The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-10-21
OUR NEIGHBORS.
BETHEL.


Mrs Harry S. Glover, who has spent
five months in the West, returned home
the 7Ch. She has enjoved the best of
health and has had delightful trip and
visit. Mrs GloVer's Western friends were
formerly Bethel people who left the
place some time before the Civil war and
may be remembered by many old friends
In Connecticut. Mrs GlOver's first stop
was In Rochester, MINI. She was the
guest OF her cousin, Mrs ". w. Cook,
who was formerly Mary Z. Benedict.
Mrs Cooks early life was spent in Plum
trees district. She lived with her uncle,
John S. Benedict, where Miss Eliza Ben
edict now resides. Mrs Cooks husband
died several years ago and left her with
a son and two daughters. Mr. Cook was
In the nursery business at the time of his
decease and his wife has since made a
success OF growing small fruits. She
cultivated about so acres within the city
limits, IA acres in strawberries. The
whole crop was disposed of In the city of
Rochester at from five to 10 cents per
quart. The harvest gave employment to
from 100 to 200 pickers. Mrs Edward F.
Judd, formerly of Bethel, also lives in
Rochester, Mimi. and is always pleased
to entertain her Eastern friends. Mrs
Glover left Minnesota about the first of
July and went to De Smit, South Dakota,
to visit her brother, Barnett Camp Ben
edict, who was brought up in Grassy
Plain district where he learned the hat
ting trade with his brother, e. Merwin
Benedict, at one time u prominent hat
manufacturer. The latter built the Will
lows shop. Barnett left home soon after
he became Il years of age and went to
Kansas and took up a claim of land
His Kansas life was not financially sue
cess. BeJwixt the fires, grssshOppers
and drOughts he became discouraged and
moved farther north. His home in South
Dakota Is a success. He has fiue farm
of 160 acres, we'll stocked with cattle
and horses, a large barn and a pleasant,
convenient house and acres of trees grow
ing nicely, all OF his own planting. His
apple trees he trains close to the ground
on account of high winds and deep snow
which would break tall tree, while the
low limbs when weighted with snow and
ice lie safely on the ground without
breaking. Mr. Benedict has wife and
four interesting daughtere, who hold
responsible pOsuions in the schools and
society. The most remarkable part of
the story is, Notwithstanding Mr. Bene-
diets pleasant home on the prairie where
he can spend his old age with ease and
with all the comforts OF this life, he has
a great desire to come back to his native
town where he thinks he can enjoy
working at his old trade hat making,
and Mrs Glover says her brother is really
in earnest about coming. docs man
kind never get weaned from the place of
their natiViCy?' IC seems not. Mrs
Glover and her brothers. family took a
trip to Nebraska. They were four days
=
travelled In the old way, with q team Of
horses and covered wagon, and carried
a tent to sleep in nights. The weather
was lovely. The ladies wore their sun
bOnnets, with calico dresses and aprons.
The people along the route permitted
them TO drive into their yards nights,
where they put up their tent to sleep,
which was much better than the ordinary
shack that the farmers lived and slept in
in that part of the country. The paths
through the prairie were hemmed in with
wild hOllyhOCk, which sometimes Oh
structed the highway or wagon track.
To cross the Missouri river was a diff
cult task. The four wheels of the wagOn
had to be locked to slide down the en-
bankment to the water, where the little
ferry boat, Last Chance landed them
all safely on the other side. Their trip
to Ewing, Neb., was to visit cousin,
Mrs Swift b. Smith. Her maiden name
was Minerva Judson Benedict. She was
born in Grassy Plain district, lived and
went to school In the district until her
parents, Mr. and Mrs Edwin Benedict,
sold out their old home and moved to
Cornwall, Conn, where one OF her broth
ers still resides. The Benedicts were
among the frat settlers OF Bethel. A
part settled In Grassy Plain, others set
tied In Stony Hill, and one prominent
family in Wild Cat school district. The
Benedict name ia the most numerous on
the old society and church record book.
Several of the name we're prominent dea-
cons OF the church. At one time in the
history of the place it was said that the
Benedict daughters made good wives for
the Taylor cons, and the TAYLOR daugh-
tiers made good wives for the Benedict
sons. The descendants of the early Ben
edict families are widely scattered over
this broad earth and we trust that their
good influence may be for the good of
mankind, wherever they may be found.
Mrs Glover expects to spend the rest of
her days in her pleasant home on Golden |
Hill, where she can enjoy seeing the |
woods and rocks which she loves better |
than a prairie.