OLD SETTLER articles - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

The annual assembling of old settlers was organized 21 years ago and was brought about by the efforts of Dr. Richie of Lafayette and PT McKinney of Newtown in connection with others. PT McKinney was its first president. The first speeches were made from a large wagon and one of the first speakers was a Mr. Birch, brother to preacher Birch who claimed he was the first person born in Fountain County.  Its meetings were held for two years and since 19 years at Meharry’s At this meeting after prayer by Elder Warren McBroom of Hillsboro, the people were very usefully entertained by Rev. HM Middleton who said we could only a few of us be called old settlers because we were so migratory and this disposition to migrate was born of our ambition for better things, begetting a discontent with our location causing us to change our home, but our country was as good as the best. Great changes have been wrought and we live more now in one third of a century than our fathers did in 100 years. Our fathers not only gave us the impetus toward our present financial prosperity but they subdued King George and gave us our present freedom, founded our public schools but we have some work to do to protect our school system from church power.   Our fathers gave us a structure of government strong and enduring and we their descendants have the duty upon of pushing forward its completion to a glorious future. We have a Christian civilization and to this we owe our greatness. Columbus at the discovery erected the cross and the pilgrims established Christian civilizations. The aged in our country are respected as they are in but few others, and we rejoice that we can instill into the minds of our youth respect for them and in conclusion say, they who planted the tree of our prosperity are worthy of sitting in its shade and enjoying its fruit.  After dinner the audience was entertained by excellent speeches delivered by Harvey Wilkinson of Crawfordsville and JS Williams of  Lafayette. The very best of speeches were made by these gentlemen, thoroughly American speeches, brimful of pith and point but it would make too long an article for publication but the one of Mr. Wilkinson especially prepared is worthy of publication entire.  Rev. David Love, a Presbyterian preacher of Newtown, next gave an impromptu speech replete with good thoughts and the exercises were closed by short talks by old settlers, Sant Gray, JS McMillen and others, filled with good advice to the young. The visitors present from abroad were Dr. Whitehead of Seattle, Washington and LA Hartness of Maryville, Mo.