REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS #1

MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA
REGISTER OF
OLD SETTLERS
BOOK ONE

Source: REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS , BOOK One, page 85 & 87
submitted by Ronna Thuman, November 14, 2007

Old Settlers’ Re-union.
The Old Settlers of Muscatine county will hold their annual re-union at the Court House and park, Saturday, October 25, 1879, at 2 o’clock p. m. It will be a picnic gathering and every old settler in the county is cordially invited. The old settlers are of two classes, first: Those who settled her prior to May 19th, 1846. Second: Those who settled her since said date and prior to 1861. As we observe the patriarchal system, the families of old settlers are included in these gatherings. The programme will include an address and old stories and reminiscences of the past. So prepare to contribute.

D. C. RICHMAN, Pres.

PETER JACKSON, Sec.

Other county papers please copy.

*** continues on page 87 ***
OLD SETTLERS’ REUNION.
Annual Meeting of Early Settlers of Muscatine—A Picnic Dinner, Speeches, & c.
Oct. 25, 1879

Old wine to drink, old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to converse with.
Old Saying.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min’?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ old lang syne?
The Old Settlers’ Reunion, last Saturday, notwithstanding short notice, was well attended. It was the intention to hold it in the Court room, but that being previously taken by the convention of driven well owners, the jury rooms were appropriated by the old settlers.
Hon. D. C. Richman, President, called the meeting to order, when the ladies passed around a sumptuous repast, which all appropriated with excellent relish, to the great delight of those by whom it was provided.
After dinner the Rev. Dr. Robbins offered prayer.
The Hon. A. C. Dodge having been invited to address the meeting, Mr. Richman read the following letter received from him:

BURLINGTON, Oct. 24, 1879.
HON. R. C. RICHMAN, President
Dear Sir:--Accept my best thanks for your polite invitation.
I am foreman of the Grand Jury now in session, and that alone prevents me form being at your meeting to-morrow, than to attend which few things in this world would afford me more pleasure. Your obliged friend.

A.C. DODGE.
Judge Richman then addressed the meeting eloquently and fraternally on the ties that bind the old settlers to each other, and the desire of the officers to do honor to all alike, calling on any present for reminiscences of the long ago. This was responded to by a goodly number of those present.
M. Block spoke of the little occasion there is now of complaining of hard times when compared with the hardships and deprivations of the early settlers, and exonerated the officers of the society from any blame or seeming neglect in properly noticing the decease of members for want of proper and timely notice and because many so neglect and absent themselves from our meetings that they were not identified as old settlers.
Gamaliel Olds said he lived in Pike when there were only four other families in the township and had raised and sold wheat at 28 cents a bushel. Had lived out his three score and ten years, and for the last six years was living on borrowed time.
S. N. Candee very graphically described some of the hardships of the early settlers in his own experience.
Dr. Robbins extolled the wonderful cheapness of living in early times and in a very interesting and humorous way entertained the meeting, winding up by reading an appropriate poem entitled, “The Last Leaf,” describing one of the old settlers left after all his kind had passed away.
V. Chambers spoke of the obligations the old settlers are under to one another to cherish and keep up all their social relations.
Hon. J. A. Parvin told of some very primitive conditions of things in the early settlement of this place and urged keeping up our annual meetings.
R. M. Burnett advocated keeping the real old settlers by themselves; they seemed to belong together and he thought any extension of time a mistake.
P. Jackson said the esthetical state of things had wonderfully changed in all our social relations, especially in our domestic style and mode of living, which were extremely simple and primitive in our early settlement.
S. Foster thought Muscatine (then Bloomington) a very unpromising location for a city, and gave many incidents of the style of living and boarding accommodations in early times.
Benjamin Matthews was glad to be privileged to meet with the old settlers; said he came in ’39 and built himself a cabin on one of the branches of Papoose and told of his experience with the Indians.
Judge Richman, in closing the speaking exercises, referred feelingly to the old settlers organization, and said he thought he would covet no higher honor than to be the last of the old settlers.
On preceding to the election of officers, John A. Parvin moved the continuance of the present incumbents: D. C. Richman, President, A. B. Robbins, Vice President, P. Jackson, Secretary. Unanimously carried. To which were added Suel Foster, Mrs. J. A. Parvin and Mrs. Cornelius Cadle as Vice Presidents.
Mrs. Block, Mrs. Cadle, Mrs. Little, Mrs. W. P. Wright, Cornelius Cadle and Isaac R. Mauck were made a committee to arrange for the next annual meeting, the first Wednesday of October, 1880.
The following names are some of those present, but as they kept coming in during the progress of the meeting it was impossible to get all and quite a number were present not in this list:

D. C. Richman, Gertner, Mrs. C. Cadle,

S. Foster, M. Farnsworth, Mrs. J. G. H. Little,

J. A. Parvin, B. Matthews, Mrs. J. B. Dougherty,

P. Jackson, G. Sparks, Mrs. Hanna,

F. W. Mahlin, G. Olds, Mrs. M. Brown,

A. M. Winn, J. H. Lukens, Mrs. Grady,

J. Zeigler, John McGrew, Mrs. Davidson,

A. Smalley, John Mahin, Mrs. Hacker,

A. S. Sweet, R. B. Keath, Mrs. I. R. Mauck,

H. A. Hollister, J. P. Walton, Mrs. Sparks,

S. Candee, Chas. Drury, Mrs. S. C. Dunn,

Dr. A. B. Robbins, W. S. Fultz. Mrs. L. Hoopes,

V. Chambers, Mrs. D. C. Richman, Mrs. Block

Newell, Mrs. J. A. Parvin, Mrs. Worsham.

Thos. Hanna, Mrs. M. Gilbert, Miss Sparks,

J. Vance, Mrs. A. Smalley, Miss May Walton,

J. J. Hoopes, Mrs. Hollister, Miss Lilly Walton,

M. Block, Mrs. Newell, Miss Cal Dougherty,

Isaiah Davis, Mrs. Robbins, Miss Mary Hanson,

G. B. Denison, Mrs. C. S. Jackson, Miss Mabel Jackson,

R. M. Burnett, Mrs. C. H. Jackson, Miss M. M. Denison,

Maj. L. Allen, Mrs. A. Drury, Miss Brown

D. J. Parvin, Mrs. C. Drury, Miss Hacker.

Peter Jackson, Secretary

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D. C. Richman,	Gertner,	Mrs. C. Cadle,
S. Foster,	M. Farnsworth,	Mrs. J. G. H. Little,
J. A. Parvin,	B. Matthews,	Mrs. J. B. Dougherty,
P. Jackson,	G. Sparks,	Mrs. Hanna,
F. W. Mahlin,	G. Olds,	Mrs. M. Brown,
A. M. Winn,	J. H. Lukens,	Mrs. Grady,
J. Zeigler,	John McGrew,	Mrs. Davidson,
A. Smalley,	John Mahin,	Mrs. Hacker,
A. S. Sweet,	R. B. Keath,	Mrs. I. R. Mauck,
H. A. Hollister,	J. P. Walton,	Mrs. Sparks,
S. Candee,	Chas. Drury,	Mrs. S. C. Dunn,
Dr. A. B. Robbins,	W. S. Fultz.	Mrs. L. Hoopes,
V. Chambers,	Mrs. D. C. Richman,	Mrs. Block
Newell,	Mrs. J. A. Parvin,	Mrs. Worsham.
Thos. Hanna,	Mrs. M. Gilbert,	Miss Sparks,
J. Vance,	Mrs. A. Smalley,	Miss May Walton,
J. J. Hoopes,	Mrs. Hollister,	Miss Lilly Walton,
M. Block,	Mrs. Newell,	Miss Cal Dougherty,
Isaiah Davis,	Mrs. Robbins,	Miss Mary Hanson,
G. B. Denison,	Mrs. C. S. Jackson,	Miss Mabel Jackson,
R. M. Burnett,	Mrs. C. H. Jackson,	Miss M. M. Denison,
Maj. L. Allen,	Mrs. A. Drury,	Miss Brown
D. J. Parvin,	Mrs. C. Drury,	Miss Hacker.