Third Souvenir Main Page

Excerpts from Francis 

C. Waid's Third Souvenir

Submitted by David M. Waid 

MY FOURTH TRIP TO KANSAS AND THE WEST.

COMMENCING JANUARY 21, 1890.

"Nothing tends so much to enlarge the mind as traveling; that is, making a visit to other towns, cities or counties, besides those in which we were born and educated."

DR. ISAAC WATTS.

HAVING made necessary arrangements for an extended trip to Kansas and other points in the West, my son Guinnip P. and I set out from Meadville, on Tuesday, January 21, 1890, via the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio and the Chicago & Atlantic Railroads for Chicago. Here I did some business with my publishers, J. H. Beers & Co., after which we visited Lincoln Park; but the weather proved cold and uninviting. In the evening we continued our journey westward via the Santa Fe route, and on the morning of the 24th arrived in good health and spirits at the home of my father-in-law, Freeman Tyler, near Norwood, Franklin Co., Kas., our only break worthy of mention in the run from Chicago being at Kansas City, where Guinnip and I kook a jaunt on the cable cars, along with my old friend John Cavinee, whom we met at the station. I found the Tyler family all well except my wife Anna, who was still in delicate health, although somewhat better than She had been. They are having fine winter weather here, and the sleighing is excellent [In fact the best sleighing I ever saw in Kansas. It was not only unexpected but the first I had seen this winter. The winter of 1889-90 was, in this part of Kansas at least, the mildest known for many years; also in Crawford County, Penn., the winter was so mild that fruit trees were advanced and the fruit afterward killed by early frosts].

On Sunday, January 26, Rouelle [his full name is Rouelle Putnam Tyler] Tyler, Guinnip and I went to the Christian Church at Norwood, where we listened with pleasure and profit to an able sermon preached by Rev. Johnson, whom I heard when here before. After the services I had a brief interview with him, and also saw many members of the congregation whom I had met on previous occasions. Among them were Albert Tyler and his wife, and in the afternoon Guinnip and I went to their home for a brief visit.

January 27 is one day in the year I always hold in the deepest respect and reverence. It is the anniversary of the death of my revered father, Ira C. Waid, who peacefully passed from earth twenty years ago. During the day Rouelle, Guinnip and myself went to Ottawa where I transacted some business at my banker's. The snow has disappeared, and the ice is broken up on the river (the "Marais aux Cygnes ") which is much swollen, and is carrying down immense quantities of ice and driftwood. On the following day, in company with Guinnip, I visited Albert Tyler, and took a look over his place, which embraces 160 acres farm land, and 40 partly covered with timber, about a mile from his home. On the 29th Albert drove us to Ottawa, where Guinnip took train home to Meadville via Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, &c. I am glad two of my sons, Franklin and Guinnip, have visited Kansas and seen my father-in-law's folks. It has all along been my desire that they should become acquainted with each other, the tendency being thereby to produce good rather than evil, which is my purpose--in short, to promote the peace and harmony which I hope may ever exist between us all; and may the Lord help us so live that our days may end with tranquility and under His blessing. My object in life, as already proclaimed in my writings, is to DO GOOD, and when accomplishing this object I ever feel within me a peace above all earthly dignities--a still and quiet conscience.

Sunday, February 2, being unpleasant outside, and the roads in bad condition, was spent indoors by us at home. Rouelle read to us--Mr. and Mrs. Tyler, Hattie, little Vera and myself--from a very interesting book by Rev. J. H. Ingraham, entitled "The Prince of the House of David, or, Three Years in the Holy City;" I consider it one of the best Bible stories I have ever read or heard read. It is written in the form of letters with answers thereto, the headings of some of which are: "Heaven our Home" and "We have no Saviour but Jesus, and no Home but Heaven," and are supposed to be a correspondence in writing carried on between one "Adina" and her father, "Rabbi Amos." I love the book, for it is so replete with Bible truths. It presents Holy Writ in a manner I have never seen excelled in beauty; in fact both "Adina's" letters and her father's replies are too full of Scriptural language for my pen to describe them with anything like justice; they seem to bring one to the actual spot where Jesus may be, and into His very presence.

