Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-08-05
UNIQUE BIRTHDAY cELEaaArIoN.
Mr.. lchn c. CAN'T, Of Anderson County, is
Given Party by Young People.

N =. i d t Z
Broyles, July a. There was a
rather unique birthday celebration
here Saturday evening. Mr.. John
70. CAN'T, who is popular and re-
spected not only here at home in the
Fork, but throughout the length and
breadth of the county, would reach
his sixty ninth mile post yesterday,
the 26th, and the younger set took it
in hand to honor him aud the occa-
sion with picnic party. Accord
ingly from four to five O'Clock some
sixty to seventy-fiye, mainly young
persons, assembled at the family resi-
dence, which sitting at the end of
an avenue, fianked by beautiful
groves of oaks might be appropri-
ately styled Oak Park supper, boun-
tiful and tempting was served at
sunset on a 40-foot table under the
oaks and afterwards till 10 or IL
O'Clock the young people enjoyed
themselves III various ways, with
music or with chatting on the COM
Portable seats in the we'll lighted
lawn. Mr.. CAN'T himself entered
heartily into the pleasure of the oc-
casion, but toward the close he be-
came reminiscent.
Born, near old Craytonville, in
Anderson county, he came with his
fathers family to the Fork in Janu-
ary, 1914, and for the most part has
resided on the old homestead ever
since. His fathers family consisted
of eight children and only four of
these survive: John @. CAN'T, of
this place; Maj. w. M. CAN'T, re-
siding here temporarily j. "A. CAN'T,
of Townville, and Mrs. Ertzberger,
of Reed Creek, Ga.
Fifty mine years, the length of
time he has lived in the Fork, does
not seem like a very long time, look
ing at it in one way, said Mr.. CAN'T,
in substance, but he believes it has
removed from earthly scenes nearly
every man and woman of twenty-one
then living in the Fork. Indeed
there are but two persons now living
here who were living in the Fork
when the Gantts moved in, who had
reached their majority, and these are
|. p. Cole and Mrs. Betsy Bradberry,
both now well passed eighty. At
that time there was not resident
physician in the limits of what is
now Fork township, the nearest be-
ing DIR. Maxwell, who lived in Oco-
nee, near Fair Play. DR.. Coates,
whose fame as a practitioner still
fingers, came later.
Smith Chapel, then known as In
dependence, belonged to the Holsten
Conference and was supplied bv
Rev. Mr.. Burnett 1t was the only
Methodist church in all the Fork
country, Whites church, now Cedar
Grove, having dropped into disuse.
The membership was large and re-
markable for religious fervor. There
was fourishing Sunday school in
IA and to this Mr.. CAN'T went as
his first. Double Springs, then but
twelve or thirteen years established,
was growing in influence and was
supplied by Rev. David Simmons.
In 1874 there was a school in the
edge of what is now Geer's pasture,
on the east side of the public road,
taught by Berry Clinkscales, whose
wife was sister of the late Mai. d.
L.. Cox, and the next year the school
was taught by the late o. III. P.
FAINT. That was the dry year and
the water giving out, Mr.. Fant
moved his school to Smith Chapel,
where there was bold spring.
At that time John M. Grubbs
lived where N. o. Farmer now lives
and the road from there to the inter-
section with the Hatton's Ford, near
the Sharp place, was not made
public road till 1849. The other
end of the road leading from Farm
ers's store towards Fair Play was
made public road as far as where
Mrs. Lizzie Farmer now lives in
1854, and Mr.. CAN'T assisted in the
work.
Mr.. Gantt's knowledge of the
Fork from the time of his coming to
it is full and accurate and much he
said of life fifty and more years ago
here in the Fork would make inter-
esting reading. He is in fair health
and his friends everywhere will wish
for him many years more of life and
happiness.--Annie Gordon Dickson,
in Anderson Mail.