The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-06-04

4V&AAVA hOWp S8so4SoSS 49, ~
Grandma Walker Is going to
have . birthday party. and she has
asked The Argus to issue blanket
Invitation to I'll her friends to At
tend.
Grandma" Walker Is Mrs. Sarah
Ann Walker; the party" will be
held at the home Of Mrs. Walkers
daughter, Mrs. ]. H. Park, 1865
Fortieth street. Grandma will be
at home all day TO tell her friends
how 1t feels to be "a years old.
Mrs. Walker was born in Brad
ford county. Pennsylvania, June 5.
1896. She has been q resident Of
Rock Island for nearly thirty-three
years and has watched this city
spread from Seventh avenue south
to its present limits and from Elm
street east to meet Moline.
Despite her great age Mrs.
Walkers memory Is - clear g that
Of = woman Of 60. She loves to re-
call her father, . veteran Of the
war Of 1919 and to recount for the
benefit Of her great grandchildren
the stories Of the days Of the Civil
war. Incidentally she has par
ticipated" In four wars. She knit
socks for the soldiers who fought
Santa Anna in the Mexican war.
wrapped bandages for the wounded
in the war, Of the sections. sent
goodies to the disabled soldiers In
Cuba in 1898 and knit . number Of
sweaters for the Red Cross during
the World war.
Mrs. Walker loves best to look
back over the industrial develop
ment through which her country
has passed In her life time. She
has seen the march westward
which moved Americas frontier
from the Mississippi to the Pacific
following the gold rush Of 1S4S
There were no railroads to speak o.
when she was Q girl and the ma:
velous development Of America,
transportation lines has occurred
in her life time. Steamships have
supplanted sailing vessels on the
sea. The telephone has advanced
from . doubtful experiment to {
business necessity. Telegraphy
wire and wireless has demolished
distance. The electric light has 70
placed the dip candle Of the earl,
days Just a. upholstered Pullman
have supplantAd the prair;l
schooner. The automobile has ban
ished the horse from the streets, Il
great measure, \ and the Wrigh
Brothers. with their successor
have conquered the dir.
/ John Quincy Adams was presi
dent of the United States whel
Mrs. Walker was born and he
recollections cover the administra
tons Of Andrew jackson, Val
Buren,. Polk, Taylor. Pierce. Blu
chanan. Lincoln, Johnson, Grant
Hayes, Galheld, Arthur, Cleveland
Harrison, Mckinley. Roosevelt
Taft and Wilson. She takes keel
interest in the present political sit
uation and Is eagerly awaiting tn,
party nominations to be made 3
San Francisco and Chicago. Sh
expects this fall to cast her FRS
presidential ballot.
Among the events which Mrs
Walkers memory recalls are tn
rise and fall OF Mormonism, tn
| Blackhawk war, invention Of tn
reaper. the power loom, the discov
cry Of ether a. an anaesthetic, tn
Macmillan fasco in Mexico, tn,
abolition Of slavery and of cours,
national prohibition and almost ma
tional female suffrage.
She remembers distinctly the as
sassination Of the three martyret
American presidents-Lincoln Gar
field and McKinley-and has watch
ed the growth Of America from /:
little country Of 17,000.000 Of PEG
pie to the present great republic
with its 100000 900.
Mrs. Walker attributes her lon,
life to the fact that she AWAY,
worked hard and minded her owl
business"
She hores al her friends vii
come and see her tomorrow.