The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1922-04-26
father and CHILDREN
united after Is YEARS

UNlIEU AflEk 70 IEAk0
Swift County Monitor, Benson,
Mimi: As interesting as the school
day tale of Enoch Arden, who became
estrayed from his family SO long that
his wife thought him dead. is the
true story OF the discovery BY Mrs.
Edgar Aim of forming of her father,
whom size never knew until few
lays ago tho he had visited Benson
twice in 1912. Mrs. Aims father
and nnothey became separated while
she and her brother were tiny child
rem, and from that time until their
recent reunion there was no COM
muniCation between fs.thez and
daughter. The war and a iumor that
the son was killed overseas furnish
ed the first clew-but let it be told in
story form:
Way back IN the nineties boy and
a girl married, "a boys and girls have
done before. Two children-a boy
and a girl were born to them and a
little later the young mother with the
two children vert 20 distant part
Of the safe. The father had not been
able to discover their whereabout,
during p wears and was som ewEat dis
inclined to disturb the rlother. any
way, for he says she was q good moth
er and any blame that might be thos
necessary to attach TO either parent.
he claims for his own.
Children are peoverbiaily curious.
and these were no exception. They
found certain legal papers that prac-
iically- convinced tie boy that he had
q father Of another name, but his own
memory failed nr- a single year to
reach back to his birthplace and old
friends Of his parents who could have
explained matters. He haG searched
as best he could tor some fifteen
years, but with little success. excep.
for a few mole bits Of information
that left him unsati>fed.
Both parents ultimately married
again ard these children grew up
under the name Of Chase. During tie
war a rumor reached the father thru
an old friend in the hometown that
Charlie, the son. had been killed in
France. With this slended clew and
others that came to light. he was
soon in communication with both
children. The father had Just lost
beloved daughter, ciready a successful
teacher, while the mother died last
September Each was glad and
pleased to find the other and to re-
new their rightful relations. Only
Few days ago the last messages from
the mother reached her two children
fully confirming what they had al
ready discovered.
The mother was Myrtle Gwilt Of
pleasant Grove. a little village cas-.
of Stewaltvlle, MINI. ard she has at
least one brother in that neighborhool
now. The father is E. Francis At
wood OF Sisseton, S. D., prominent
educator, lecturer Of some note and
somewhat of an authority on nlathe-
mates. He spoke twice in Benson in
the campaign Of 1919.
The daughter is Eva Eunice. wife
of Edgar S. Aim of Benson. The son
is Charles A. Atwood. to use his right
iui HdIHCs Dul - lie WAS SOiQlef
under the name of Chase. probably
some legal procedure will be necessary
to keep the record straight
The ancestors Of these people goes
hack to Plymouth Rock, Governor
Bradford, pioneer settler in New Jer-
sey Pennsylvania and Virginia, also
including the Green Mountain Boys
and Clan MacGregor
The pictures and records, Of 43
descendants OF one Revolutionary an
eeStor who faced that other George
III thru seven long. weary years., as
these boys did the Kaiser, have been
published in the annual of the family
association. and Chas. A. Atwood
makes the total "A so far as is known
up to this time.
Newspapers do not usually print
details of intimate family history,
but the parties interested most, con-
sented to have somewhat full ac-
count published, for they are both
proud and glad to share with others,
a little of the pleasure that has come
to them to soften their sorrow.
Mr.. Atwood has been spending the
past week with his daughter, scn-in-
law and grandchildren, and says he
grows a year younger each day he
stays in Benson.