The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-01-31
Golden Wedding of Mr.. and
Mrs Philander 4 Steward.

was celebrated at the residence of their
daughter, Mrs. Charles A. Marston,
where Mr.. and Mrs Steward have made
their home for two years Fifty rel
atives from brother to great.grand
daughter and great-grandniece and the
many friends to whom Mr.. Steward has
always been "Uncle Phi'' or "Grandpa
steward" contributed TO make the oc
casion one long to be remembered.
The romance and adventures sur
rounding the lives and marriage of Mr.
and Mrs. Steward will perhaps warrant
brief narration.
Philander steward was born in Bloom
field March 9, 1882, the son of Asa and
Sally Parker steward whose mother
was Rachel Coburn, sister of Eleazer
COburn the father of Abner and Philan.
der tobnrn. for whom Mr.. steward was
named He prepared for college at
Bloomfield academy, but those were
stirring times as gold had just been dis
covered in California and the new ell
doraoo with its adventure aud lure of
wealth promised more than academic
halls N 1851 with A. K Brainard, his
preceptor in Bloomfield academy, Pay.
son Pollard, William Cleveland. PetheuI
Smith and others he went by clipper
ship to Panama, walked across the 18th
mus in the very path OF the great canal
of the future and thence by boat again
TO ean Francisco. With the usual up
and down fortunes of the Argonaut he
worked a year and a half, acquired a
comfortable grub stake" left his more
eontented companions and followed the
call of The Red Gods TO the new fields in
Australia where he was destined to
spend sixteen years of his life. He was
over fifteen weeks on the voyage, just
five times the time of the mail steamers
of today.
Six years after landing in sydney he
married Phoebe Louden in Woolshed
Victoria, the daughter of Joseph Lou
den, Esquire, a we'll to do ship builder
Mrs. steward was born IN Newcastle,
County Durham. England in 1910 of d
ship building family and moved with
her parents 10 Wellington, New Zealand
when a child. Mr.. and Mrs. Steward s
wedding trip was on horse back from
Woolshed to their new home in Beech
worth where their fret child was born,
the present Mrs. Charles A. Marston.
The young couples life was the wander
ing aud adventurous pilgrimage from
one digging to another IN the widest
days of Australia when the bush ranger
and Maori ran riot. Mr.. Stewards
stories of his undertakings and expert
ences with the bush rangers would make
an interesting book. A son. Joseph l..
was born in Adelong, New south Wales
and another, Nahum s.. president of the
steward Heating and Plumbing Go of
this town at Tumbarumba
In 1864 Mr.. Steward joined mining
party and went to New Zealand for a
year when with new grub stake he
decided to be content. deafen bis ears To
the wild cry of the mines, and become a
ranchman He spent two years as sup
erintendent of the big Greg Greg station
of Mrs. Stewards brother in law, John
Pierce and then took up a $4,000 acre
station of his own nearby The serious
| illness of his mother in 1869 neceesitat, d
his return home. The family came by
sailing ships to England on which voy.
age they were three months out of sight
of land, thence home to Skowhegan.
Owing to prolonged illness in his family,
Mr.. Steward was unable to return to his
property in Australia which under the
unsettled condition of the then prevail
ing land laws reverted to the crown
In 1871 their fourth and last child Ben
T. Steward WAS born at their home farm
In SkowheRan In 1877 the mining fever
again got the best of Mr.. Steward and
with his son in-law the late Charles A
Msrston he went to the Black Hills
where he remained with varying for
tunes year. On his return he became
the partner of A. K p. Coburn In logging
and remained so until Gov. Coburn's
death in 1882.
The sum of Mr. Stewards adventures
and experiences has been more than
usually falls to the LII of ten men. Good
fortune and bad fortune, high hopes
and crushed aspirations have never
daunted him, changed his sunny, cheer.
full disposition, or clouded his wonder.
full optimism and love of life He some.
where drank deep of the fountain OF
youth which makes his splrits and point
of view today those of boy.
he was the youngest and most buoy
ant part of bis golden anniversary His
ever ready wit and Overlooking fun
dominated every minute. Mrs. Philo
Steward had charge of the entertain.
ment program which was as follows:
Introductory Congratulations
Wallace Blunt
Piano Duet,
Mrs. Steward and Miss Mary Emery
Song "When You and were young.
Phoebe" Mrs. Steward
Piano Solo, Miss Mary Emery
| Appropriate Quotations.
Song Ills true, dear heart" Mrs. Steward
Recitation: bringing up Boys
Mrs. J. W. Blunt
Piano Solo, Miss Mary Emery
Presentation Of Purse,
Mr.. Roy l.. Marston and
Mollie Blunt
Mrs. Stewards paraphrase of an old
song when You and | were Young,
Phoebe" was easily the hit of the even
ing. The chorus ran
"But aged and gray Phoebe.
The trials of life nearly done
Let us sing Of the days that gone, Phoebe,
When you and were young"
Mr. Marston presented to the bride
and groom of half a century purse of
fifty dollars in gold, In presenting it,
he compared the coins with Mr.. Stew
ard and said they we're not pure gold be-
cause they both had just enough of the
baser metals and the "devil" in them to
make them practicable and lovable
ton book containing the following
I857-I9o7.
For Nh Philander {. Steward and his