The Press., 1886-04-29
Issued Every Thursday Evening.
LOCAL TOPICS s-PENND AND sCIssoRED.
REMINIsoENoEs OF WILMINGTON.

as we'll as now. Clement Toplif, broth CT of Cyrus, was a man of fine intellect and of much promise. He entered Yale college with prospects as bright as any of his fellow students. He looked forward with fond hope and expectation to life of usefulness. His ambition was greater than his physical powers, and, like many oth- CTS, his strength failed, and he was obliged to seek rest at the house of his brother. During his long illness his fancee, whose name am not able to give, sickened and died very suddenly. This terrible blow, coupled with his already enfeebled condi tion, dethroned his reason, from which he never recovered. His life was ever after blank. yet he lived many years and died at the house of his brother, Cyrus, who al- ways cared for him.
 The most conspicuous monuments of the works of Cyrus Topliff are the many miles of stone wall which he built upon.his farm, some of which keeps it's place in defiance of time, but the larger part has taken an eomatose state of dilapidation. The cur rency of those days consisted of a few Spaulsh and Mexican dollars and fractions thereof, which were more commonly hoard ed than put in circulation, and most busi- ness transactions were carried on by barter. Rough jokes were sometimes indulged in, one or which Will relate:
 Union had the advantage over the sur rounding towns, as she supplied them with white pine. One day a Union man came over the hills into Wilmington with load of pine, and hauled up at the corner of the road where several Wilmington men'were discussing the events of the day, when the spokesman thus accosted him "Well, MT. Bigalow, you have brought us over another load of Union cash. = rt
 ''Yes, says MT. B., "I have to bring over load of pine once in a while to make you coffins of, otherwise you would have to be buried in chestnut coflins, and then you would all go snapping through h-l like an old thorn-bush under poi"
 It IS needless to say the Wilmington man had to treat the crowd.
 Cyrus Topliff and Mercy, his wife, were gathered to their fathers in the year 1925 and rest in the upper part of the old cem- etery in Wilmington.
 Stephen Topliff graduated at Yale, and entered the ministry at Wesifeld, Conn. He was also pastor of the first church in Columbus, O.. two and half years, and closed his ministry after pastorate of six teen years in Oxford, Conn. He removed to Cromwell, where he died several years ago at the age of seventy-eight, being the last survivor of this numerous family. His wife, nee Elmira Wilcox, and one daughter survive him.
 Persis Topliff married John Bissell of Bolton, and afterwards Lyman Colbum oi Stafford, and was grandmother of Marcus Colburn, pastor of the University church of Los Angeles.
 Betsey fopliff never married, but always found plenty of room for usefulness among her relatives and neighbors, the poor anc needy, at the bedside eff the sick, anG wherever her services could avail for tho ' benefit of suffering humanity. Her smile: and pleasant words to the children live on and will continue to be seen and felt by future generations to the end of time Surely these Marthas who spend theil whole lives for the benefit of others art never half appreciated or paid in this life but they will be recompensed at the resur rection of the just.
 Abbie Topliff married Buckley Edwards of Cromwell, and Mary married Fredericl Butler of Middletown. Raymond married Harriet Anderson of Monson, and two sons survive them.
 Sumner married Luvan Leonard, ant has two daughters living
 Marcus never married, but became a SCI captain, and was lost off Cape Halterai with his vessel in a storm.
 Jerome, the eldest, married Lucindi Leonard, and after the death of his father moved on to the old homestead. They had six children, and five are now living.
 The old mansion contained large anC airy rooms in abundance. It had three ample fre-places to dispense caloric, anC their appetite for hickory would be appall ing to the present generation. One O l them was eight feet wide, one SIX, and tn, other four. The latter was seldom used , as it was in the parlor. Back-logs wer rolled in with cant-hooks and placed in tn back of the fire place, and the big andiron were set in front, and across these a fore stick that would do good service in tn frame of man-of-war was placed, and ol top of these chips and small wood was pilet up near to the chimney. When this wa all aglow with flame 1t presented pictur which no artist can illustrate. But mem ory fingers around the old brick oven The baked beans, the brown-b bread, tn baked pig, the p1es and plum pudding that came from that oven have never bee Y duplicated no, nor ever will be. If tn epicures at Delmonico's could eat with tn relish that attended those never to be fol gotten dishes, the board would be filled a ten dollars plate. This was before tn advent of dyspepsia, and people could in dulge ln late suppers of baked beans, trle pork, rye and Indian bread, hard cider hot mince pies warm doughnuts and toas ed cheese, and retire to pleasant dreams with no thought of nightmare, or eve snakes, but would glide away in imaginG ton with their best girl to the realms C fairy land, or go on bridal tour throug the orient in a golden chariot drawn b birds of Paradise, and take glimpse ( the Pleaides, visit the hanging gardens ( Babylon, gather wild flowers from tn borders of Palestine, and gaze with woy der and admiration upon the limpid beat ties of the fish pools of Heshbon.
 People in those days manufacture their goods for the household Ever farmer kept sheep, and the wool was carC 7 ed, spun and woven in the house, and the sent to the cloth-dresser to be fulled an colored, and then was made up in th
 house. A piece of flannel was also me d and colored red, so that the girls could a '- appear at the beginning of the wintt T. school with new red dress Sheets wei also made of white flannel, and in col
 weather the old brass warming-pan with :, long handle was filled with live coals frol y the fireplace and slid around vigorousl g. between the sheets, and when the boy
 went to bed in the cold, upholstered chan
 Der, where the snow would sift down b
 tween the shingles, it was like rolling int
 warm bath, and then they would awal . early in the morning and for exercise st