The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-23
TWO HISTORIC CHARITIES.
UNION sOCIETY's 149TH AND BE-
THESDA's 10TH ANNIVERSARIES.


Deliver the Annual Address-The
Orphan Boys Dinner "A Feature of
the Day-The Anniversary the
Twenty-first of Col. EstilI's Pres
idency-SOme of the Men Who
Have Directed the SOciety's At
fairs.
| The one hundred and forty-ninth ami
versary of the Union Society and the
one hundred and fifty-ninth of the found
ing of the Bethesda Orphan House will
be celebrated under Bethesda's historic
oaks Tuesday.
The anniversary will include the usual
exercises observed on anniversary days.
Rev. James Y. Fair D. D., pastor of the
Independent Church, will deliver the an
nual address; the officers of the society will
present their reports; the annual election
for officers will take place, and following
to the orphan boys by the stewards of the
society and the ladies interested in the
work of the historic charity.
The orphan house and the grounds will
be open to the public during the day. Cars
will leave the Whitaker and Second street
station of the City and Suburban Railway
at $50 and 1850 a. M, Il M, 2:3O p. m. and
$50 p. M; returning, will leave Bethesda
at $3.50, 1870. 5, $50, and $50 p. m. The
| public exercises will take place under the
the oaks at 2;9O o'clock.
There are now lis boys In the orphanage,
and the day will be a glad one for them,
bringing, as 1t does, the event looked for
ward to from one Bethesda day to an
other-the annual dinner.
With the coming anniversary Col ]. H.
Estil will have completed twenty lone
years of service as president of the Union
Society. During that time go orphan or
destitute boys have been cared for in the
! orphanage, clothed, fed and educated.
| Some remained but a short time; others
| spent their entire boyhood there, entering
at from TO years of age, remaining
| until they were IA or 49, and others until
they were Is years of age.
In this connection it may be of interest
| TO recall the presidents of the society since
| 1t was founded in 175O. The society origi-
mated with club formed by five gentle
men, the names of only three of whom.
Benjamin Sheftall. Richard Mnledge and
| Peter Tondee, have come down to u.s.
Inc proceedings of the society from 1850
| to IT9 are lost, owing to the archives of
the society having been destroyed in the
war of the revolution. 1t was reorganized
| April %, 1779 by four members who, al
| though prisoners of war, observed the an
| nlVersary, and elected three of themselves
officers, John Powell, president; Mordecai
| Shettall, vice president; John Martin sec
rGtarV Holm
ciety was incorporated in 1885, when Hon.
William Stephens was elected president
Col Stephens was district judge of Geor-
| gia, and a son of William Stephens, Esq,
the first president of the colony. He served
until 1880, when he was succeeded by Dr.
Noble w. Jones' Dr. Jones was speaker
OF the provincial legislature, and was con-
| spicuous in the scenes that preceded the
| revolution. He was arrested by the Brit
ish and kept prisoner during a part of
the war. On his release he was appointed
delegate to Congress, and served until
1882 Dr. Jones served two years as presi-
dent, and was succeeded by another dis
tinguished revolutionary patriot Joseph
Clay who in time was succeeded by Col.
Joseph Habersham. Among all the patri-
OTIS of Georgia there was none drawer than
he. He'swas Postmaster General under
Washington. Col. Habersham served until
liJt, wien JuuBS stephens was again elect
ed president and remained in office until
1897.
The succeeding presidents up to forty
years ago were men well known in the
history of Savannah and the state, the
names include merchants, physicians
statesmen.SSUnitedS States Senator Berrien,
Judge McAllister, DR.. r. D. Arnold Jo-
seph Storey Fay, Gov. d. B. Mitchell,
Judge Nicoll Hon. Solomon Cohen, and
ILL.,
to 1858 is as follows: George Jones, James
P. Young, Matthew McAllister, Joseph
Habersham. Charles Harris Gen. David
b. Mitchell William b. Bulloch, William
Davis, John Mcpherson Berrien, James
Johnston, DR.. Moses Sheftall, John Hunt
er, Richard w. Habersham, Steele White.
Thomas Polhill. John c. Nicoll, George
w. Anderson, Francis Sorrel Thomas
Purse, DR.. Richard d. Arnold, Solomon
Cohen, Edward Padelford, Joseph s., Fay
and Robert D. Walker.
During the war between the states the
members of the Union Society, did their
duty. Col. Walker, then president, was at
Fort Pulaski, and was captured with the
garrison. He was a prisoner of war at
the anniversary of 1862, and Mr.. John M.
Cooper was elected president, and served
until 1865, when Col. William M Wadlev.
the great railroad president. was elected
10 succeed MIN. MT. valley served until
1859, when Mr., Abram Minis an old mem
Der of the society and a prominent mer-
chant, was elected president Mr.. Minis
served until 1874, when Mr.. Wadley was
again called to the presidency. Col. Estiu
was elected in 1878.
With the celebration of the Union So
ciety's anniversary is also that of the
orphanage-Whitefield's House of Mercy
AS the name Bethesda" signifies. named
in honor of the devoted preacher and phi
lanthropist, who was Its founder. While
Whiteheld founded the charity he himself
credited the idea and conception of the in
stitution to his friend, Charles Wesley.
who. with Oglethorpe, conceived the idea
and, in fact. already had in contemplation
the establishment of a school for orphans.
When Whitefeld landed at Tybee in 1877
and after taking final farewell of the
crew of the vessel on which he came from
England came to Savannah-then almost
a wilderness-the first object that claimed
HIS attention was the condition of the chill
dren particularly the orphans Seeing
their needs he took the money he had col
lected in England, secured a home for the