The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-10-08

could truly say "Old things are pass
ed away and behold. all things have
become newt" l felt it my duty to
follow the example set me bymy Say
ior. to be buried with him in bap-
tism.
| was accepted and on the 18th day
of April, 1911 | was baptized in North
Bennington by Elder l. Matteson in
Paran Creek in the presence of hun
dreds of spectators. | and two fe-
male friends. We went cheerfully
and joyfully and then went on our
way rejoicing.
Flowers are the alphabet of angels
with which they write Gods words
in the valleys and over all the hills.
About the first of May, 1911 my
husband was baptized and also his
sister Polly, at SALISBURY Center by
Elder Isaiah Matteson. | had now
entered upon the realities of life.
Father Stewart said to me one day,
after | was fairly settled with his
family: "Almira, / will now give you
as much flax as you can spin"
accepted the offer joyfully, took the
fax, hatcheled it and then commenc-
ed spinning and with my own hands
spun yarn enough to make So yards
of tow and linen cloth, before it was
time to begin to spin wool. My hus-
band had sheep. | spun wooden yarn
to make 40 yards of cloth, stocking
yarn for husband and myself, yarn
for two coverids, colored it, had it
ready for the weaver by September
On September 18th, 1871 my son
Asa was born at Father Stewards
house. In November of this year,
1871 my brother Asa Doty and my
husband made a visit to Pennsylva-
MIA to see my fathers family. Early
in the month of March, 1912 my hus-
band removed to the farm one and
one-half miles from his fathers, call
ed the mountain farm, his brother
Reuben living in the house with us.
In the course of the summer I went
after Maria H. Johnson, little girl
of ten years and few months old to
live with me.
In the month of January, 1873 my
husband removed a family to the
town Of Homer, Cortland Co., N. y,
state. He had relatives living II
miles beyond in the town of Locks,
Cayauga Co., whom he went to see.
He was all in raptures with the coun-
try and returning home, made prepa-
rations for a removal and on the 18th
of February, 1873 with three sleigh
loads of household goods, his father
driving one team, David Woodland one
and himself one, we left the home
of his birthplace to go among stran-
gers. A few days before we left
Mother Stewart came to see us, as
soon as she came in she said to me
with her eyes full nj tears "Almira
you are not going to leave us are
you?" l said (thoughtlessly) II hope
so:" not thinking how much 1t might
hurt her feelings; for a better WON
an than she, lived not. We'll" said
she, 'if you will go, you will want q
comfortable cloak for your little boy
Here ! have brought you some fan
mel to make one"
I did not then even think that
was parting with her forever; but sc
it was; for on the 25th of April fol
lowing she departed this life, for the
regions. of blissful immortality in
the 5Sth year OF her age.
She was a feeble woman and had
been for years before her death un
able to even oversee her work. In
the autumn of 1911 her two daugh
! tiers left home on a visit, and 1t fell
to my lot to take care OF the house
and oversee the work. Mother call
ed me to sit by her one day, and In
the course OF our conversation she
said to me. "Almira, you are the
fourth daughter-in-law that has beer
brought home here to live and
would prefer you before all the
others TO live with" OF course | die
not mention this to the others, 4
might have caused disagreeable feel
Ings.
AS have before said, February is
1918 we left the mountain farm IL
| White Creek with our family and
goods and arrived in Locke Cayug'
county, n. Y. state on the goth o
the same month. We stopped at I'm
Gle Loves whose wife was my hus
bands aunt: her maiden name wal
Mary Stewart. We arrived here OF
Saturday, tarried until Monday anC
then my husband got the privilege
of staying In Mr.. Blodgett's spinning
and weaving shop until We could fine
n home. Here Asa, my little boy wal
sick with measles, having caugh
them on the road. He was seventeen
months old. we lived In Mr.. Blod
getts shop one month, then my hus
band bought Noah Carpenters farm
of fifty acres. There was log hous'
on the farm into which we moved
there had been two windows in th'
house of nine lights each, which Mr.
Carpenter took away with them ant
we lived there until late the next fal
with nothing but a white towel hum
at each window, and here on SatuI
day, the 9rd of April, 1918 my secon'
child was born.
This was in the time of Presiden
Madison's war. Ten young mel
were drafted in Locke and ordered L
the lines ito protect our west from
tier" They remained away abou
1 six months. Provisions were high
potatoes were 81 per bushel; tea
$3.50 per pound. We did not buy !
pound during the war, our common
beverage being wheat coffee or pei
coffee or coon root tea.