The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-04
Miss Barbara Kern

MILTON, Ind, Aug 4-The Tooth
birthday of one of Millions best known
citizens, Aunt Barbara Kern, as she
is affectionately known, was ceiebrat-
ed Friday. Owing to her feeble con-
dition, no large number of visitors was
entertained, but all of the older citi-
Zens of the town were mindful of the
occasion and many took occasion TO
send their Fluctuations and good
wishes.
Miss Kern has made Milton her
principal residence since her brothers,
David and Henry, first came to the
town in 1916. These two men spent
the remainder of their lives in Mil
ton, David keeping a drug store On the
principal corner of the main street.
and Henry building up a profitable
business as a merchant tailor and be-
came known as two of the most sub
stantial and dependable citizens OF
the town, then in its youth.
After the death of her brothers in
the early eighties, Miss Kern moved to
Indianapolis, living with niece for
several years, and still later spending
several periods as the fancy struck her
in Harrisburg.
Established orphanage
1t is Harrisburg, indeed, that is the
site of Aunt Barbara most important
and best remembered achievement. An
orphan asylum, established solely
through her efforts, when she was in
her late seventies, is located there
In spite of her advanced age, Miss
Kern succeeded in securing the requir-
ed number of signers, principally with
in the membership of her church OF
Brethren in Christ She personally
paid over the $4,000 necessary for the
institution, which was thereupon
equipped and maintained by free VII
contributions and by the $500 allow
ed biennially from the treasury OF
Pennsylvania.
To this achievement Miss Kern
gave all her enthusiasm and ability
and she still remembers her success
as the greatest triumph of her life
For many years she reveled in the
enjoyments of the home by proxy
through the children and her fondest
recollections even now are of the
many clad in their Dunkard costumes
and the pieces" they would recite
| for her.
Donated Monument
| Milton, as well as Harrisburg. holds
| a splendid remembrance of her in the
| cemetery lot and memorial monument
| she donated for the Washington town
! ship service men of the Civil. Spanish
and World wars. This lot, the ole
| family lot from which the bodies had
| been removed to Indianapolis, was
made the site for a monument or
which were inscribed the names o.
all Washington township citizens who
! had served their country under arms
The monument was dedicated at the
Memorial day services in 1920 and /:
also serving as an even better remem
/ brance of the Kern family than the
family stones which it replaced.
The Kern family emigrated t.
Springville, Lancaster county, Pa.
from Wurtemburg, Germany in 1917
Both of the sons were born in Ger
many but Barbara Kern was born il
this country.
On March IS of this year Miss Kerr
suffered a stroke which impaired he
ability to walk, although she had beer
able to move around unhindered unit
then in spite of her great age. Sh,
was then being visited by Mrs Fanni,
Engle of Harrisburg, an old friend
who has since remained with her ant
is caring for her at present. How
ever, although confined to a whee
chair, Miss Kern still retains goot
use of her hearing and eyesight
Compressed air was used in the re
| duction of metals from tbpir orc