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QUAKER HILL 
 
 (lOCAl IIISTOBY) 
 
 S E R I E S 
 
 X. l^ntient llomej; anb 
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 BY 
 
 AMANDA AKIN STEARNS 
 

ANCIENT HOMES 
 AND EARLY DAYS 
 OF QUAKER HILL 
 
 BY 
 
 AMANDA AKIN STEARNS 
 
 READ AT THE FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 
 
 QUAKER HILL CONFERENCE, AUGUST THE 
 
 FIFTEENTH, NINETEEN HUNDRED 
 
 AND THREE 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 
 Published for the Akin Free Library by the Akin Hall 
 
 AssocL\TioN, Quaker Hill, New York 
 
 1913 
 
TT?q 
 
 PiiMicatiOBs 
 
 Of the Quaker Hill Conference Association 
 
 A Critical Study of the Bible, by Rev. Newton M. 
 Hall of Springfield, Mass. 
 
 The Relation of the Church at Home to the 
 Church Abroad, by Rev. George William Knox, D. D., 
 of New York. 
 
 A Tenable Theory of Biblical Inspiration, by 
 Prof. Irving Francis Wood of Northampton, Mass. 
 
 The Book Farmer, by Edward H. Jenkins, Ph. D., of 
 New Haven, Conn. 
 
 LOCAL HISTORY SERIES 
 
 David Irish — A Memoir, by his daughter, Mrs. 
 Phoebe T. Wanzer of Quaker Hill, N. Y. 
 
 Quaker Hill in the Eighteenth Century, by Rev. 
 Warren H. Wilson of Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 Quaker Hill in the Nineteenth Century, by Rev. 
 Warren H. Wilson of Brooklj-n, N. Y. 
 
 Hiram B. Jones and His School, by Rev. Edward L. 
 Chichester of Quaker Hill, N. Y. 
 
 Richard Osborn — A Reminiscence, by Margaret B, 
 Monahan of Quaker Hill, N. Y. 
 
 Albert J. Akin — A Tribute, by Rev. Warren H. 
 Wilson of Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 Ancient Homes and Early Days at Quaker Hill, 
 by Amanda Akin Steams of Quaker Hill, N. Y. 
 
 Thomas Taber and Edward Shove — A Reminis- 
 cence, by Rev. Benjamin Shove of New York. 
 
 Any one of these publications may be had by address- 
 ing the Librarian 
 
 AKIN FREE LIBRARY, 
 
 Quaker HiU, N. Y. 
 Price, 20 cts. 
 
ANCIENT HOMES 
 
 AND EARLY DAYS OF 
 
 QUAKER HILL 
 
 But few words in any language touch 
 the heart with a more thrilling, sacred emo- 
 tion than the word Home. Can there be 
 a soul so dead, that does not burn and 
 quicken at the thought of what that stands 
 for! No wonder that John Howard Payne 
 immortalized himself when he wrote. 
 
 Be it ever so humble. 
 There's no place like home. 
 
 Let US then try to put on record some sketch, 
 faint though it be, of the early homes 
 which have stood for so many years under 
 the maples, by the old orchards and 
 waysides of Quaker Hill. Though the 
 grass has grown green for years over the 
 graves of those who founded them, yet 
 many stand firm on their foundations, 
 defying Time and the elements, and for 
 others the faithful **Well," still left, grimly 
 tells the story that here was once a home. 
 
On the northern boundary of our Hill, 
 turning to the east from the long highway, 
 we find the Taber Homestead, located on 
 one of the earliest grants of land in Oblong, 
 made by King George the Third in 1760, 
 conveying the title of five hundred acres 
 of land to Thomas Taber, which has 
 ever since been in the possession of his 
 descendants. His son Jeremiah, born there 
 two years later, became, like his father, a 
 farmer by occupation, prominent in affairs, 
 also in the Society of Friends. His fourth 
 child, William, came into possession of 
 two hundred and sixty acres by inherit- 
 ance and buying out the other heirs. His 
 elder son, William Henry Taber, has spent 
 the greater part of his life on the old es- 
 tate, and for the last forty years has had 
 the entire ownership, so it has never been 
 allowed to deteriorate. It has always kept 
 one old-time, unique feature: the lane bor- 
 dered with trees leading to the house, 
 which gives it a distinctive character, 
 and of which only three, I think, are 
 left in this neighborhood. The tradition, 
 that officers of General Washington's army 
 were quartered in this house in the autumn 
 of 1778, is not to be doubted. 
 
 Returning to the highway, we come to 
 4 
 
the debris of a home founded by Joseph 
 Seeley in 1834. Having previously estab- 
 lished a home, and successful hat factory, 
 he built his new house at much cost of labor 
 and expense in those days, of which the 
 high ceilings and mahogany doors, real 
 and imitation, and within the oil portraits 
 of himself and wife, the latter in double 
 bordered cap, are still remembered, as 
 well as its chief ornaments, the daughters 
 and sons which there grew to a remark- 
 able stature of womanhood and manhood. 
 Only one of them is now living, and 
 though like the wise man of the Bible, 
 the founder built on a ledge of rocks, the 
 quicksands of time have obliterated almost 
 every vestige of it. 
 
 We come next to the Oseorn Home- 
 stead, where six generations of that name 
 have lived, which was so accurately and 
 beautifully described in a paper read here 
 last year, it is needless for me to say aught 
 of it. 
 
