The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1905-08-25

II " N i nv L Wv ~
Old Home Celebration.
xYOther Old Home matter on Pa
ges 3 and 8.
"reminiscences OF THE OLD
DAYS.
BY NATHANIEL RUDD.
Chelsea, Massachusetts,,
Al Clark Avenue,
August II, 1905.
Rev f. A. Holden,
Mr. e. j. Buckingham,
and others.
Esteemed Friends: l have, lately,
read book entitled, 1.-THE History OF
the Nineteenth Century," in which
is set forth the achievements of hu-
manity, 1.-THE world over, between the
the years, 1900 and 1900.
As have been a spectator, and, In
small degree, q participant, OF those
achievements for seventy-four ana a
half years Of the one hundred, it would
seem as II l might rise, in my place,
and, not merely answer "Here," but
give some small tribute to the parents
who brought me into being, to the
church, the pastor, the friends, and
tvI, M Dh made the
community in which 1 first saw the
light, and to the blessed bills, and val.
legs Of Old Huntington, where the
pure air and sunshine nourished and
developed my childhood years.
MY Father, Hezekiah Rudd, was
fifty years old when 1 was born. My
mother, Mary E. (CoggshalD Rudd,
was twenty.nine years old. l was the
second of her family Of five children,
four Of whom are still living. Frede-
rick, the third child, died at five years
Of age, This grave is In the old Hunt
ington burying ground.)
My fathers children Of his first
wife, Maria De Forest), were five in
number, of whom three lived to ma
ture years. Abigail, wife Of George
wellington Shelton Of Birmingham
Charles D., Of Brooklyn, N. Y, and
Mary c., wife of Prof George N. Allen,
of Oberlin college, Ohio. They are all
dead now. My fathers home was the
first house north of the tional
church. (The church was built on a
corner Of the "home LOFTY My faith
er's school room was the upper room
Of building standing at the side and
rear of the main house. He carried
on family boarding school of boys,
(mostly from New York City, At
some seasons Of the year he had, in
his school, many of the farmers and
other townspeople children, both
sons and daughters. Many useful and
distinguished men began their life's
career under Hezekiah Rudd's tut
rion, Il wish we're able to give even
small list of names.) My father was
one of three brothers who attained
the following ages: Simon Tracy
Rudd, Norwichtown, Conn.,, SO years;
Jonathan Rudd, Cherry Valley: N. Y,
90 years; Hezekiah Rudd, Norwich
Town, Conn.,, SO years. Our family re-
moved from Huntington to Stratford,
eight miles below, in the spring of
1910, when was nine years old. II
I revisited the old home town the
following autumn, with my brother,
William Henry, passing a week with
Mrs Ruth Ann Mills, and at Capt
Birdseyes', with his youngest son, Ma
than, at their new house up "White
Hills" way.
also rode into Huntington in De.
cember, 1865. When was on my wed.
ding trip, but the circumstances OF
that bleak, late afternoon allowed on
ly q momentary stop.
Thus, have only the "reminiscences
Of child to contribute, but 1 would
that had words to convey my
thoughts.
AS my infantile mind unfolded,
thought that my father was the most
dignitied, the wiSest and most lear ned
man that ever lived, and hat my
mother was the most faithful, consci
entious, pure minded, sincere Christian
woman and mother who ever lived
And having neither advanced nor re-
trograded from those opinions, as life
has gone one, think | will, in these
mature years, simply reatfirm tina,
childhood sentiment, for certainly
nothing was spared, in conduct and
example, daily, and in instruction
slime upon line," "precept upon pre-
cept," to give to us all the furnishing
and panoply for life, such as those
who having given US birth and early
training, would desire to leave US in
parting from US that we might be fit.
ted to rejOin them after our brief day,
In that permanent home and "house
not made with hands"
In memory of these self-denying ex-
ertions and labors, these loving wish
es and earnest prayers, the living chill
dren Of Hezekiah and Mary e. Rudd,
to-day, humbly rise up and call them
blessed.
Old Huntingdon! l can close my
eyes and see the afternoon shadows