Just a reminiscence of some of the happenings of the past fifty years. This occasion marks the passing of our fiftieth milestone of life lived together. Take a trip with us hack to '83 and try to see some of the changes and fortunes that can come to one family in a half century.
Two years we spent in anxious waiting and happy anticipation of the time when together we would launch our bark, for better or worse. We were undecided as to what Minister we would ask to say the ceremony, but finally decided on M. F. Edwards, a Baptist Minister, an old friend of my father in Indiana. Our wedding date set, I went to Lamoni Tuesday evening on a visit, returning to Leon Wednesday evening, I spent the night in the home of Lou Burns, a friend.
Thursday morning William took a little muleback ride. Went to Leon, donned his wedding garb and came to the Edwards home where I had already arrived. There we were married at about ten or ten thirty in the morning of August 23, 1883. William changed again to his old attire, and before noon was back home working at digging the cellar that is still in use at the old home farm. That afternoon I visited Normal School in Leon and missed my promised ride home but found Mother and Father Hazlet in town that evening so went with them and spent the night in their home. They of course, did not know of our wedding. The next morning William took me to my parents' home on a load of saw-logs that he was having sawed at the mill to build our first home. This little two-roomed house is yet standing just east of the old Hazlet home, a memento of our early married life. After fifty years we are yet sawing away.
Our honeymoon was spent at Uncle John Grahams near Des Moines, where we visited the Iowa State Fair, then regarded as a wonderful place to go.
Our little house being ready, we moved into it November 22nd or 23rd. While there we planted seeds for an evergreen nursery. The monument of that effort is the large row of evergreens which today line the roadside from old Eden Prairie Church house, south, to the home on the John Frost farm. Minnie came to live with us there. So was begun also our nursery of the little family of nine. The monument of this undertaking, eternity alone will record.
We lived there until March 1, 1886, then moved to the John Albaugh farm, where we spent five successful and happy years, marred only by the great sorrow of the passing away of Father Hazlet. His was the first death in either of our families. Here Ruey, Ruby and Mary were added to our family nursery. How we did enjoy our little girls. While here we were blessed with good health and knew no business failures. Farming and cattle feeding was our main employment. It was at this time that we started in the registered Red Polled Cattle, to get rid of horns without using the saw. This undertaking was quite successful.
In 1891 we bought and moved to the farm now known as the John Frost farm, on which the old Eden Prairie Church house stands. We improved this farm, building a large barn and setting out an eight acre orchard, also transplanting many evergreens from our nursery. It was thereafter known as the "Evergreen Fruit Farm". In this same year Father McCutchan's death brought sorrow to our home. Fanny was the new addition to our family. We sold this place to move to Colorado, but a financial depression, not so bad as the present one, caused us to stay in Iowa. So again in 1894 we rented the John Albaugh farm and lived there until March, 1896.
While there Willie came to live with us. This was quite an event, as our family then numbered five girls and one boy.
Our next move was to the Allie Gardner farm just one and one half miles outside the Leon City limits, to send the children to the city school. There we spent eight years, where two more children, Ida and Raymond came to us. While at this home Minnie and Ruey were baptized into the Church of Christ at Eden Prairie in November, 1899, by Bro. J.M. Walton, of Illinois. Ruby also obeyed the Gospel in September, 1902, under the teaching of Bro. Will Ellmore. We installed the first country telephone in our home, also purchased the first cream separator used in Decatur County.
In 1904, we bought and moved to the Basset farm where we lived for twelve years. In August, 1905, Mary obeyed the Gospel. She also was baptized by Bro. Will Ellmore. In 1906, Fanny was baptized by Bro. Jesse Hines. Less than a month later Mother McCutchan passed away. Florence, the last member of our family joined us here. On November 5, 1910, Bill's fifteenth birthday, he was baptized by Bro. Frank Ellmore. One year later Bro. Frank baptized Ida. Here our girls began their work as school teachers and four of them left us for homes of their own. On June 17, 1909, Ruby and Roll Chastain were married and June 22, 1910, Ruey married Otto Wiesley. The next to leave us was Fanny; on June 2, 1915, she married George Starks. Sunday, July 30, 1916, Bro. Ben J. Ellston performed a double service for the family. In the forenoon he baptized Raymond and in the evening united Minnie and Everett Bright in marriage.
A few weeks later we bade Adieu to our Iowa friends and relatives and moved to our present home in the west. Mother Hazlet, the last one of our parents, passed away at the old home in Iowa. Our family circle was first broken when Mary was called away, January 31, 1923. Her Angellic spirit is looking down today upon this reunion and waiting to welcome us home.
July 8, 1923, Florence was baptized by Bro. Joe Crenshaw. On June 13, 1924, Ida and Brady Horton were married and July 2, 1924, Bill married Miss Cuba Hayes. Bill and Cuba started farming on the home place and are still here, watching us grow old. December 3, 1928, Florence and Robert Kritenbrink were married and March 2, 1932, Raymond married Ena Hair.
Now once again we find ourselves as we were fifty years ago, alone in our home. In the beginning we dedicated our lives to our Master, doing all we could to help those less fortunate than we, and at all times trying to live as our Lord would have us.
"Step by step we have climbed the mountain of life and now having reached the topmost peak, and casting visions about us we see no escape but to descend on the other side. Many struggles have beset our climbing up, and many obstacles we have encountered and had to overcome. Yet by keeping pace onward and upward we have at last overtopped the mountain, and must descend till, somewhere in the distance, we reach the Valley below. Notwithstanding we have some regrets in our climbing and have partly lost sight of the trail. But there always seemed to be a whisper beckoning us on and we can safely trust our guide post near. "That we could rely on".
So onward and upward we go till at last, we are now on the downward trail and ere long shall reach the Valley below, and cross over to the rest beyond, where our struggles and trials are ended. And now we fancy in our vision, the peaceful rest from this mountainous task of life here below and take courage and try to keep close to the Blazen Trail, till our journey is completed. We thank God for safety thus far and rejoice that all is well and may our hopes grow stronger day by day. 'Lord lead us on'.