 Looking for "Ancient Homes" we come 
 next to the site of the ancient Pcckham 
 house. As tradition tells us that the Mar- 
 quis de La Fayette, America's good friend 
 in her time of need, dwelt here for a time 
 
during the memorable year of 1778, it 
 must have been built near the middle of 
 the eighteenth century. It is described by 
 one who remembers it "as of brick, long 
 and low, with dormer windows fronting the 
 west and very quaint." It is supposed to 
 have been built by the first of the Peckham 
 family who settled there. James is the old- 
 est one on record, whose son, Daniel, for a 
 time kept the memorable store on the cor- 
 ner below. Elihu, a bachelor, was killed, 
 being thrown from a load of wood, his 
 horses becoming unmanageable. It is 
 thought no other family lived there until 
 purchased by Richard Osborn, who re- 
 placed it with the one now standing, using 
 some of the bricks, which had withstood 
 the wear of more than a century, for his 
 chimneys. 
 
 Next on the corner, where a road to the 
 east intersects the highway, stood another 
 house of much interest. It has been kindly 
 described to me by Miss Craft, as photo- 
 graphed on her memory when a child. I 
 quote from her letter: "It was a pleasant 
 old home to me; seemed very large, with 
 rooms innumerable, and I think the great 
 hall with its two outside doors (half doors, 
 they were), one opening to the south, and 
 
the other to the west under the maples, 
 would be considered even now quite at- 
 tractive. The long eastern roof sloped low 
 to the ground, very quaint and picturesque. 
 I well remember three great outside doors, 
 in a row, on the east side, leading into as 
 many rooms." It is thought to have been 
 built on a portion of the Peckham property 
 upon which they settled when first coming 
 to Quaker Hill, but by whom cannot be 
 ascertained. It is well known that it stood 
 there during the War of the Revolution, 
 and there was always a "store" adjoining it, 
 as the stories of the "Raids" of the Tories 
 or "Cowboys" hiding in the vicinity so 
 well-remembered, attest. Tradition tells 
 that one Daniel Davis kept the store at that 
 interesting period, others are disposed to 
 believe that Benjamin Ferris was at that 
 time the interested proprietor, as he was 
 once present on such an occasion, and so 
 far forgot his non-resistant principles as to 
 cry out "Seize the Rascals." Mrs. Craft 
 remembers that about the year 1815 it was 
 owned and occupied by John Merritt, the 
 son of Daniel, the son of Nehemiah, the 
 first settler of that name. From him it 
 passed into other hands, until purchased by 
 James Craft from a man named Whitely, 
 and with his wife, Margaret Toffey, he made 
 
it their home until 1851, when he replaced 
 it with the one she now occupies. 
 
 In 1758 Nehemiah Merritt, the pioneer 
 of the family, came to "Oblong" (now 
 called Quaker Hill) from Rye, Westchester 
 County, and purchased five hundred acres 
 of land under a grant from King George the 
 Third. It is believed by his descendants 
 that this tract of land extended from the 
 Park Haviland farm north, on the east 
 side of the highway, nearly to the See- 
 ley place. He located his house, a long, 
 low one, near a fine spring, now historic as 
 the source of the Croton, in a retired spot 
 out of sight of the highway. The lane that 
 led to it is still to be seen, a part of the 
 Hoag farm. Only one of his sons, Daniel, 
 remained on the Hill, who, in 1764, built a 
 dwelling house and store combined on the 
 south corner of the intersecting east road, 
 the same year that the Friends' Meeting- 
 house was built on the present site opposite. 
 It was a substantial building of the olden 
 style. A square, two-story house, on a 
 side hill, with a high roof front and sloping 
 back, oak plank outside, leaving the frame 
 to be exposed and cased on the inside. A 
 central hall with the living rooms on the 
 south side and store on the north, a small, 
 
uncovered porch at the front, with stone 
 steps leading down to the gate. It was 
 painted the Colonial yellow, with red roof. 
 Daniel continued merchandizing there 
 through the Revolution, but at his death in 
 1805 his son David, who inherited the 
 home, eliminated the store, and joined his 
 brother John who had purchased the old 
 home and store on the opposite corner, 
 and continued the business under the firm 
 of J. and D. Merritt for twenty years, when 
 the store was sold to Daniel Peckham and 
 John removed to Cayuga County, New 
 York. This ancient house, built by Daniel 
 the first, was replaced by the present one, 
 erected by David Merritt 's younger son 
 George soon after his marriage in 1847, af- 
 terward purchased by Herman Bancroft, 
 now owned by Miss Rachel Swan. The 
 demise of the old home was fittingly cele- 
 brated on the occasion of a wedding re- 
 ception, when George brought his bride 
 to be presented to his friends and neigh- 
 bors, by one of the fiercest autumnal storms 
 our Hill can put on record, when only one 
 man of dire necessity, ventured out of the 
 house before the dawn of day. The only 
 patriotic event connected with this house 
 occurred during the Revolution, at the time 
 the Friends' Meeting-house was used for 
 
a hospital. Some officers occupied the 
 parlor, but were not obtrusive. We are 
 much indebted for so full a report of the 
 family, to this George Merritt, who adds 
 for himself: "I am the oldest living Merritt, 
 born on Quaker Hill, and the last and old- 
 est of my generation;'* and speaking of his 
 attachment to Quaker Hill, says, "Who 
 could live more than thirty years on Qua- 
 ker Hill (as it was) and not carry through 
 life a love for its hills, its people and their 
 happy surroundings." 
 
