New-York tribune., 1902-08-28
NEW JERSEY NEWS
SLX THOUSAND SMITHS MEET
MEMBERS OF THE CLAN COME FROM
FAR AND WIDE TO THE TWENTY
SEVENTH ANNUAL REUNION

Baskins Ridge. y J.. Aug q (SpeciaD--The W.
age CT Peapack is in holiday garD. being the dav
or which the Smiths hold their twenty-seventb
family reunion in their grove. about one and a
half miles from the village. ar the headwaters OF
the lake recently made by the Ravine Association
The first reunion held in the same grove cn
September 1876 and the officers then chosen stiII
offciate They are: President. Isaiah smith oF
AIiIlburr; secretary. Abraham Smith Of Peapack
and treasurer. James ID. Smith. Of Peapack. The
president for the first time in years is absent from
the family reunion being on a business trip 10
the Thousand Islands The Rev Charles Rudolph
kuebler of Hackensack. acted president and
called the clan together All Of the officers vrsra
rech'sen and after "A luncheon prepared by rba
Smiths for the members of the family who came
from a distance. the Rev. Charles s Woodr,4 %
Bloomfield. y. j., was introduced as the princinar
speaker OF the day. Mr.. Woodruff is a Smith -
the fourth generation. counting from the original
John Schmidt. vino eInigrated from Holland in ia,
He made the opening address at the first meeting
Of the clan. in 1876. Mr.. Woodruff spoke in part as
follows:
family "a E on these grounds had the honor to make
found quite Number since. We are not hers I've Tve
i ielIneIt ny alone our family has stood for several
Ftrst-We stand for the sacredness Of the 4a-,ttv
The he's rag 4 he Gn init 9hf 9a Of the nssd Ts46 Shows
secure that has not a pure and strong family life
relax in our devotion 10 the home a'iord TO
,oTcoho-We stand tor the Christian faith Tha
and church with them. and they gave 70 fhis p9 T5
one OF the strongest and most stable OF our re-
Third-The Smith family stands for N. &C.,.
source OF all legitimate national wealth as tfIsr9
Of Of the soil The Dutchman was farmer. He knev
tendency 10 get aWav 'q from 6 fe fs SOL f There is
eager to get rich in haste But there must sIwsvs
De the producer, to feed the great mass ~ 80
sumers The poet sings for a few and the = aTfls+
paints for limited number. but the farmer gat6C
ers the fruit of his toll to feed evervbodv II.
iana prodaces the only true YEA lth Such gather
social element and the qualities Of which bara
spoken do much for home and God and native land
Other speakers introduced were the Rev Nicbo-
| las Bowers. OF Basking Ridge; the Rev George
Sluter. of Newark. and the Rev. Z. NJ Couroa, ..
Lamington.
Abram Smith. the aged secretary brought o,,t
his rollbook, upon which twenty-five thousand
Smiths had already enrolled their names Many-
dresses were in evidence at the signing OF the roll
Inc crowd began TO arrive early At 2 o'clock il
was estimated that fully six thousand people we're
Peter Benbrook of sonlerviue. vas there. He Is
nected with the smith family has never missed
one OF the twent-seven reunions Besides the peo-
| pie from every village within A radius OF fifteen
miles. several came from the far Western States
The Seneca County O.. " branch well repre-
one of the features of the picnic was the al
eence from The grounds Of fakirs The pro- ibi[ion
Notwithstanding this, familiar scene on the
sroIhqS sr5,d IS was 70 see Reu3sn vending bis way
over his watch. which had been the family time
piece tor generations and the other hand tarnn1ed
eep INTO his trousers pocket safely guarding his
last weeks egg money
part or what was once a six hundred acre farm
New-fork people have steadily been purchasing
acres If the ground Is sold and the pfcntcs are
discontinued by this branch OF the Smiths. the
in the last decade will u3doubtedIv Continue tbs
gatherings In its State