The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-04-29
BRANS0N |. HARRIS
> AN AUTHOR AT 81
Aged Resident of Wayne Coun-
ty Has Written His Person.
al "reminiscences.
SURPRISEDBY PUBLICATION
BOUND VOLUME WAS PRESENT
ED TO Mr.. HARRIS ON HIS
BIRTHDAY BY HIS SON, ADDI-
SON c. HARRIS.

Indianapolis, April 29.-At the age
of 81 Branson L. Harris discovered
that he was the author of a book. On
his birthday week ago, he was rath-
er startled to find that the latest liter
AIRY production of the Hoosier state
bore his name.
Branson L. Harris is the venerable
parent of Addison C. Harris, one of the
He lives in Wayne county and is one
of the pioneers of Indiana.
Last summer Mr.. Harris visited his
son in indianapolis, and found time
weighing heavily on his hands. His
son said to him: Put in manuscript
your earliest experiences in Indiana
and it will interest the young people
of today"
The veteran Hoosier sat himself
down to write. and he worked indus
triously for several weeks. In his
mind was stored a wealth of reminis-
cences. He turned the manuscript
over to his son, and last Sunday when
his 91st birthday arrived he was pre-
ume of his own work.
1t was entitled Some Recollectioas
of My Boyhood' In his book Mr.
Harris deals entertainmgly with early
days in Indiana. Among his recollec-
lions of Wayne county he says:
'Father often would take his gun and
go out hunting early in the morning,
while the frost was on, and often be-
n +, xr-if h n,
deer on his back, or if he had killed
one that was too heavy to carry, he |
would take a horse and sled and haul
It home. then dress and cut it up, and |
we would have some fresh venison. In
the winter or early in the spring 1
have often seen deer in our wheat |
field eating the green wheat. The
bear was not to be seen very often.
Occasionally some neighborS would kill
one"
The following description of the Har-
ais home will be interesting TO the
modern day housewife:
Father and mothers early home
was plain hewed log cabin, one story
high, clapboard roof, door on each
side of the house, round poles for joists
one glass window. plank floor pegged
down, loose plank overhead, stack and
clay chimney, with a pol" rim across
up above the jams high enough so ii
wouldn't catch fire, to hang cooking
vessels on. Mothers cooking vessels
were a pot, an oven, a skillet, an iron
tea kettle and a Johnny cake board.
She cooked over and before the fire.
The oven and skillet had iron lids.
She baked corn pone and loaf in the /
oven, biscuit and pies in the skillet.
She shoveled the fire coal out on the
hearth, set the cooking vessels on the
Goals. put in dough. put on the lid and
the fire on the lid and baked. She
hung the vessels over the fire to boil
meat potatoes. cabbage and other
things. Our food was simple, but i
wholesome. We drank milk and spice
brush and sassafras teas. l have seen
tea made from red sycamore chips. 1t
was a long time before coffee and tea
came into use. Everyone made his
own sugar and mo1asses in the spring"i
In describing his first visit to Indian
apolis Mr.. Harris says: THE capital of
the state was no great city at that
time. The better part of the town
was along Washington street. There
was no bridge at Indianapolis and we
drove north and crossed Fall creek
somewhere above the mouth and went
,rp White river to where there was a
ford and crossed over and got on the
National road again."