Putnam patriot., 1909-08-27
Ballard Reunion. Augast 70, 1909.

l t of this delay, and as some had made af. rangements for the 18th and could not be there the l9lh, only seventy were present All, however, seemed to en- loy Ii all One thing. the pfese nee of Aiberius Bruce and wife--the last of the old BaIards --made it ail the more enjoya6le--l nele Bruce being s9 years old and his wife s4
 The usual good dinner WAS, as usual, enjoyed by nil. After dinner, the chair man. N. s. Converse, called 10 order, and tie following committees for the next year were chosen.
 Committee of Arrangements-J. C. Nichols, r. Ramsdel and Newton Bal lard.
 Clerk and Treasnrer-Stephen Bal lard.
 Hlstorlan-Jessie Gilbert. Amusement Committee--Galsin Bal. lard, Winthrop Ballard and Harriet Brown.
 Newton Ballard MAS elected to the place of Trustee of the Bates Cemete- " Fund--lhe former trustee, Samuel K. Spalding being deceased. Earl Pierce and Kenneth Ballard passed the hat for expenses and report cd 28 cents too much.
 Stephen Ballard being called upon 1 for n speech, responded by saying that 1 Uncle Salem Ballard requested him, few mefks before his death to write his
 biography. which he did, and read Il
 to him few ddys before his death. He Uncle Salenf1 seemed much pleas
 ed with II, and said, tread il at our next Reunion. 1 shall not be there
 So, at his request, and because il
 would be af interest to many there, he
 read IL, II was given entirely From
 memory, and shows that his mind,
 even at the extreme age of NJ, was eN-
 ceedingly strong. IL WAS received with
 a vote of thanks.
 The chair then called for remarks,
 and Uncle Bruce, as usual, responded with stories, and sang two songs which I
 he learned some so years ago.
 J. C. Nichols had 10 tell funny sto-
 " or two .or burst
 | The Amusement Committee, led by | Calvin Ballard, had the young people do various stnnts--and Rhoda Ballard, Ruth Ballard, Earl Pierce, stanton Ballard, Ruth Child, Carrie Ballard, 1 and Annie pietce-were some of those | who carried oil red ribbons. l The deaths of three prominent mem ters the past year cast u shade of gloom over the plaesnre of the day. l n The Historian, Miss Bessie Eddy, read the following report for the past year:
 .ulsroRY OF THE nAiI.ARps, lsos 1903. Once more the Ballafds are assembled al the old rendezvous to meet and rect each other, The same pines give us pleasant shade and sweet fragrance, The same sky Is over ns, and Old Sol peeps through the trees and smiles aA us as he has in years past We psasp the hands of cousins, aunts, tshcies, brothers and sisters; and, .lepKins into their faces, think the seAr has wrought bot little change Yet we are taught that there can be no dormant state in our lives, mentally or physically. We are all either struggling up the rugged mountain path oi life toward the sum, mt, or falling to the base. Perhaps our present position Is known only io our. selves and to the One who sees as all, But remember, all ye Rallards, it fausf be mentally and morally upward "A good name k better than precious eint-
 ment. "A good name Is rather to oe | desired than great riches. Our Bal- lard blood must always mean to us;
 "Prcss onward in every good work ," | Last year, when you chose your His
 torian. think you did not advise her
 to write you sermon. The intredne'
 ton to this paper is the expression of
 the feeling the younger Ballard blood
 has. which has been inherited from one | generation to another.
 Al our gathering last year we con, l ,iemned the old stork for his infrequent
 appearances. The interest ef our pie nic centers around the dear little warm
 bundles held in the arms of some fond 1 parent, or, oeiter still, boastful grand
 parent. Although We had several char. l ming small babies lo admire al our last
 Reunion, yet we fell the stofs unkind, He certainls.must have heard what our l historian said about him, for only three
 days after We had met together, August K, ials, he went flying along with q good slsed bundle in his bill, and care fully loaered il into the home of Fred
 conVefse---a fine boy baby on the tiny 1 label attached to The ehtld's blanket
 was this name, " William Ahner, How the old bird knew the names of
 both the grandfathers will ever he The greatest mystery. Two weeks later the same messenger went m ereathle>s 1 haste from Connecticut to Iowa, and