Beacon Dec 2023

Page 12A THE BEACON December 2023
The following excerpt is
from a book written in 1930
by a lifetime resident of Ripley
County, Yorkville, and Manchester.
The BEACON is honored
to share another chapter
of the book each month thanks
to Mary Randell’s descendants.
Previous chapters are
available online starting with
the August 2022 print edition
at goBEACONnews.com/
print_edition.
By Mary M. Greiner Randell
Chapter XIV (cont.)
For a long time my mother
stayed at home and went to
church. The last time I went
to see her she didn’t feel very
well. My sister was taking
Author
Mary Randell
care of her,
so on the
third day I
went home.
Before I
started I
kneeled
down by her
chair and
prayed for
her and
asked the Lord to take care of
her. When I got up from
prayer, she told me that she
felt she would not live much
longer. She said she believed
she would have a stroke of
paralysis. She put her hand
on the back of my head and
told me to see her every
month while she lived. When
I left she walked to the door
with me. That was the last
time I saw her alive. It was in
June, and in August she died
with a stroke of paralysis.
She lived near Batesville, and
I lived near Lawrenceburg.
She died at ninety-one years
of age.
One time we went to my
brother’s wedding. It was
about five miles from home
and it was winter time and
very cold. I had Pa put some
straw in the spring wagon.
I put a feather bed on top of
this straw in the spring wagon.
I had put their clothes on
too, just as though they were
to sit on the seat. Two of the
children from other families
that went to the wedding
died, but mine didn’t even
get sick. Another time, Pa’s
sister’s girl had a wedding.
His other sister went with
a child two years old and
some older ones. It was cold
weather and the little child
took cold and died. I had
told Pa that eight miles was
too far to take children on a
cold day so he could go if he
wanted, but he didn’t want
to go alone so we stayed at
home and saved the doctor’s
bill.
One summer we went up to
Cincinnati to an exhibition.
Grandma and my sister-in-law
went too. She had a baby with
her and I had one. Grandma
had her pocket cut out of her
dress. In those days, people
didn’t have satchels and it was
no trick at all, in a crowded
place to get someone’s
money. We saw the Chinese
eat soup with two sticks, and
there were two geese hitched
to a sled. Where they pulled
the sled it looked like real
snow. We saw Indians too,
dressed in their costumes, and
different people of all nationalities.
When Wesley saw the
geese he clapped his hands,
he wasn’t yet two years old.
He drew everyone’s attention
around him.
A spring wagon load of us
went to Cincinnati to a golden
wedding. Aunt Mary and
Uncle John and two of their
daughters and Fred Myers
and his wife. Pa and I and
Aunt Mary come in from Old
Milan and the rest of us went
THE STORY OF MY LIFE
Life on the Farm
to town on this wagon, while
Fred’s hired hand took the
team back to his house. When
we came back he met us in
town and we were there all
night and the next day until
three o’clock. This was at
Oakley, when the street cars
were hauled by a mule team
and it took a good while to
get down to the train because
some wreckage had to be
cleared away. In those days
the rocks were hauled (piled)
in a long string alongside the
road. Uncle John drove the
team until he hit one of those
rock piles, then Aunt Mary
told my husband to drive, then
when he went on the rocks,
she told me to do it. She said,
“I know you can drive a team
better than those men.”
When we got to my home,
Aunt Mary’s folks stayed all
night and in place of going
to bed, I had to churn and
make butter and get my eggs
ready for market. I had some
butter engaged and to go to
Lawrenceburg with it. That
was another night I never saw
the bed. After I drove Aunt
Mary’s team home I had to
drive mine into town. But
now I don’t drive any more, I
ride in automobiles.
Here is another story. One
time I went to Dayton, Ohio
where my Aunt, Mary Corman,
lived. I took Wesley
and went with my motherin-law.
My husband drove us
to Lawrenceburg to take the
train. My mother-in-law had
him help her to carry a bench
out as it was so warm in the
depot. While they were carrying
it out, she fell and hurt
her back. She went on with
us and when we got there we
got a doctor who told her to
stay in bed a week. But she
stayed only one day, and then
she went to the soldier’s home
with us. She stood the trip fine
too.
The first thing we saw
when we got to the soldier’s
home was brass band playing.
I had never heard one
before or since that sounded
so nice. The next thing we
saw was a merry-go-round.
My husband’s sister got on a
mule; it wasn’t as tall as the
horses. There were seats to
ride in too. My mother-in-law
told me that if I would jump
on one of those horses she
would pay for my ride. So I
leaped on one of the horses
with Wesley on my arm.
When it stopped I jumped off.
She said then that, if I would
ride again, and grab a ring
from a post on which there
were about a dozen of them,
she would pay for my ride
again. I was afraid to grab
for a ring with Wesley on my
arm though, he wasn’t yet two
years old. Those that did grab
a ring on the way around got
a ride free, those that didn’t
paid ten cents.
The next thing we saw was
a park, it seemed like it was
nearly all forest, and there
was a spring of the clearest
water coming out of a hill.
You could get a drink if you
wanted to. There were benches
against some of the big
trees and plenty of places to
rest. It was very hot that day
and the next thing we saw was
a beautiful lawn with all kinds
of flowers and a stone walk
through the center. This walk
led to a department where
the soldiers were making all
kinds of beaded pocketbooks
and bead baskets and other
ornaments. The beads were
strung on wire. Then we saw
a building with a very large
room that had shelves in it
and on them was one roasting
pan full of meat after another.
Of course this was thirty-seven
years ago. I don’t suppose
they need all that meat now.
Most of the old soldiers are
dead. The next thing we saw
was one bed after another full
of sick soldiers.
In another building we
saw some embalmed mummies
from Egypt, standing
straight up in their coffins. I
suspect this might be called a
museum. Then we saw some
soldiers breaking rocks to
level up the road. Perhaps
nowadays they have cement
roads like we have in Washington.
I asked the boss why
these soldiers had to work
there in the hot sun while he
stood there with an umbrella
over his head. He said that
they had run away from the
home and gotten drunk.
Please read the next issue of
The BEACON for the continuation
of Chapter XIV of The
Story of My Life.
MERRY
Friday, November 17th
Get Wine(d) & Dine(d)
5 - 9pm
Kickoff to Small Business Saturday
Pickup Rack Card at
Main Street Aurora Office
231 Main Street
Aurora
Sunday, November 26h
Saturday, November 25h
Celebrate and support small
businesses and all they do for
our communities.
11am New Businesses
Ribbon Cuttings
6pm Lighted Parade
Tree Lighting
Santa
19th Annual Miracle on Main Street
Saturday, December 2, 9, 16
9am - Breakfast with Santa
11am - Breakfast with Santa
Children FREE - Adults $10.00
Limited Seating
Reservations Required
Call 812.926.1100
1 - 4pm Visits with Santa
Saturday, December 16
1 - 4pm Carriage Rides
Sunday, December 3, 10 & 17
1 - 4pm Visits with Santa
Sunday, December 3 & 10
1 - 5pm Train
Sunday, December 3 & 17
1 - 4pm Live Reindeer
Sunday, December 10
2pm Pet Parade
Letters to Santa Scavenger Hunt Business Decorating Contest
The BEACON - Great News for Great People.