Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-05-17
Grits and Gravel
FLAT ROCK FOLKS
(By T. MOSES JONESo

| ment, and I'll never make 1t; SnOuiu
I live to be as old as Henry Whites
mother, Mrs. Eugene White, the old
est lady member of Flat Rock church;
| or should live so that l would be
ninety my next birthday, as is the
case with Mr.. John w. John Billy
j Reavis, who attends that church.
never could forget today, Sunday
J May Is, 1885,
I 1 happened to meet Horace Cham
pion on the street the other day and
! told him of our inability to attend the
! services at Flat Rock Church to
which we had been invited and he
kindly offered to take us. So this
morning before ten o'clock he was at
cur door ready to fulfil his promise,
when Mrs. Jones and your T. Moses
departed to accept the kind invitation
OF Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas P. Hester.
We arrived at their beautiful coun-
! try home, which is known as "Oak
Ridge Farm" a short while before
I time to go to church. We reached
! the church just before the service
started, hearing the winding up of the
Sunday school, of which E. M Moody
is Superintendent. Henry E.. White
is song leader, and Miss Mavis Hester
is pianist.
1 did not think I could go anywhere
| and not see some one I knew, and
! true to 1rIstom, there was Oscar Cakes
who came over and sat with Mr.
I; Hester and myself. Oscar is the baby
| boy of Mr.. and Mrs. J. H. Cakes, who
| lives at Henderson. He married Miss
Helen Moody whose mother, Mrs. j.
E. Moody, lives near Townsville. He
| was raised in Granville county.
| Soon the church service started aft
er Calvin Moody had handed out the
| hymn books and CODY Bowden had
distributed the programs. The offer
; ing was taken by T. P. Hester and
| S. w. Reavis.
| Of the several songs which were
,, sung, Faith Of Our Fathers" was
most fitting with the sermon which
was preached by Rev. J. D. Gran
ford pastor of the church. It would
take an ace writer to give justice to
the sermon of which one of the
thoughts was that we are now reap
ing the benefits of what our fathers
sowed.
At the close of the sermon, the
young ladies gathered the flowers
from around the chancel, and every
body then marched out to the ceme-
terry. The flowers were lovingly plac-
cd upon two graves which had a beau
tiful headstone inscribed with the
word HESTER. AT the foot of the
graves were two markers bearing
these inscriptions: Thomas D. Hester.
1814-19O2." Ann Moss Hester 1926
1906"
The flowers were baskets, WreathS
and punches of beautiful roses, lilies,
and daisies.
Then Rev. Mr. Crawford spoke fit
ting words of Capt. Thomas G. Hester,
who had given the land for the GENE
terry and had helped build the church.
We had the pleasure of meeting
some of the folks, ali of whom were
very cordial. Among them was John
B. Watkins, Jr., who asked us to call
by to visit him
Capt. Thomas G.. Hester was the
father of Thomas T. Hester, who was
the father of Thomas p Hester, who
is the father of Thomas S. Hester. It
was at the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Thomas P. Hester that we had been
invited to dinner. Rev. and Mrs.
Crawford and son., j. ", also dined
there.
Oak Ridge Farm is a lovely place
with large two-story home, so nice
and whitley painted. Rural electrifi-
cation plays an important part in
that home, which has lights, range,
churn, pump, and several other de-
vices. The fine new barn; pair of
good mules; healthy-looking pigs;
guineas; poultry; pigeons; goldfish
pool; and so forth-all added make
the sum-total of what farm should
be for a real farmer who loves to
farm; for a real farmers wife who
loves to do her part of the work; and
for real farmers children, who love
their parents, their home, and fresh,
country air.
The above seems to be the condi-
ton of that home, where there are
three children; an elder son, Thomas
who resembles his mother; daught-
er, Estelle, who favors my cousin,
Melissa Aiken, of Washington, D. G.
land 1 also told her she reminded me
of Katherine Hepburn); and a young
er son, Frank, who favors his daddy,
and says that folks have told him he
should have been named Thomas, Jr.
The dinner was one that town folks
have in visions, but rarely in reality
fried chicken, boiled ham, potato
salad, sliced tomatoes, vegetables,
bread and butter, percolated coffee,
not to mention the delicious home
frozen ice cream and pound cake.
Every one enjoyed the dinner, but the
title of best eater would have been
tie between Rv. Mr. Crawford and
your Old Nose
Miss Estelle brought down the
sword which was carried by Capt.
Thomas G. Hester in the Civil War,
also his cane
| met at the church Jesse ana
Ftrney Hester, sons of the late Peter
L. u. Hester, former rural carrier
( of Henderson and a very good friend