 The home of Benjamin Ferriss, the pio- 
 neer settler of 1730 (a long two-story house 
 sloping back), is still remembered as being 
 located in the pleasant meadow, west of 
 Mrs. Craft's house. This land probably 
 extended north to the first cross road, as 
 he gave that corner lot for a cemetery. He 
 was still living when Nehemiah (the Mer- 
 ritt pioneer) died in 1794. Tradition says 
 he built the ancient house, still standing 
 just below the site of his old home, proba- 
 bly for his son, Reed Ferris, who made his 
 first home there in the latter part of the 
 eighteenth century. The "clock story" as 
 related by Daniel Akin verifies that fact. 
 This tall Dutch clock stood in the corner of 
 the front hall until he removed it to his 
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new home below the Hill; when that was 
 broken up it became the property of his 
 granddaughter, Margaret Akin Vander- 
 burgh. After her death, her son John 
 James, who married Caroline Merritt, 
 brought it back to its old corner. It is 
 now the property of his nephew, and is 
 still ticking off the years, which it has done 
 for more than a century. — Daniel Merritt 
 (the second), brother of David, inherited the 
 old homestead of his grandfather Nehemiah, 
 (then standing on the Hoag farm), and 
 with his wife, Martha Akin, made it their 
 home for eight years, until 1813, when he 
 bought this place opposite his brother's of 
 Richard Draper, a retired sea captain (Reed 
 Ferriss having left it forty years previous), 
 with about thirty acres of land, to which 
 in the next year, his wife's father, Isaac 
 Akin, added a gift of ninety-two and a 
 half acres, and together, Daniel and Martha 
 formed an ideal home. They were devoted 
 members of the Hicksite Branch of Friends, 
 and their hospitality was so prov^erbial, no 
 one was surprised on the first day of Quar- 
 terly Meeting in August, to see both of the 
 gates put wide open, inviting strangers and 
 friends to enter and lodge or partake of the 
 bountiful fare provided. To give you an 
 idea of their beautiful and exemplary livCvS 
 
 11 
 
and home I will quote from an obituary 
 written on the death of the last of their 
 seven children, after which the home passed 
 into the hands of the present owners. In 
 the death of Caroline Merritt Vanderburgh 
 we recognize the passing away of the last 
 of a family that for more than a century 
 have occupied homesteads on Quaker Hill. 
 Her father, Daniel Merritt, whose name to 
 his neighbors and acquaintances was but 
 another term for Christian hospitality and 
 integrity, and her mother, who exem- 
 plified in character and manner the best 
 type of the religious training of the Society 
 of Friends, seemed to have bequeathed to 
 their home and children the spell of their 
 honored lives. The same serenity of man- 
 ner through joy and sorrow, the same in- 
 herent sense of duty and the proprieties of 
 life, had been theirs, and none has "kept 
 their memory green" better than she, as 
 mistress of the old home for more than thir- 
 ty years. Even those most familiar never 
 entered its doors unconscious of its wel- 
 coming atmosphere; what wonder then 
 that strangers found an undefined charm 
 where such calm and quiet harmony pre- 
 vailed. Such a home deserves an epitaph 
 •and should be embalmed in our memories. 
 
 12 
 
Next, on the east side of the highway, 
 once stood the home of Park Haviland. As 
 the hearthstone there must have been laid 
 near the close of the eighteenth century, it 
 might then have been considered a repre- 
 sentative house, though only a story and a 
 half, with a great chimney and a "lean-to/' 
 Certainly the beautiful meadow around it, 
 and the fine farm he owned, would seem to 
 indicate that he could have made it more 
 pretentious if his ideas of thrift allowed, or 
 the fashion of the time required. At least 
 one of his three sons was successful. 
 George, the eldest, who married Caroline, 
 the handsome daughter of Jeptha Sabin, 
 and succeeded to his father-in-law's estate, 
 which was on the eastern boundary of 
 Quaker Hill at the terminus of the Beek- 
 man and Pawling Turnpike. 
 
 Near this point on the secluded road 
 leading south, we must look for the homes 
 best known as belonging to Daniel and 
 Akin TofTey. Of the former there is noth- 
 ing left of the once pleasant home, photo- 
 graphed on many memories, but a "well" 
 and a few stones. It was built by a bach- 
 elor, Timothy Akin, for himself and his un- 
 married sister, Margaret, about the year 
 1805. When another sister Olive Hal- 
 
 13 
 
loway, died, he adopted her infant daugh- 
 ter, Betsey, who in time became the wife 
 of Daniel Toffey, but was only for a few 
 years allowed to leave the home; so when 
 Uncle Timothy advanced in years (as the 
 custom in those days) arranged a special 
 room and comforts for himself, the younger 
 couple became master and mistress. The 
 former was always active and generous as 
 well as progressive in his tastes, and served 
 one term in the State Legislature. The 
 gentle mistress, given to hospitality and 
 good works, was much beloved, and those 
 of their children who made their homes 
 here were active, enterprising and most 
 useful members of the community. After 
 the marriage of their youngest daughter the 
 place was sold, when it soon deteriorated 
 and a fire finished its existence. Of that 
 daughter, who became the wife of one of 
 our naval heroes (Rear- Admiral John 
 L. Worden) so lately with us, now so far 
 beyond our sight, we can scarcely trust 
 ourself here to speak. From early woman- 
 hood, whether here or away, she was never 
 weaned from Quaker Hill. Though much 
 of the joy of life came to her, she met its 
 sorrows and vicissitudes with the same 
 brave, cheerful spirit; her nature drank 
 in the sunlight of life, and she found it 
 
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where others would have seen nothing 
 but clouds, ready always to impart it to 
 others in her gracious manner and sweet- 
 ly toned voice. One of a circle from 
 which many links have dropped to earth, 
 none can be more missed or regretted. 
 As Death is but the gate to a Higher Life, 
 we will remember her as the same, only 
 transfigured, and waiting for us "Beyond 
 the Gate." 
 
 The Akin Toffey Home, lonely as it may 
 appear from a twentieth century point of 
 view, was one of great activity, filled with 
 a family of eight children who grew to 
 maturity and took their part bravely of 
 what life had to offer, but of whom only 
 one is now living. 
 
