The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-11-22
squire Fewel Visits His Old Childhood
tE0inc

squire FeWel pl8ltS itle OlQ CnllQn00O
Hcinc.
EDITORS INTELLlGhNCgR: 1t is pleas.
ure mixed with sorrow to visit nnas old
childhood home when you have been
away from it for thirty three years. A
pleasure, because you love to see the old
homestead with its nice oak shade trees,
where we have played marbles and rolley-
hole and humble peg aud gone under the
wagon shelter, where the dirt Is dry, and
called up the doodles and thousand
other things We could recall. But we soon
begin to think Of the loved ones who
played with US that are now on the other
side Of the river resting in the shade, and
it brings a sort of holy sadness to our
heart that no pen can describe or language
express.
A few weeks ago we concluded to take
a fsp' days recreation and pleasure, so We
made visit to our old home and neigh
borhood. Taking an early start II
o'clock brought US to the beautiful village
of Bolton, where we made short stop to
| speak a word with our old friend A. j..
Stringer who we found sitting 10 front of
his large store. Jack, like ourself, has
began to realize that We have reached the
top OF the bill in this life's journey and
started down on the other side, which at
times seems very steep. We spent few
minutes with him very pleasantly and
was lnath to part with him, but we had
our schedule made, 80 we had to move on.
We arrived at Mr.. D. r. Greer's about
l O'Clock. where we spent the night with
bin and his happy family. Mr. Greer
lives at the old homestead of Laban
Massey. This was too good chance to
miss, 30 we took our kodack along to Sc
cure some pictures of the childhood home
for the children to look at.
After partaking of dinner, we struck out
| for stroll over our own old homestead.
which we found very much changed /;
the hills have all leveled down and the
| hollows filled up until it don't even look
like bad ever been there, let alone being
raised there. But the old house is there
yet and looks familiar, and in walking
around 1t I can almost see the holes In the
ground where we played rolly hole. The
eame old chimney, at the west end Of the
house, where used to run behind when
I would steal lump of brown sugar out
OF the side.board and dodge ont to eat it.
Brown sugar don't taste now like 1t did
then-it is not near 30 sweet and good. l
wonder If any other boy ever stole sugar
out of his mamma's big jar in the side
board e? Oh how good it was. And
there in the shed room was where mothers
big chest sat that smelled 80 good when
| the lid was raised and had the loaf sugar
In it-a great big loaf the shape aud about
the size of three quart coffee pot and we
used to take little axe we bad and break
off little piece-just little 30 mother
would not miss it-and run behind the
chimney and eat 1t. wonder II any
other boy ever did that? We then 90
out to the garden, where We see the same
old zig t.ee, and near it the walnut tree.
and down to the branch and to the spring /;
it has moved little and slid down in the
branch, but it still boils up the white sand
| like 1t used to. And then up the hill to
what used to be called the old orchard, but
nearly all of the old trees are gone-only a
stump here and there to show where they
had been, but the little grave is still there
and is well kept up by Mr.. Charlie Rags
dale, who lives there. Tradition says that
this little grave is child's-a son or
daughter, don't know which, of Mr..
Bloodworth, who settled the place some
eighty years ago, aud that the child got
burned to death. After visiting the ven.
erable N. A. j. Greer and wife, and spend
ing night most pleasantly with D. r
camera, we proceeded on our journey.
The brick mill, as it is called now, used
to be Brock q Massey's mill, on Broad.
mouth Creek. That ia where We first
went to mill, when We were boy-just
big enough to ride horse back. This old
! place brings many pleasant as we'll as
sad recollections. Here is where we used
to 20 In washing and gel leeohes on us,
and our backs would get sun burned aud
blistered, and we would bo afraid for
| mother to see our backs for fear she would
not let us go fishing next time. Here is
where Uncle Laban Massey and Uncle
HAYDEN Brock attended the mill day
about, they being the joint owners of the
nill. I think that Benjamin and Isaac
Clement first built it in 1885 There used
to be stone in the foundation wall of the
old mill With this inscription on It.: "B.
and I. @. 1885," which meant Benjamin
and Isaac Clement. The mill is now
owned by Mr.. Gen. M. Greer, of Honea
Path, and is run by bis brother Mr.. u. A.
Greer, formerly Of the PelZer mills. Da-
vid is a tirst.class miller and is always
ready to accommodate you with good
meal and -four.
Honea Path, where we spent the night
very pleasantly with Mr.. G. NJ. Greer and
bis happy family. Here we had look at
our mothers old childhood home, but the
old house is gone and another one In its
place, but the same old spring Is there
where it was hundred and one years ago,
when our grandfather first settled there.
think it was In the fall OF 1892 when be
| moved from Ne1berry District to this
place. ItWas quite different then to what
it is now. Then the country was in origi-
nal forest, except few scattering settle
ments then the woods was full OF game,
such as deer, turkey, squirrels and nu-
merous other smaller game; then cows
would come up out of the range st noon
to be MIXED, for the chinquepin bushes
Charleston was the nearest market, and
they didn't have any steam boat5. nor
steam cars, nor sewing machines. Eor tel
egraph, nor telephones and thousands OF
other conVeniences which we have now,
such as the power thresher (they had to
thresh their wheat with fail). and the
scythe and reaper (they cut their wheat
with sickle or reap-hook), aud the cot
ton gin (they had to pick the seed out
with their fingers); they die t have the
iron foot plow stock, nor the urn plows,
nor the sulky plow like we have now, but
the rudest Of wooden plow stocks and q
mere apology for plow, They had to 60
ten miles to Church, Sometimes the Cir.
cult rider Woulo preaon at some or Inc
neighbors' houses. Postofioes were few
and far between, and only got their mail
once or twice month. Bnt there we're
some things they didn't have that we
could do better Without such as the
money panic and the dispensary and the
Tillmsnism and his co.demagogues, and
offlce-seekers, and many more In the same
line too tedious to mention,
After making few calls around Honea
Path we went over on the Sa!uda side.
On our way we pass the old muster
ground at Gantt's old store. We could
almost hear Seaborn Strickland the Or
derly sergeant Of the Broadmouth Beat
Company, boiler out: "Oh, yes Oh, yes
gentlemen of beat number two turn out
Fall in gentlemen aud form line" This
will dou btless seem quite amusing to q
person who hes been in the army, for
they don't call you gentlemen there, nor
do they liz vite you to fall in very often
hey give the command once or twice and
1t Is your business to obey. This old
muster ground has been the scene OF
many fst-a.cuff fight in days gene by.
Some one would always have jug Of
whlskey out near the well and would re.
tail it out for FIVE cents for the half pint,
and on election days, which came once q
year, the candidates did the treating. So
some OF them would get down on the
ground and would have to be hauled home
| in a wagon But thew didn't carry pistols