days,
over the family they have reared. Of
their nine surviving children, seven are
happily married, and if the usual signs do
not fail, the other two arc likely to be in
due time. No immoral or disgraccful
conduct on the part Of any child has ever
brought grief to the parents. No son, or
son-in-law, has ever INDUCED in strong
drink, or in any of the prevalent vices of
SOEiCiy, anu We Can tuluh Ol only ONO
who uses tobacco in any form. All the
children, except one, and the companions
OF all who are married, are members in
good standing in some branch of the
Christian Church. All who are qualified
to vote, vote the Republican ticket, and
are invariably found sqHarely on the right
side of every political, social or moral
question. In business, all are industri-
Gus, honorable, economical and sclf-rcli-
ant; and as result Of all their practical
virtues, they are all enjoying good
measure of worldly prosperity, and hold
a high position in the estimation of their
neighbors and acquaintance.
To rear so large family SO well is 4
rare achievement, and one Of which any
parents might well feel proud; and to
meet around the family board forty of
ones descendants, no one of whom has
ever Gisgraccd himself and brought grief
to his ancestors, was the rare felicity of
Father and Mother Johnston on last Fri
day evening.