 Returning to the highway from which 
 we diverged — on the west side — we find 
 the old home, familiarly called the Birdsall 
 house, which, considering its age, still 
 looks imposing, its oak beams defying Time. 
 If the spirits which haunt every house 
 wherein men have lived and died could 
 speak, they would probably tell many an 
 interesting story of those who have dwelt 
 here; at least they might decide for us 
 whether Nathan Birdsall, who is recorded 
 
 15 
 
as having settled on land in this vicinity as 
 early as 1728, first occupied this house or 
 Benjamin Akin, who it is remembered was 
 living there at the time his daughter became 
 the wife of Moses Wanzer, who taking his 
 bride to their home near New Milford left 
 the house with a wedding procession on 
 horseback. We have the authority of 
 Albro Haines, who spent his long life near 
 and purchased it fifty years ago, that Ben- 
 jamin the grandson of David, the pioneer 
 settler, built the house. His land continued 
 south, and west of the old stone bridge and 
 the graves of his two sons who died of 
 smallpox are to be seen by the driveway 
 leading out to the road near Leonard Lyon's 
 place, still respected. This house and the 
 land about it were bought by John and 
 David Merritt from one Henry Birdsall, as 
 well as the land belonging to Benjamin 
 Akin who moved to Greenbush, near Al- 
 bany. The oak beams of the older Birdsall 
 house are still preserved and utilized in the 
 garret of this one. George Merritt, having 
 inherited it from his father David, sold it to 
 Albro Haines, who in turn gave it to his 
 daughter, Mary Lyon, with the new house 
 next to it which he afterward built for his 
 family. 
 
 10 
 
The next house, now owned by Mrs. E. 
 M. Scott, was a home founded in the early 
 part of the nineteenth century by Davis 
 Marsh, a blacksmith by profession, with 
 his forge adjacent. All kinds of farming 
 tools and guns were included in his work, 
 and it is said that the stroke of his trip 
 hammer "could be heard miles away." 
 Two brawny sons, Daniel and Marshall, 
 are remembered as being types in embryo 
 of their father's interesting trade. It was 
 sold to Asahel, another son of Park Havi- 
 land, who with his wife made it their 
 home for a time. Some years of neglect 
 followed their departure and it passed into 
 the ownership of Patrick Flanigan, of whom 
 it was purchased by the present summer 
 occupant, who has not only retained and 
 accentuated its old-time character, but has 
 added an artistic charm which arrests and 
 welcomes both friends and strangers. 
 
 Now we descend the slight elevation and 
 cross the stone bridge (that veritable land- 
 mark for any native of Quaker Hill) but 
 cannot pass unrecognized the Grove on the 
 east side, where once stood the school- 
 house, a small, square, unpainted building 
 with its huge open stove within, still re- 
 membered by many who conned their first 
 lessons there, and made noteworthy by the 
 
 17 
 
first teacher, Lydia Halloway, specially 
 educated by her uncle — a woman of excep- 
 tional ability, both loved and feared by 
 her pupils. The revolving globe in a 
 stand, which was used to teach them that 
 the earth was round and did move, is still 
 preserved by the family of the man who fur- 
 nished it. She was a worthy cotemporary 
 of Hiram Jones of the Academy, who with 
 others was invited to be present on exami- 
 nation days at the close of the term, when 
 the pupils in Sunday attire, primed with 
 questions from Grimshaw's histories, etc., 
 would try with laudable ambition to do 
 their teacher credit, or make their first ef- 
 fort in public speaking by reciting "Marco 
 Bozzaris" or ''Casabianca." Only the 
 huge maple trees stand as of old, guarding 
 the ravine, where the girls made their play- 
 houses during intermission while the boys 
 played ball on the plateau above. 
 
 On land adjoining to the south once stood 
 the home of John Briggs, of whom George 
 Kirby, the grandfather of Miss Fannie Kir- 
 by, purchased it in 1788. Though every 
 vestige of the house and barns disappeared 
 many years since, and he removed to a 
 larger farm below the Hill; the land is still 
 in the family, being held by two of his 
 great-grandchildren. 
 
 18 
 
We come next to the home of Albert J. 
 Akin, not so ancient as those we have re- 
 corded, being built for him by his father as 
 late as 1836, of which with his wife, a year 
 after his marriage, he took possession, and 
 made it their home for sixty-five years. 
 His busy life, and all that he accomplished, 
 has been so often recorded, it is needless for 
 me to repeat. Though of late years he 
 passed the winter in town, nothing could 
 curb his impatience to return to the place 
 where his interest and affection were cen- 
 tered. When the glory of our last Autumn 
 had faded, he crossed its threshold, and 
 though Spring came to brighten the hills 
 and call out the flowers he did not return; 
 he had passed to his Eternal Home. 
 
 Looking across the sloping meadow to 
 the east, half way up the hill beyond on a 
 small plateau, once stood the home of 
 Joseph Peckham. Only one story, un- 
 painted, with a steep roof, a row of window 
 panes over the front door with a hood over 
 it, but with a "Well" at its side, whose 
 long sweep to which was attached "The 
 Old Oaken Bucket," and from its command- 
 ing situation it made an artistic picture 
 which two embryo artists delighted to 
 sketch. We have no record of the founder 
 until 1818, when he and his wife Ruth sold 
 
 19 
 
it with the land belonging (one hundred 
 and thirty-one and three-quarter acres and 
 twenty- two rods) to Albro Akin. No one 
 seems to have remembered the barns which 
 must have been necessary to receive the 
 harvest of so much land, and Time with 
 its relentless scythe may have taken a 
 part of the house. When the cholera was 
 epidemic in New York in the summer 
 of 183£, a niece of the owner with her 
 young family gladly took refuge there and 
 enjoyed it immensely, though under prim- 
 itive conditions. It was kept in repair for 
 a tenant house, and one John Brady and 
 his wife, Ellen, came from Ireland (I think 
 without stopping by the way) and both 
 proved such worthy ones and such good 
 and useful neighbors, that they never left it 
 until their children came, grew to maturity, 
 and after a time left the nest, seeking their 
 fortunes elsewhere. John was the intelli- 
 gent and faithful gardener for the whole 
 neighborhood, kept his own counsel and 
 let Ellen, who, unlikfe her husband, was 
 typical of her race, do the talking. 
 
