The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-04-13
"REMINISCENCES
OF ABB" LINCOLN
BOARDED WITH FAMILY THAT
CAME TO oskALoosA.
REMEMBERED AS AWARD BOY
Was Clerk in store When He Lived
at the Rev. John Cameron
Home-Mrs. LISTERS
Story.


In the year that Oskaloosa rsceiv
ed its name Cumberland Presby
terrain preacher pushed over into the
new Iowa Territory from his home
at New Salem and made mis- home
here. He brought with him wife
eleven daughters ana one son. Thai
man was Rev. John Cameron. FIRST
pastor of the Cumberland Presby.
terrain church, the first church in
OskaIoosa. His humble home in
New Salem had been Tor I'VE years
about ten years before the home OF
Abraham Lincoln.
John Cameron was a type of the
early pioneer. Strong and simple IN
mis- faith, earnest and untiring in
his work. loving ana reyerent in mis-
family. On the Sabbath he preach.
ed in the Cumberland Presbyterian
meeting, through the week ne was a
pioneer and contributed largely TO
the building Of the infant town.
Mrs. Semira Phillips tells in her
"reminiscences Of her first sight or
the village. There were fifteen log
cabins, in front of one a little req
flag fluttered} 1t was the sign of
the first store in Oskaloosa, Gamer
on & Smiths Thomas Cameron, the
partner, was the son of John Cam
eron, parson and pioneer. Oskaloosa
was at that time colonized by Cum
berland Presbyterians and the fam
lily was one of the most prominent
in the little village.
The Family is Scattered.
The Csme-ens lived here until
1S49 and many of the eleven daugh-
tiers found husbands in the settle
ment. One daughter was Mrs. Chas.
Purvine, wife of the first hotel
keeper in Oskaloosa and presided
over the little tavern which her hus-
band had erected of logs. on the
spot where the Downing now stands.
Another daughter was a Mrs. Ber-
ny, whose husband erected the first
brick house in Oskaloosa Vienna
Cameron married a Mr.. James Lys-
ter, who was cabinet maker here.
In the family too lived Bob" Rur-
ledge, a son of Mrs. Cameron's bro
Their, James Rutledge, and brother
of Ann Rutledge, Abraham Lincoln's
first love, the beautiful isabelle" -
who was taken cut of his life by
deatn
In 1S49, Rev. John Cameron, fired
by the stories of the geld discover
fss in California, lert OskaIoosa and
went to that state. His son Thomas
and daughters and sons-in-law all
departed with the head of the fam
lily excepting James Lyster and wife, |
who continued to make their home
here. Bob" Rutledge, tall and hand
some, accompanied his uncle ana
cousins to the gold fields. The
daughters, says Mrs. Phillips, were
all fine Christian women and had air
married in their own faith and the
passing of the .Camerons from Os-
kaloosa, she says in the heminiscen-
ces, almost broke up the Cumberland
Presbyterian church, then without a
pastor, and with most of its flock
James Lyster and wife made their
home in oskaloosa until 1869, when
they too, followed to California.
Mrs. Lyster had come to Oskaloo-
sa a widow and had married here.
Mr.. Lyster was cabinet maker and
coffin maker to the village. At one
time he was foreman In the pork
packing industry which then -four
ished here, and, it is said, was also
interested in a linseed oil mill
which he and some friends ventured
in the infant industrial field.
Mrs. Lyster lives now with her
son, Byron Lyster, at Burnett, Cali
fornia. She has passed her eighty
ninth birthday but is a handsome
old lody, her face beautiful in the
strong lines which character and
right living have wrought with the
Master Sculptor's hand Time has
dealt kindly with this gentle lady.
Sweet memories of her early youth,
of the days when the savior of the
nation. then a big, happy, teasing
boy, dwelt with the family, memcr-
ies OF his pranks. his kindnesses,
crowd upon her and delight her
peaceful days. What a privilege tol
sit with this gentle old lady, in the
sunny Californian day, to dwell
again in the golden days Of the pas,,
to listen to stories OF Lincoln from
the lips of her who was his friend, I
to listen to hundred anecdotes or
the great Emancipator. hallowed by
his memory, and told by the girl
who, seventy years ago in his boy
fish spirit he named "ouinine."
Lincoln Leaves Home.
Seyenty-four years ago. in the
summer Of 1880, Lincoln released
himself from parental care and
started out to make his own way.
This was soon after his people had
moved to Illinois, ana the future |
president was then a gaunt. tall lad
Of little more than II. The follow
ing year. Just after his famous fat
heat frin ~ Naxv Orleans da Fnad-a Il