Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-07-01
THE BEARDEN REUNION.
Large Attendance for Celebration OF
Mrs. Bearden's tooth Birthday.


Mira. Bearden's tooth Birthday.
I'm the southern portion OF Oconee
county, and just about one mile
south OF Oakway, in a beautiful oak
grove, stands the commodious home
ofHJames w. Bearden, where he has
reared an interesting family of boys
and girls. and whore he now resides
with his family, among whom is his
aged and beloved mother, Mrs. Eliza
beth Bearden, relict of William Bear
den. Last Sunday, June 28th, her
descendants, who are numerous, met
to celebrate the one hundredth ami
versary of the birth of Mrs. Bearden.
At an early hour in the morning
people began to arrive at the home
of Mr.. Bearden, and before 10 o'clock
the whole grove and available space
was occupied with horses and bug
gies that had brought together the
descendants and friends Of that rood
lady, and who had before the arrival
81 SUNDAY prepared and filled their
a Haskets with the very fat of the land
and brought 1t along that those who
met there might enjoy to the full this
delightful occasion, and render unto
God their heartfelt thanks for the
preservation of the life Of this good
mother so. long that she might see
wonders of development, both In her
country and in her own family.
After the social hand shake, and
the rendering Of thanks to God for
His blessings, those present sought
out ]. w. Shelor, Esq, who had
known this good lady all his life, to-
deliver the address of the occasion to
about three or four hundred people,
the subject Of which was, in brief
form, the history and experience of
Mrs. Bearden in one hundred years.
OF her descendants, the oldest ores
ent was her daughter, Mrs. PlcSens
Cole, now sevepty-three years Of age,
and the youngest, her great-great-
grandchild, tiny babe in the cradle.
Many things that were said and
thought that day were good and we'll
to be remembered. ..,
Mrs. Elizabeth Bearden, nee Nc
Guffin, sister Of the late Rev. A. W..
McGuffln, was one of family thar
has done much for the upbGilding OF
Oconee.' She was born in the neigh
borhood Of the "old Stone Church" :"
near what Is now Clemson College,
on the 2Sth day Of June, 1908. From
here, when she was quite girl, her
father, with his family, moved to
place on Six-and-Twenty Creek. and
there resided for several years, It
because Of the fact that some of the
family owned a tract of land near
Oconee Station, near what is now
known as the "Picket Post" and
Bethel church, some six miles north
Of Walhalla, the family moved to
that section, where Mrs. Bearden was
taught in the school at Bethel, which
was in cha e of a Presbyterian
preacher, Rev. Mr.. Brown. In her
young womanhood Miss Elizabeth
McGuffin (now Mrs. Bearden) moved
from her home near Oconee Station
to Decatur, Ga, where she met and
was married to her first husband,
Mr.. Ables. To this union were born
three daughters, one Of whom in af-
ter years married Galloway Brown,
, one Mr.. Land and the other Pickens
Cole ali of whom, except Mrs. Cole,
have long since passed away.
After the death of Mr.. Ables, Mrs.
Ables moved to the Beaverdam sec
ton, near Fair Play, where she, with
her three children, resided, and
where she met and married William
Bearden, familiarly known as Uncle
Buck. Immediately after her mar
riage to Mr.. Bearden she and her
husband moved to the Oakway Sec
tiOn, where she has since resided
About seventy years this good lady
has resided in the neighborhood Of
Oakway, and here 1t was that she
- reared her intelligent and Interesting
family, and here she has certainly
bieft her impress for good.
Though her life has not all been
as smooth waters, she has lived
among and with three generations
and has enjoyed seeing her home
land grown from obscurity and
portance; she has witnessed her
community grow from the appella-
tion "Nubbin' Ridge" to the most de-
sirable and prosperous of communi-
ties. When she moved into the COM
munity almost any lands in her
knowledge on that ridge could be
bought for fifty cents an acre. Mrs.
Bearden Is proud to feel that she has
lived, by the grace Of God, to see
this same land sought after at from
forty to fifty dollars per acre. Since
her marriage with William Bearden
she and her husband bought one
thousand acres Of land, whereon Oak
way Is now situated, for fifty dollars.
or this one thousand acres Mr..
Bowen, Mr.. Haley and A. Bearden
own most, and the same tract could
to-day easily be sold for fifty thou
sand dollars---in fact, one hundred
and thirty-seven acres was sold last
year for $11 900, part OF which has
produced as much as three bales of
cotton per acre in the last few years.
When Mrs. Bearden moved to Oak
way society was crude, uneducated
and retiring; to-day no better in
formed community exists than this,
and the descendants OF this good
lady are among the foremnst She