The weather is now (Monday, February 3,) getting springlike, and there are many noticeable indications, such as wild geese flying northward, and the ever-welcome frogs heralding spring's advent in their own peculiar euphonius manner. On Tuesday the thermometer stood at 74°, so we thought it a good day to drive to Ottawa, which we did--Hattie, Vera, Anna, Rouelle and myself. While there I called to see my old friend, Maurice McMullen, secretary of the Y. M. C. A., having been so requested by his mother, who lives in Meadville, Penn. I also met Harry Brown, formerly of Meadville, Mr. Cook (merchant) and Rev. E. C. Boaz, who officiated at the marriage of myself and Anna; and I am here reminded that last Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sherman, and also Mr. C. C. Minton, cashier of the First National Bank of Ottawa.

Shortly after three o'clock we started for home, and as coincidences are sometimes interesting in the relating thereof, I will briefly mention one that occurred to-day: We drove to Ottawa and back with a span of horses, and at a particular spot on the road near home, where it was muddy, one of our single-trees broke, and on our return home, at the very same place, our double-tree came to grief in a similar manner! These accidents did not, however, detain us any great length of time.

On Wednesday the thermometer took a drop to 42°, but that "set-back" in the weather did not deter many of the farmers from prosecuting their spring ploughing, a duty essential to the existence of mankind, a sense of which duty no real farmer is devoid of. Man has five senses--seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling--but some writer speaks of a sixth sense, the "sense of duty." On the evening of Thursday (February 6,) Anna, Rouelle and I visited a near neighbor, Mr. Patterson, and during that night the snow fell two or three inches, but by Friday afternoon it had entirely disappeared.

On Saturday, February 8, accompanied by Rouelle and Hattie, I drove to Ottawa, and while there we visited the Free California Exhibit, which consisted of two railroad cars filled with specimens of the products of that great State; and so delighted and interested was I in the display that I went to see it in all four times. Among the numerous things shown, as evidences of the wonderful fecundity of that favored portion of the Union, were two Irish potatoes weighing seven pounds and three and a half pounds, respectively; a pumpkin that tipped the scale at 150 pounds, and others even larger; there were also a sweet potato weighing twenty-four pounds, a grape-vine measuring in height thirty-six feet, eight inches, an ostrich's egg, and a young ostrich fourteen days old; also the section of an orange tree fifty-six years old, which attracted much attention; while the samples of grain on the stalk--wheat, oats (nine feet high), rye and barley--for size and quality were simply wonderful! There was a magnificent display of all kinds of Southern California fruit, and the pears shown were the largest I ever saw, some weighing five pounds each; silk, cotton, honey, native wines and other liquors were also exhibited.

On Sunday, February 9, I attended the Christian Church at Norwood with Anna, Hattie Ringer and Rouelle, and heard an excellent discourse from the lips of Rev. Johnson, with whom I again had a brief conversation at the conclusion of the services. He spoke of the Huidekoper family, of Meadville, also of Mrs. Shippen [I ever think of Mrs. Shippen as a dear friend and Christian woman whose influence lives. The nobility of the soul exists for ever in kind hearts], with whom I am acquainted, particularly the latter, as I used to furnish her with many farm products in the "days of long ago" when I marketed in Meadville. I was in time to enjoy a portion of the Sunday-school exercises, and I found everything profitable and interesting to the very close. The day was beautiful, and as I was in comparatively better health and spirits, I enjoyed this Sabbath day and its privileges all the more. Anna, as I have said, was enabled to accompany me, although her health is still far from satisfactory; and I was glad to have her with me, for this is the first (and only) time, so far, we have had the pleasure of attending church together in Kansas, though while she was in Pennsylvania we attended church regularly, her health being then apparently better.

In the afternoon Rouelle completed the reading of that interesting little work I have already mentioned, "The Prince of the House of David, or, Three Years in the Holy City." Taking it altogether I believe we spent a very pleasant and profitable Sabbath, in a manner, too, that I trust has brought us "a day's march nearer home" in safety.

