Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-10-25
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
!; ELIZABETH MANCHESTER s:
. By Iffa Allen FdIfner. oe
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


TT was on the 18th day of MAY, in
the year 1854. The hour Just be-
fore sunset, and all the western slsy
was aglow with brilliant light. A
talr young girl sitting on the door
step of her home was spinning. flax
as she hummed softly to herself
snatches of old English ballads, until
she was startled by the sudden re-
port of gun. The frightened girl,
realizing the situation, Instantly left
her spinning wheel and fed into the
house, where her guardians wife
was preparing the evening meal. The
house, story and half frame one.
was situated in small clearing near
the Hoosick river at .Petersburgh, N.
Y, and was one of the first substan-
tial houses erected in that section. It
was not an unusual thing FOR the set
tiers in Petersburgh in those early
days to be attacked by Indians and
to be suddenly called upon to defend
their lives and theirO homes by heroic
measures. u
Elizabeth Manchester, the maiden
spinning beside the door, was born
and bred in England. Wien she was
Is years of age her mother died, and
her father. who had many friends in
New England, embarked for Amer
lea, taking her with him. The long
sea journey had made her father
very i'll and fatigued him much more
than he wished his little daughter to
know, and he rejoiced when they
were safe in Salem, Mass with their
dear old friends, the Brimmers, who
had awaited them. anxiously. Mr..
Manchester did not survive the New
England winter. Whensdying' he left
his daughter in charge Of his beloved
friend, John Brimmer. IS %
The Brimmer family consisted of
the father, John Brimmer, his esti-
mable wife oand two stalwart sons,
Godfrey and John, Jr. The latter
were ofine, noble boys, ana John es-
pecially was very handsome. At the
time Elizabeth was added to their
household John was just in early
manhood. He was five years older
than elizabeth, oand they called each
other cousins, although there was no
relationship between Them Their
fathers were lifelong friends and
their mothers school chums in dear
old England, so when the Brimmers
found themselves upon foreign SOIL
in vast new country, they welcomed
Elizabeth in their family more as a
beloved daughter than a friend.
Mr.. Brimmer was every ambitious
and had sought the new world for a
purpose. SO he and his family pushed
on and on to the then western from
tier and were among the first to settle
in Petersburgh, On. Y, "a truly beau
tiful and fertile country, almost in,
although beyond the now famous
Berkshire Hills. Here they cleared
the land and made a home for them
selves, first living in very crude
cabin, but after two years Of hard,
patient toll they erected their fine
frame house, and with a good three
acres OF land under cultivation were
beginning to be very comfortable in
deed They were and had always
been exceedingly friendly with the
Indians around them, and had helped
them in many ways. In return they
had as yet met with no hosti1ities
from the ssavages.
Mrs. Brimmer was skilled in all
household duties. She and Elizabeth
kept the farmhouse as clean and pure
as the finest manor in old England,
while Mr.. Brimmer and the boys
worked diligently to clear the land
and cultivate the fields. They had
been three years in their new home,
ana they had been very busy yet
happy years.
How well Elizabeth remembered
the journey from Salient It had
taken them many weeks to reach
their destination. They had made
the journey in summer, travelling like
gypsies. She had been Cousin Johns
especial care on the trip, and being
so constantly together naturally they
became very dear to each other
Then came the building and settling
of the new home. How much pleas
ure it had been to help beautify the
home, for she loved them all sc
dearly.
The second year they raised some
flax, efor Elizabeth's spinning whee,
had been brought all the way froIt
Salem over the mountains and hilll
ON the great OK cart that had carried