 According to the custom of their native 
 land, they gave their children the names of 
 those to whom they felt indebted, or who 
 might in a strange land, in the uncertain 
 future, take some interest in their success. 
 
 20 
 
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So Edward Merritt Brady, Mary Ann Mer- 
 ritt Brady, Albert Akin Brady and Abigail 
 Hurd Brady lived and prospered, much re- 
 spected wherever they made a home. 
 When the old house was no longer tenable 
 John built a small one for himself and Ellen, 
 and for their children to visit them on the 
 top of the hill, which is still standing, where 
 they spent the remainder of their lives, and 
 long since received the welcome, "Well 
 done, thou good and faithful servant," etc. 
 
 On the land adjoining stands what is 
 known as the Sherman Home, built by 
 Hiram Sherman the wagonmaker, or his 
 father, Abiel, whose home purchased from 
 one of the Briggs Brothers, formerly stood 
 near. We know that the latter relegated 
 his trade to his son, and that both were no- 
 tably good workmen. Another fact we find 
 recorded that Abiel served in the State 
 Legislature for the years 1816-17, and it is 
 believed he was head carpenter in the build- 
 ing of the now historic Friends' Meeting- 
 house. The shops of his son, Hiram, as 
 they stood on the east side of the highway 
 a little to the north, were a daily resort for 
 the neighboring men as a news exchange, 
 as well as a repair hospital for disabled 
 wagons and farming implements. His son, 
 
 £1 
 
Hiram the Second, inherited the place and 
 lived there some years with his young wife, 
 but later sold it, when it became a part of 
 the Albert Akin Farm. 
 
 We now come to the ancient Akin 
 Homes. David Akin, the pioneer settler 
 of 1742, came from Dartmouth, Bristol 
 County, Mass., bringing his family of ten 
 children. He located his home on land 
 later owned by Albert J. Akin west of his 
 house, near the new road leading to Ham- 
 mersley Lake, only remembered by the 
 "Well," and as being designated the "Old 
 House Lot." His eldest son John brought 
 his wife with him, and made his home near 
 the east road leading toward the home of 
 Miss Fannie Kirby. Only a fine "spring" 
 with a stone cover marks the location, well 
 known to the haymakers who continue to 
 test its purity. The house is remembered 
 and described by Mrs. Polly Thomas as a 
 long, low building, with dormer windows. 
 He later made a home on the site, which 
 after many years became the property of 
 his grandson, Daniel Akin. To that home, 
 of which a "Well" alone remains to mark 
 the spot, his eldest son John brought his 
 wife Molly Ferriss Akin, and lived until a 
 later home was built a short distance from 
 
 22 
 
it, about the year 1796. John the Third 
 died in 1810, leaving the new home to his 
 youngest son Daniel, with a careful and 
 generous provision for his wife who lived 
 to the age of ninety-two years, and whose 
 special room was the visiting place for all 
 her children and grandchildren. In a me- 
 morial of the Ferris family we find an in- 
 cident of her life illustrative of her strong 
 character recorded thus: *'In the Family 
 Records belonging to John Akin Ferriss, 
 Jr. (late of Troy), there is a note to the 
 effect that this Molly Ferriss Akin was the 
 heroine of a certain incident wherein it is 
 related that Molly Akin, while in the camp 
 of the British soldiers, evading (or during 
 the absence of) the oflBcer on guard, load- 
 ed and fired a gun for the purpose, and 
 with the effect, of warning the American 
 Army and informing them of the location 
 of their enemy." 
 
 This house is well remembered being of 
 two stories, with wide hall through it and 
 two rooms on either side; the kitchen part 
 afterwards remodelled was only a story 
 and attic. To this home Daniel brought 
 his wife, Sally Howard, where they spent 
 their married life of nearly half a century. 
 At one corner of his grounds where the 
 highway was shaded by two huge black 
 
walnut trees, he built a store for general 
 merchandise, and continued the business 
 there for many years. He became one of 
 the County Judges of the Court of Common 
 Pleas, when his older brother, who had 
 been appointed for life by Governor Tomp- 
 kins, resigned in his favor and he filled the 
 office until the law was passed to make such 
 appointments by vote. He was a mem- 
 ber of the State Legislature for 1826 and 
 later in 1833. On the marriage of his 
 eldest daughter he gladly gave the care of 
 the place over to her and her husband, 
 David R. Gould; being of social and Hter- 
 ary tastes in which his wife shared, together 
 they made an attractive home. In the year 
 1872 the house was burned, taking fire 
 from an overheated furnace, which in the 
 progressive spirit of the times had been put 
 in, after which Mrs. Gould rebuilt on the 
 same foundations. 
 
 24 
 
Let us return to the year 1801 when 
 Albro, the eldest son of John Akin (3d), 
 having married Paulina Vanderburgh, 
 founded their home on land given him by 
 his father on the opposite side of the high- 
 way. The house, built in the Colonial 
 style of that time had at first a small cov- 
 ered porch; after forty years that was re- 
 placed by the long piazza with an upper 
 balcony; when forty-seven more years 
 had elapsed, marking the march of time 
 and fashion, the present one took its place, 
 when the rear, formerly a story and a half, 
 was also rebuilt. For a short time the tra- 
 ditional *'store" was attached to the house 
 on the south end, which during the War 
 of 1812 was an exceptionally busy corner, 
 a large warehouse being built near to re- 
 ceive supplies, etc. Later the "store" was 
 removed intact; an addition being made 
 to the house, on its space — and eventually 
 reached the corner where the Akin Library 
 is now located, and was used for many 
 years as a tenant house. This home now 
 belongs to his daughters, who still make it 
 their summer residence. 
 
