Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-05-02
!. !. !. J. !. !. !. !. !. j. !. !. !. !.
!. THE OLD HOME AT i.
!. 1.-THE OAKS" j.
!. !. \. !. !. !. !. \. \. !. !. !. !. I.


will pardon me for alluding to our
family's record as soldiers in the six
ties, | will promise to be brief. My
| father settled near Fruit tIill, in
Edgciicld county, in 1889, in a thick
| forest on a beautiful elevation. At
! this home, ''The Oaks" my father
and mother reared thirteen children
four daughters and nine sons-to
be grown! hardly think that there
was family in the county Of that
| number who enjoyed better health.
The first death in the family was
that OF my brother, who was killed
at Sharpsburg, Md, September 18th.
1862. Nearly all the children were
grown when, in 1861, the blighting
hand Of war spread it's cold. inky
fingers over our land and stirred up
the eagles nest at 1.-The Oaks" and
as the bugler sounded the call to
arms nine brothers at '"rhe Oaks"
answered the call. Three were mar
ried at that time. Three were killed
on the battlefield; they fell in three
different States-One at Sharpsburg,
Md, September II, 1862; one in the
battle OF Atlanta, Ga, July 23, 1864.
and one at The Wilderness (Va.),
May 6, 1864. Three were wounded
twice each, three went through un-
! hurt, and those three died in 1911
! within three days Of each other.
/ Three OF us are living, and we live in
three different States.-South Caro-
; lima, Georgia and Florida. Three
years ago my two brothers came to
South Carolina on a visit.
Back Again at "Thc Oaks"
While they were in the county, all
three OF us made a visit at the old
home. The Oaks" which was to us
one OF the most peculiar pleasures.
mingled with IA great degree Of sad
, ness. This is where we first saw the
light OF day, and this was the first
time in 2S years that we three had
met at "The Oaks" The friends
, who then owned the dear old home
gave us all the liberty, and conducted
us through all Of the apartments
! This is where our mother first taught
lis how to pray. and father first set us
! the example Of Goodness; this is
where we remembered our first
Christmas and Santa Claus; and as
we wandered here and there over the
many places where we all once roam
ed and romped, we occasionally
stopped and let memory run back to
, childhood and boyhood days. playing
with the little fish and frogs in the
brook as the cows came from the
meadow, and where we would stroll
! through the thicket listening to the
musical mnrmur of the bees, and the
harmonious twitter OF the birds, and
the rustling OF the leaves, and the
song Of the brook, and the whippoor-
will rs he sent out his keen, mellow
notes upon the night air; and the
big green frogs, with their bass
voices, at the "rushy pond" hard by.
; SO many happy associations cluster
about those good old days and the
dear friends that have long since
gone to their reward The stately
oaks that once shaded lis from the
heat still stand as sentinels of the
past. All these things called up un-
told melody-the sound Of we'll
known footsteps, the suggestion Of
boyhood and girlhood days, and the
shadow OF tender sorrows, and the re-
Election Of ten thousand fond memo
ries; the school days and their trials,
the boyish struggles with hard prob
lems--all Of which ask remembrance.
These things are but memories
now-dreams OF the past--but they
are bright dreams. The touch OF
time and the finger of decay have
been felt at the dear old home at
"rhe Oaks" A mans home is where
he places his shingle and bakes his
'"""d but still call the place Of my
birth home" love the house,
with its hallowed memories and its
holy associations: | love every nail
in the walls; love every tree and
shrub and flower and blade OF grass
that grows there in field and in for
est. Yes, | still call the dear old
place "home." Home! Sweet Is
that word! What beautiful associa-
tions cluster there: IL quickens the
pulse. warns the heart; it whispers
and thundcrs and prays; it springs
up like fountain, thrills like a song,
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