Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1925-07-02
East Fairfield
Homecoming

In spite of the chilly day over
one hundred ninety gathered from
far and near to celebrate this day,
which is to be an annual event
held the last Saturday in June ev-
cry year.
One long table and a smaller one
were placed in the grove and at
little past noon, all sat down to
eat of the many good things, pre-
pared by the ladies, and Excelsior
ice cream, a product OF our dairy
!. industry.
The Warn orchestra consisting
Of LIr. Warn, and his two daugh-
tiers, Blanche and Elizabeth. fur
nished very fine music which was
.tgreatly appreciated.
II An impromptu nine was picked
Iup and lively game of ball follow
X ed. Others visited, sang, or told
stories.
Ia Aunt Mary Porter Of Lyons is the
iioldest living member.
VI Charles Hildreth of Milwaukee,
4 who used to live where viii Bur
tton now owns, is the next. Both
\ these venerable people were 81
.lyears old last October. Although
Ithey would have enjoyed greatly
Ito be at the meeting they could not
1be, on account of poor health.
( Grandma Thayer was the oldest
gone present and is SO years old.
IL All three o'clock the meeting was
!.called to order by the president and
i short business meeting followed.
N Grandma Thayer read in her
pleasing manner a very interesting
prepared by herself while with her
daughter, Mrs. Hattie Miliner q
few weeks ago.
Memories of Old.
Away over the deep blue sea in
the year of 1S43, Jan. 25, a little
blue-eyed girl was brought to the
home of Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Bur
ton, in a small town in Lincoln
shire, England.
When she was seven years old
her father wanted to come to Am
erica to live so in the fall of 1850
they came and landed in New Or
leans.
This little girl was on the sea
eight weeks and never saw a foot
Of land in all that time. The ship
was a sailing craft and had to go
when the wind blew. When it did
mot you could hardly perceive that
it moved at ALL
From New Orleans she came with
her parents in q steamer up the
Mississippi River to st. Louis. Two
weeks after landing here her moth
er died, then she was left with her
father, her uncle, and a cousin to
be cared for.
These were very trying times as
the father was not very we'll stu
ated and had to work hard to take
,care of himself and little daughter
in a strange land and among stran-
gers.
They stayed here two years and
then started for Wisconsin. They
ilanded in Portage the last day OF
April, 1852. There was not much
i'll Portage at that time, just a new
town started. The business part
of the city today, was then under
brush.
The morning of the first day Of
May they started with horses and
|wagOn for Fairfield, which was al
that time the town of Flora, the
Land of Flowers, and it sure
sly was well named. The woods
were full of their fragrance.
The Wisconsin River was just
booming. Then there was no lev
zee and the water was all over the
road. In fact you could see no
road in places. The little girl was
frightened to see the horses and
she cried. The horses got into a
hole that had been washed out,
then she was more frightened. The
men had to help the horses out.
The father carried the child in his
arms to high spot on stump, a
log or stone. Her father was
very good and patient with her, in
these trying times.
After resting here awhile, the
rest of the way was better, and
about noon that Sunday, they came
ap the road past the house where
lIr Noah Almy was building. 1t
WAS not finished at that time.
Now ] might as well tell your
Who this little girl was, before
10 any farther She stands before
Iou today, aged 81, and is grand
na, and great grandma.
After we passed Mr.. Almys
Bouse, man came out of the yard
and walked up the road My
father says to me, as he held my
band, do you know that man? OF