On the following day, the weather continuing fine, Anna, Rouelle and I proceeded to Ottawa, where Anna consulted Dr. S. B. Black in regard to her health, and he spoke favorably as to her going to Clifton (Kas.), to visit her brother, Dr. DeWitt C. Tyler, and also as to her returning to Pennsylvania in April or May. After a final visit to the California Exhibit I bade Anna and the others good-bye, and took the train for Admire, Lyon County, same State, as I was longing to make a call on my cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Fred D. Putnam. I got off the train at Admire about 4 P. M., and walked back on the track about a mile to 142-Mile Creek, where Sidney Putnam, Fred's father, lives, only a short distance from Fred's place, which I reached about 5 P. M. About the first thing I said to Mrs. Lydia Putnam was, "Is the strawberry ripe?" in allusion to an incident that occurred May 16, 1889. On that day I was here on a visit, and a single strawberry which had turned red was brought in, attracting our attention. They then wished me to stay till they would have strawberries to put on the table, but I had to leave before they were sufficiently ripe (This is my third visit to Mr. and Mrs. Putnam's). Mrs. Phillips, a half-sister to Fred D. Putnam's mother, and whose mother died twenty years ago, sat down to supper with us. Her husband, who is a farmer living between Mr. Putnam's place and Emporia, drove over to Mr. Putnam's this morning, and leaving his wife here went to a horse sale near Admire.

In the afternoon of the 11th I went with Mr. Putnam to 142-Mile Creek, a little beyond which his farm extends, and here he showed me his bit of timber land. We fed the herd of cattle and cut and took home a load of poles, with which Mr. Putnam intended to build a fence. Soon after getting back, home, Mr. Phillips called for his wife, and in the course of conversation with him I found he had come from Pennsylvania some thirty-four years ago. On the 12th I returned to Norwood, where I found, to my great sorrow, my dear wife very unwell, having been taken suddenly in during my absence. I am pleased to be able to say, however, that she recovered sufficiently to accompany me to Clifton, a pretty town distant from Norwood 143 miles, whither we set out by rail on the morning of the 15th, our route being via Media, Baldwin, Vinland, Sibley, Lawrence (change cars), Williamstown, North Topeka (junction), Topeka, Silver Lake, Rossville, St. Marys, Wamego, Manhattan, Ogdensburg, Fort Riley, Junction City (change cars), Alida, Milford, Wakefield, Broughton and Clay Centre.

CLIFTON, KANSAS.

We arrived at Clifton at 6 P. M., where we found Dr. Tyler [When some time ago I saw Dr. Tyler's photograph, I intuitively knew that I would like him, and when I became personally acquainted with him during this visit I was in no way disappointed. On our meeting, as above mentioned, Anna asked me whom he looked like, and I replied after a second look, that I thought he looked like Dr. D. C. Tyler; yet afterward I said that I thought he more resembled her brother Albert] awaiting us at the depot. His home is a short distance from the station, and here we were most cordially welcomed by the Doctor's wife, Mary, and her sister Florence, as well as by Frank, the Doctor's bright little five-year-old boy. On the 16th (Sunday), Dr. Tyler having a consultation engagement at Grant (a place about seventeen miles from Clifton) with Dr. Hove, of Haddam (a town six miles from Grant), in the case of John Lindsey, who had a serious attack of the "grippe," I accompanied him, and on the way we saw corn lying in large heaps on the ground, some of it being shelled; indeed, we learned that nearly all the farmers thereabouts keep their corn in that way.

On our drive we passed the farm of Frank Seibert, an agriculturist of considerable note, and we observed that a good deal of limestone is used in the building of the farm and other houses about Grant; years ago, so I was informed, there used to be a limekiln in operation. In the evening I went with some of the Doctor's family to the Presbyterian Church in Clifton, where we participated, as auditors, in two services, one by the "Christian Endeavor," the other being the regular service, with sermon by Rev. Wilson.

February 17.--I learned that 230 loads of corn were taken in on Saturday, and that three cars were loaded this morning, it taking thirty minutes to load a car, each load holding from fifty to sixty bushels. After dinner little Frank and I walked to a place called Vining, in Clay County, about one mile from Clifton, while Anna and Mrs. Tyler went to see Dr. Frank Tyler, a cousin and partner of Dr. D. C. Tyler, and who lives close by. Little Frank and I strolled about Vining, visiting the grain elevator, etc. Three railroad lines touch at or pass near Vining, viz.: The Union Pacific, the Missouri Pacific and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific [These same lines come into Clifton]. The town has a smaller population than Clifton, and has but one church and one elevator, whilst the latter has two churches and three elevators. On our return we found Mrs. Scovell visiting Mrs. Tyler; afterward, Anna and I, in company with Mrs. D. C. Tyler, called on Dr. Frank Tyler, and while we were there Mrs. Wilson, wife of the Presbyterian pastor, called to see Mrs. D. C. Tyler.

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