 To speak of this home without revealing 
 the strong character of the founder, whose 
 broad and public-spirited views made him 
 appear (in those restricted days) almost 
 
 i5 
 
"patriarchal," would be impossible. Such 
 men, at that time, were needed and the 
 demand brought them to the front. Only 
 ten years had elapsed before his home was 
 shadowed by death and his young wife was 
 taken from him. As the death of his fa- 
 ther occurred in the same year, the care of 
 his sisters and brother was added to that of 
 his household. In time, another mistress 
 came to preside over the home and mother 
 the three children, but only a few years 
 passed ere the Angel of Death called her 
 away and the hearth and home of the mas- 
 ter were again desolate. But a kind Prov- 
 idence had not forgotten him, and later 
 there came one to comfort and remain with 
 him until the end of his long life, one whose 
 loving and patient care was given to all 
 within that home as freely and impartial as 
 the air of heaven. As far as duty was 
 concerned there was no difference to her 
 between her own children and the mother- 
 less ones she found there. As her annals 
 may never be written (except by the Re- 
 cording Angel), you will, I trust, pardon 
 me the gratification of recording here two 
 notable instances of her unselfish devotion 
 to duty. Leaving her own young children 
 to the care of others, she took the charge 
 of the eldest daughter through that dreaded 
 
 26 
 
disease, the smallpox, and afterwards of a 
 young colored woman living in the house, 
 who, in spite of warnings, was led by curi- 
 osity to get in the invalid's room and soon 
 had a closer knowledge of it than desired. 
 A man who was employed on the farm at 
 that time went home to his family to find 
 the door barred against him, and was 
 obliged to return and have his meals served 
 in a building adjoining. 
 
 To the other daughter, when desperate- 
 ly ill in New York, she again left her nu- 
 merous young family and made the journey 
 in the depths of winter, when one was 
 obliged to go in a sleigh to Croton Falls to 
 meet the railway, and with her efficient 
 care assisted in restoring he^ to health. The 
 care and affection so freely given, I am glad 
 to say, was warmly returned, especially by 
 the younger daughter, who always regard- 
 ed her as if an own mother, having known 
 no other. 
 
 To this home the eldest son, Albert, 
 brought his bride in the winter of 18S5, 
 where they lived a year, while their house 
 was being built. No one ever heard a note 
 of complaint from the young mother, with 
 her numerous household; gentle of speech 
 and of an unruffled temper, she was a fair 
 exponent of the dbcipline of Friends and 
 
 «7 
 
possessed that calmness and peace of mind 
 which has been said *'to come from their 
 faith in God's habitation in all things, so 
 that when events come with the moment 
 His presence is recognized in them.'* I 
 might add here what the French author, 
 Lamartine, said of his mother: "She closed 
 the fair Book of Youth with three words — 
 God, Husband, Children." 
 
 It is needless for me to repeat what has 
 been already said of the executive talent of 
 the master of this home, or note its hospital- 
 ity, which was then considered a matter 
 of religious faith. He served for over twen- 
 ty years as County Judge of the Court of 
 Common Pleas, was a member of the State 
 Legislature as early as 1808, when only 
 thirty years of age, and later for 1820-21, 
 when he succeeded in establishing a per- 
 manent mail route, across the Hill from 
 Poughkeepsie to New Milford, and natural- 
 ly was made Postmaster for many years. 
 He was one of the promoters of the Beekman 
 and Pawling Turnpike, and what should 
 be reckoned as of more importance, was al- 
 ways the enterprising, generous towns- 
 man, and in his home, where his word was 
 law, the indulgent and affectionate husband 
 and father. The old home and trees stand 
 
 28 
 
as a memorial of him, but his best monu- 
 ment is enshrined in the hearts of his chil- 
 dren. 
 
 A little farther to the south, at the junc- 
 tion of the four roads, stood a home so 
 ancient that the only knowledge of its 
 first founder has been ascertained through a 
 deed of the land belonging to it, when it 
 was purchased by John Akin, 2d, of one 
 Cornelius Flamen in 1758, the thirty-first 
 year of the reign of His Majesty, King 
 George the Second, His father, Cornelius, 
 who came from Rye, Westchester County, 
 must have been one of the earliest settlers. 
 He died intestate, and his son sold the 
 place, containing seventy-eight and three- 
 quarter acres of land for one hundred and 
 ninety-seven pounds. The land was given 
 by "Will" to John's two daughters: Ann, 
 the wife of Thomas Worth, and Abagail, 
 who married John Toffey in 1776. As a 
 "quit claim" to it was given by Ann 
 (when she and her husband removed to 
 Hudson) to her sister, Abagail, in 1780, it 
 is presumed the latter with her husband 
 made it their home at that time, and he 
 also located his business of hat-making. 
 
 It is best remembered by the elder ones of 
 
 29 
 
the present generation as the home of John, 
 one of the five sons and Esther, his wife. 
 It was a long, low house, painted red, 
 showing even then the ravages of Time, 
 as the large room to the east could only be 
 used in midsummer. A north door, which 
 commanded the pleasant outlook, was 
 opened at May-time and closed only at 
 night until Autumn; where everyone, high 
 and low, felt an equal right to enter, and 
 received the same welcome. It would be 
 impossible to give one an idea of **Aunt 
 Esther," as she was universally named, in 
 a few words. Her conversational talent 
 and intuitive knowledge of human nature, 
 would have made her a marked personality 
 in any position, and everyone loved her. 
 The wonderful tufted mittens she knit in 
 winter, with her Bible by her side in the 
 basket of woolen balls, and many lovable 
 peculiarities are no doubt well remembered. 
 Quite late in life, after a severe illness, 
 she commenced rhyming her reminiscent 
 thoughts for the first time. Some verses 
 she wrote at the age of fifty-eight, en- 
 titled "A Reverie of Fifty Years Ago," are 
 so appropriate to my theme I must give 
 them a place here. 
 
