The record-union., 1891-06-08
GOLDEN LIVES.
Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary of Mr..
and Mrs. Smith Brown.
Napa's Most Notable Social Event
Happy Reunion of Friends at
Charming Eschol.

was the celebration, on Saturday last, of
the fiftieth anniversary Of the wedding of
Mr.. and Mrs. Smith Brown at their
charming home at Eschol Farm, a few
miles from Napa. Eschol was forty
years ago the home of Guadalupe Val
lejo, brother of the late General NJ. g.
Vallejo of Sonoma, whose name is so
prominently connected with the early
history of the State. 1t is almost in the
center of the valley, east and west, and IS
considered one of the best farms in all that
fertile and highly cultivated valley.
This has been the home of Mr.. and
Mrs. Brown for the last eight years, and
under the formers personal management
has been made model farm. The beau
tiful grounds surrounding the residence
were transformed into perfect bower OF
beauty for the occasion of the golden
wedding anniversary. The garden and
lawn were most tastefully decorated with
large flags, Japanese umbrellas, ETC., as
also were the balconies and porcheS of the
family mansion, while inside the hall
ways and rooms were made fragrant and
beautiful by the wealth and artistic ar
rangement of choice flowers. This adorn-
ment was accomplished under the per-
sonal direction-and chiefly with her own
L
has been visiting the family for some
days.
One room had been set apart in which
to display the beautiful and valuable
golden wedding gifts, some sixty in
number ana of the latest designs and
finest workmanship. The Gift which at
tracted the most attention was wedding
cake sent by ''many friends" 1t was
ornamented with rows Of golden five
dollar pieces, and Surmounted by a min
iature spinning wheel-the latter typical
not only of the customs of fifty years ago,
when Mr.. and Mrs. Brown were married,
but also of the busy and useful lives they
have led.
Mr.. and Mrs. Brown took up their
home in Napa some forty years ago, and
have ever since resided there. Although
aged respectively 70 and 90 years, they
would readily pass for persons twenty
years younger; indeed. Time has dealt
very gently with them in the past twenty
years, and they are both to-day in the en-
joyment of remarkably good health and
a degree ofenergy and vitality that would
be sufficient, in some much younger
persons, TO push them forward in the
world.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown had the pleasure
of being surrounded by their children
and grandchildren ut the celebration of
their golden wedding anniYersary-Mrs
Frances Edgerton, Mrs. Homer $. King
and two children, and Dana w. Brown
and two children. Mrs. EdgertOn and
Mrs. King reside in San Francisco, and
their brother in Carson, New, where he
holds a position III the United States
Mint. 1t has been several years since the
family had all met under the parental
roof, hence the occasion brought about a
happy family reunion.
ARRIVAL OF THE GUESTS.
1t was about 1880 O'Clock when the
guests arrived by special train from San
Francisco. a large number joined them
st Napa, while others living in the neigh
borhood came by private conveyances.
They all first paid their respects to the
host and hostess, and as the commOdious
residence was far too small to hold even
one-third the number present, they filed
through the hallway and then took seats
about the garden or strolled over the ele-
CANT grounds until the hour for assem-
bling III the banquet bower.
1t was happy gathering in more than
one sense. Aside from the pleasure af-
forded the guests of greeting and con-
graduating Mr.. and Mrs. Brown on hav-
ing arrived at the tiftieth anniversary of
their wedding, the affair pOrtook of the
nature of q general reunion of old friends
of renewal of friendships formed
many, many years before, when all were
neighbors in the beautiful valley of NaDa
Among the guests were some who had
not met for quarter of a century, and
viii never meet again. To all such ii was
an occasion the remembrance of which
will be carried to their graves, and will
he the subject of pleasant reflections by
day and OF dreams by night. There were
men and women met there who had
grown gray since last their hands had
joined in friendly clasp, and in the few
hours passed beneath the lordly oaks
that sheltered the merry throng from the
summer sun there were many brief rem
iniscences Of the past rehearsed and in
quiries made of old friends, some of
whom had since passed through the dark
valley that borders on deathlanG.
Thus the time was passed in friendly
converse until about one O'Clock, when
the guests were invited to the refresh
ment bower, which had been erected
beneath two of the outrageous oaks that
grace the lawn in front of the house
Here light framework had been erected
and rooted over with cedar boughs whose
fragrance was like breath from the red
wood forests on the distant hills Within
this delightful arbor tables capable of ac-
commodating four persons each had been
arranged, and they We're burdened with
dainty viands prepared by experienced
French caterers from san Francisco.
Beside the tempting dishes were various
native wines, all the product of the
Eschol vineyard, and of high quality and
great delicacy of flavor.
When the arbor had received as many
of the guests as IL would accommodate
tables were arranged outside in the shade
An orchestra of several pieces was
stationed few yards away on the front
porch and discOursed a number of pretty
and popular airs while the guests chatted
and refreshed themselves from the good
things before them.
Mr.. and Mrs. Brown occupied seats at
the central table, and il is needless to saw
they We're the chief attractions of the
gathering. IL had been intended to have
the wedding ceremony OF fifty years ago
repeated, and Mr.. and Mrs Drurv
Melone-the nearest neighbors OF Mr.. and
Mrs. Brown-were 10 have stood up"
with them, but this was omitted out of
consideration for Mrs. Brown, who had
been III the preceding night, and it was
feared the excitement attending the
preparations had been rather too great a
strain upon her to warrant the fulfill
ment Of the programme.
At THE BANQUET TABLE.
William II. Mills of San Francisco had
consented to act as toast-master. and
events proved that the selection was a
happy one. After prayer by Rev. Rich
ard Wylie, he opened the proceedings
with recital of the family history of the
host and hostess, every sentence of which
was interspersed with sallies of wit,
humor and personal hits that provoked
constant merriment. 1t would be inn
possible TO give the reader an idea of
the effect of the gentleman's remarks.
They seemed to be born of the occasion.
as well as for the occasion, and only those
present could appreciate fully their aDpli-
cation. Among other things, he said he
80 FUA ggsA EN "a