The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-10-04
Mt. Vernon, O. Sept. 20.

things that happened in our young
days. We can forget things that trans
pired few months or a few years
ago, but incidents that occurred at the
old home in our childhood are so in
delibly fixed on our minds that they
go with us to the end Of our, lives. We
may go to Wyoming's Yellowstone Ma
tional Park, Colorados Manitou and
Arizona's Grand Canyon, and be aston
ished and inspired at the wonders Of
nature, and we may find a great deal
OF pleasure in contemplating these
wonders in after years, but the sweet
est memories that ever come to us
are the memories that take us back
to the scenes of our childhood. They
come before US in our silent hours and
visit us in our dreams.
In 1924 William H. Smith, Sen., left
his home in Virginia to look for home
in the west. He travelled on foot and
alone. He crossed the Ohio river on
Ferry boat, and walked on over the
newly made roads through the woods;
went south through Mt. Vernon on
Main street, and on to Milford town
ship, where he located a tract of gov
ernment land; went to Chillicothe and
entered it; then went back and cleared
off spot large enough to start tan
yard.
He made his home with the parents
of Judge w. l.. Simons, now of Fort
Scott, Kansas, who had entered ad-
joining land. He lived with them un-
til 1928. At that time he was married
to Esther Dill of Franklin county. He
then built log house on his premises
and lived in it until 1888. He then
built the frame house that is still the
family residence for the owners of the
farm. They raised family of eight
children, four boys and four girls. Five
of the family are still living.
This morning, not having very much
to do, the notion came to me that l
would like to spend one more day at
the old home. The impulse grew so
strong that | got a conveyance and
started. When / got to my destina-
ton through the kindness of the occu-
pants, / was given almost full pos
session of the house for a short time.
first went into the old sitting room,
and was once more within the walls
of home, where my feet had taken
their first steps in this world. How
quickly memories of former years be-
gan to appear. / could see the old
clock standing in the corner, so tall
that it almost reached the ceiling, and
the old looking glass hanging on the
wall, the large wide fire place and the
long crane hanging over the fire with
hooks hanging on it. / could see chill
dren hanging their stockings on the
old wood mantlepiece on Christmas
and New Years Eve, and many other
incidents of former years. l went into
the pantry where l used to go so often
with mother to get a piece of pie or
bread and butter, then into the par
lor and parlor bed room, then upstairs
into the rooms where we used to sleep
and down into the cellar where the
apples and potatoes used to be piled
up in big bins for winter use. l next
went over to where the lanyard used
to be to see if any trace of it could
be found. The big deep holes that
were dug in the ground and walled
up with heavy planks for the lime,
the pool and the tan watts, the old
bark house where | used to watch the
old mare going around, turning the mill
that ground the oak bark to make
| liquor for tanning leather, and the
shop where the leather was finished,
were all gone. Nothing left to tell the
story of a lanyard ever having been
there. l next went to the orchard. On
ly few of the old trees still remain.
sat down in the shade of the "Old
Sweet Tree" to eat lunch had TAX
en- with me. One of the first recollec-
tions that | have of my existence in
this world was standing under it look
ing up into its branches at few large
yellow apples, the first of it's yield.
And how many times have l gone
there since to eat of it's sweet juicy
fruit. I was then child and the old
sweet tree only sapling. The years
that have gone by since then have
brought gray hairs to me, and to the
old sweet tree, withered branches.
After eating my lunch, l started
across the fields to locate places that
were once so attractive. The little
hill in the "barnfield" where the june
berry tree stood; the place in the mead
ow where the big hickory trees stood
the pond where used to slide on the
ice; q never owned a pair of skates)
and then on to Sycamore creek that
ran through the big woods, now al