Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

CHANGES IN THE OLD HOME 201
is called " 'Aunt' Abbie Jenkins; a Memory of Our Yesterdays."
It shows how she was loved, honored and admired
to the end of her years. In this sketch it speaks of the wedding
of Uncle Jolin and Aunt Abbie, whose maiden name was
Abigail Rathbone. They were married at the home of Miss
Abbie 's father, and the one we called "Aunt Abbie" was of
old Rhode Island colonial stock. At the time of her marriage
to Uncle John Hunt he was a member of the state legislature
from Warren County and was spoken of as the Hon. John
Hunt. It also tells of their going to live in Uncle Spencer's
home in Red Lion. I am tempted to quote from the article
of this day about those other days. This is a reference to
Miss Abbie's school days: "Abbie Jenkins had her first
schooling, at the age of two years, at the home of Misses Mary
and Phoebe Brooks, just north of the present station of the
Scioto Valley Traction Company. The children at this
school were of such tender years that little cribs were provided
for them to take their naps in. She afterward attended the
best private schools in town, finishing at the Academic school
of Mr. Hazeltine." Her father's home was the meeting place
of kindred spirits who were fond of debates on political, economic
and all public questions as well as religious ones. She
grew up in one of the finest types of the homes of long ago.
Sometimes the material prosperity and educational facilities
of to-day tempt us to forget that there were culture and good
breeding of a high type a hundred years ago, and that young
hearts turned toward them then as now.
In the article to which I have referred it tells of Miss
Abbie's going to live with Uncle John and Aunt Abbie at
Uncle Spencer Hunt's, and that she found herself in "delight-
ful, even ideal surroundings" and soon learned that the large
farm home of Uncle Spencer was "the favorite meeting place
of all the young people of the neighborhood." I, who lived in
that home for more than a year, know that this was all true.
Miss Abbie began to devote her time for study at Uncle
Spencer's to French and art, and kept up both all her life.
Especially did she delight in the study of French, reading with
ease its literature.