The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-06-14
A GOLDEN WEDDING.
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at the narrative and would he unable
to sit still but would pace back and
forth across the room. They lived
along the underground railway by
which so many slaves escaped from
bondage. Her uncle always lent a
willing hand. There could have been
no better influence than those sur
rounding the orphan girl in this dear
old Quaker home.
The father finally writes for his
girl as he was again married, and had
again taken up the practice of medi
cine in Meggo county Ohio. Nut long
afterward came the death of the
stepmother and then the journey
with brother to sister residing in
Black Hawk county, Iowa, where
they found welcome home. Here
also she met and afterward married
Mr.. Gable, the ceremony taking place
near Waterloo, June the 18th, 1856.
In speaking of her journey she says,
We were fifteen days travelling from
Portsmouth to Dubuque by boat on the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. We
travelled from Dubuque to Independ-
ence in twenty four hours by changing
horses often. We considered that
very fast going. =
In the year 1858 Mr.. and Mrs.
Gable came to Crawford county, Iowa,
and have lived here for forty eight
years. Their first home in Crawford
county was a little frame building not
more than twelve by fourteen. Mrs.
Gable telling of her home says, cit
had beautiful location over looking
the Boyer Valley and with Mason S
Grove in the distance. The hcor of
this little house was nice and smooth
and took great pride in keeping it
nice and white. / had never heard of
painted floor and a carpet was far
beyond my highest ambition. l had
some flower seed and soon had nice
little flower garden. had morning
glory vines at the windows which for
beauty rivaled the finest lace curtains.
The supplies that we brought with us
were soon gone and we had no money
with which to replenish our larder..
We made substitute for coffee of
parched corn. There was saw mill
on the Boyer and the owner put in
two stones about eight inches across
to grind with and these would grind
about two bushels day. | did not
have enough grease to grease my
bread pans. Game was scarce owing
to the hard winter of 1856. 1t was
two or three years after this winter
before deer was seen. We raised
a good garden and Mr.. Gable occas-
ionaly shot timber squirrel or a
prairie chicken SO we never suffered
for food. Our wheat crop was almost
failure. 1t was cut with scythe.
Mr.. Gable took all he had to the
mill, after threshing it out with
fail and it amounted to about one
bushel. Upon reaching the mill, the
miller must have load of wood be-
fore he would grind the wheat.
After hauling the wood and waiting
hours tor his grist he finally returned
home with about twenty pounds.
This was all the flour we had till
the following autumn.
Many were the hardships these two
met. When sickness came there was
no skilled physician at hand to
share the responsibility but the mother
met her trouble alone. Many the
time she brought her loved ones
through the siege of some dread dis
ease. At one time most of the
settlers left, fearing a repetition Of
the Minnesota Massacre in Iowa.
In spite of her husbands protest!
Mrs. Gable remained by his side. HI
felt he could not leave his stock ant
all he had after working so hard TO
their start.
In sunshine and through storm thes
TWO brave souls have met life
pleasures and sorrows. From time t
time they increased the size of thei
farm. Crops became better. Thei
stock increased. They finally wreste
a fair return for their labor from tn
prairies of Crawford. Who shall So.
they have, not been more than con
querors? What strange freak of DIES
tiny that threw these two orphan
together on the first waves of tn
onward tide Of emigration beyond tn
Mississippi. Have they not bee
rulers of their fate? Now in the
cozy home in Denison they are Twin
loved and honored by all that kno
taem. 1t is the hope of relatives an
friends that as the twilight shadow
of life begins to fall around these tw
who have travelled life's pathway tt
gether for fifty years that it shall /