 30 
 
"A REVERIE OF FIFTY YEARS AGO' 
 
 Where is the old schoolhouse where I used to play 
 The grey-haired teacher, children, where are they? 
 It's fifty years since first I came to thee; 
 A half a century — memory, can it be'-* 
 
 All things are changed. 
 
 The sun rose sooner then; went down more slow; 
 
 The wind blew higher on the drifting snow; 
 
 Thunder came louder, fifty years ago. 
 
 As candle burning in the socket low. 
 So seems my life to fifty years ago. 
 
 For sage and wisdom youth was no defect. 
 The boy was measured by his intellect. 
 In his deep thinking could he science scan. 
 Old Uncle Jonah thought the boy a man. 
 In conversation conned all hoped and fears. 
 Kept no deep mystery back for riper years. 
 At noonings when the children went to play 
 Old Uncle Jonah slept the time away. 
 Or ate his favorite Hash, so poor and thin. 
 When some rude boy had slipped a snowball in. 
 
 How often have I trudged a mile or mori*. 
 And found an entrance at the open door. 
 With little sled, a two-fold end in view — 
 To ride down hill and draw my basket too. 
 To get my lessons, and their words defined, 
 A mighty struggle in the march of mind. 
 
 1 see old Jonah now, on oaken floor 
 
 Walk back and forth, as he did days of yore; 
 
 31 
 
With equal love for all in every state. 
 
 His only wish, to make us good and great. 
 
 Sometimes he seemed enwrapped in deepest spell, 
 
 So very deep, he none of us could tell. 
 
 That very charm rests on my spirit now. 
 
 That lent a glory to his aged brow; 
 
 That stirred the waters in my youthful breast, 
 
 And nerved my heart to reach a high behest; 
 
 The billowy foam, which o'er my soul did break, 
 
 Now seems a ripple, on a waveless lake. 
 
 All things are changed; 
 The girls seem fairer backward as I go; 
 The boys much smarter, "Fifty Years Ago." 
 
 John Toffey (second) removing his 
 father's hat factory, no longer used, built 
 his store adjoining the house on the west. 
 At the Post Office was lodged there, at 
 three p. m. every other afternoon, it was 
 the rallying point of the neighborhood, 
 whose greatest daily emotion was the 
 arrival of the Poughkeepsie stage, not 
 only to get their mail, but to hear what 
 news Isaiah McKibben (that notable 
 stage driver of the old-time type), brought, 
 and to see who were the occupants of the 
 stage. The present house was built when 
 the old one was no longer habitable, by 
 the husband of one of the daughters, Ann 
 Hayes, who was always the mother's 
 devoted companion. Even those who 
 came in late years to know her, can fully 
 
 32 
 
understand that the mother's heart, so 
 full of sympathy and affection for every 
 one, was her rightful inheritance. They 
 sleep side by side under the green turf of 
 the little "God's Acre," within sight of 
 the Home, where they spent their entire 
 lives. 
 
 We must not omit to mention that 
 tradition tells that Waite Vaughn, the 
 chief est of all bandit leaders of the Revo- 
 lutionary days, in these parts, drew his 
 last breath in the large room of this house, 
 used for a kitchen. When mortally 
 wounded by Captain Pearce (the brother 
 of the man he had so brutally put to 
 death) in an ambush near the David Irish 
 home, he was brought to this house, and 
 his mother came here, to take a last look 
 of her wayward son and see him decently 
 taken to his last resting-place in a little 
 cemetery, in sight, on the Akin Farm. 
 
 Turning to the East, we would note in 
 passing the spring, near which stood the 
 home which John Akin (second) left to 
 his daughter, Ann, that for a time she and 
 her husband Thomas Worth, made it their 
 home, and that he was the one to whom, 
 with a few others, Dr. James Fallon gave 
 credit for some charitable assistance, when 
 
 33 
 
he was left in charge of the sick soldiers 
 in the Meeting House, after the departure 
 of the Continental Army. The knowledge 
 of his home here was revealed to our 
 father some fifty years since, by a visit 
 from his son, Gorham Akin Worth, who, 
 driving out from Poughkeepsie, appeared 
 one day before our home, and when his 
 loud knock was responded to, said *'I am 
 Gorham Akin Worth, and these are my 
 two daughters. I have come to make the 
 acquaintance of my cousins and revisit my 
 birthplace." From his energetic tempera- 
 ment and decided manner, one can believe 
 that his father could have easily determined 
 what part to take in a crisis, and hold his 
 ground, undismayed by opposing thought. 
 
 Continuing east, we find a home, which 
 though not an ancient one was built more 
 than sixty years ago by George Toffey, 
 son of Daniel, who brought his bride 
 there, and lived some years until his busi- 
 ness took him elsewhere. It was pur- 
 chased by Clark Kirby, one of the sons 
 of George, the early settler, whose family 
 became so identified with the place; it is 
 now generally known as the Kirby Home. 
 
 Si 
 
At the top of the Hill, east of it, a few 
 years later, Charles Wing, a grandson of 
 the pioneer Abraham built himself a home, 
 which has now passed into other hands. 
 
 Returning to the Crossways and con- 
 tinuing south, we come to the home found- 
 ed by William Henry Akin in 1846, and 
 though comparatively modern, we pause 
 to speak of one, whose lovely character 
 and many gifts, made it such a happy 
 one for her husband, and so attractive 
 to their hosts of friends, but who, after 
 a few brief years, faded like a flower in 
 the chilling winds of Autumn, and passed 
 to the "Home not made with hands, 
 Eternal in the Heavens." The house and 
 land were sold, and later, after passing 
 through other hands, was purchased by 
 George Toffey, who after retiring from 
 business returned to the scenes of his early 
 years to spend the evening of life, gladly 
 welcomed by his old friends and neighbors; 
 his family at once becoming active and 
 most generous participants in the advance- 
 ment of the place. 
 
 Just below, on the west side, there still 
 stands a home (formerly red, now repaint- 
 ed), which though humble we might call 
 
 35 
 
both "Ancient and Honorable," for in years 
 gone by there dwelt Stephen Riggs and 
 his wife, Minerva. Stephen was a silent 
 man, and though an important personage 
 in the neighborhood (being the only shoe- 
 maker in the place) bore his honors meek- 
 ly; his wife * 'lived up" to her name, and 
 their children prospered. One daughter, 
 having proved herself a bright pupil of the 
 notable teacher before mentioned, was con- 
 sidered able to take her place when relin- 
 quished. The handsome son, George, be- 
 came the hero of a pretty romance. Hav- 
 ing obtained a position on one of the North 
 River steamboats he met the beautiful 
 daughter of the Captain, and after a brief 
 courtship she became his wife, regardless 
 of his humble home. When he brought her 
 there to see his parents his mother invited 
 the whole neighborhood to an evening re- 
 ception and supper, which was a great suc- 
 cess, notwithstanding the house contained 
 but two square rooms, one above the oth- 
 er, and two small bedrooms, the shop be- 
 ing at the side of the lower room. At the 
 time when told to us, many years since, 
 it seemed a wonderful romance. It cer- 
 tainly showed courage and resource wor- 
 thy of a Minerva. 
 
 36 
 
Just below the chestnut grove opposite, 
 once stood what was called the Quimby 
 House. William Quimby lived there for a 
 time, probably built it, then removed to 
 Purchase, Westchester County. In 1820 it 
 was bought of William Quimby, with land 
 belonging to it (one hundred and eleven 
 acres), by Albro Akin. We continue to go 
 down the steep incline at the foot of which 
 stood the sawmill, in early days a great 
 point of interest, and Hemlock Glen below 
 it is a veritable treasure-house of memories 
 both grave and tender, but as it was only 
 the "home'* of the finny tribe, the wild birds 
 and animal species generally, we turn to 
 the east a little way before we come to the 
 lane, bordered with apple trees, which 
 leads to the home founded by Amos Irish in 
 1801. 
 
 It is best remembered by this gene- 
 ration as that of David and Martha Irish. 
 The quiet, pastoral spirit of the place al- 
 ways seemed harmonious with their calmly 
 ordered lives, a beautiful memoir of which 
 has been written in such delicate lines, be- 
 tween which one can easily read the noble 
 purpose and faith which guided them, we 
 would not venture to add to its complete- 
 ness. 
 
 37 
 
Returning to the highway and gaining 
 the summit of the hill, we come to the 
 home founded by David and Mary Wing, 
 one of the four or five which date about the 
 middle of the nineteenth century, well se- 
 lected for its fine view over the valley and 
 country round. Their eldest daughter was 
 the wife of Edward Ryder, who for a time 
 became a member of the family while con- 
 ducting the services at Akin Hall, and fill- 
 ing the oflBce of Librarian to the Associa- 
 tion, at the same time doing some literary 
 work. Only one daughter is left there, of 
 its once numerous and happy household. 
 
 A little farther south, on the east side of 
 the highway, we find the home founded by 
 Stephen Adams, who came from West- 
 port, Conn., in 1794. His son Peter, elev- 
 en years later in 1805, with his bride, Eliz- 
 abeth Steadwell Adams, made their home 
 on the west road a short distance from 
 Wing's Corners. His grandson, George H. 
 Adams, and family are still living at the old 
 place. 
 
 We have passed the Corners where 
 stood the ancient home of Abraham Wing, 
 descended from Jedediah, one of the pio- 
 neer settlers of 1742. and "Aunt Ruth,*' 
 
 S8 
 
his wife, so well and affectionately remem- 
 bered. Its connection with the Hiram 
 Jones Academy was so faithfully sketched 
 for future generations in the Rev. Mr. Chi- 
 chester's paper of last year, we pass on. 
 
 Continuing westward we turn to the 
 left through a lane to find the late home of 
 Milan Stedwell, which he probably inher- 
 ited as his grandfather, James, was an 
 early settler, and acquired much land in 
 that vicinity. From him Comfort Field 
 purchased the old home about the year 
 1823, which he first occupied with his 
 wife, Polly, daughter of Samuel Crane. It 
 is recorded that it was previously owned 
 by John Toffey, who purchased it of Dr. 
 Lot Tripp. It was removed across the 
 road when Comfort Field built the modern 
 house now standing on the site in 1843, in 
 which many fine entertainments were giv- 
 en for his only daughter, Charlotte, who 
 later became the wife of Mr. Geo. K. Taber. 
 
 As Reed Ferriss made his first home on 
 Quaker Hill, it seems fitting to include his 
 later one, built just below in 1771, a lane 
 leading to it from the highway. Mrs. 
 Sarah Kirby Wain, who spent her early 
 life in the house (as it was then the home 
 
 99 
 
of her parents) has kindly furnished a 
 description of it. "Two large front rooms 
 faced the west, one on either side of the 
 hall, which was rather small, with a wind- 
 ing stairway. The dining-room was long, 
 extending the whole length of the two 
 front rooms and hall, excepting a bedroom 
 on the north side; a large kitchen joined 
 this with a good sized pantry. Originally 
 the dining-room and kitchen was one im- 
 mense room, and it had a huge fireplace 
 with seats running down both sides. A 
 horse was required to bring the large back- 
 log to the door, which was rolled across 
 the floor to fill it. The front door was 
 heavy and divided in the old Dutch style, 
 with knocker and lock and key." We are 
 immensely indebted to the Rev. Mr. Wil- 
 son for securing evidence that located Gen- 
 eral Washington's official headquarters, 
 when here, in John Kane's house, a record 
 of cash paid him for its use being found 
 among his personal expenditures. As the 
 commanding officer and staff usually make 
 their headquarters apart from the official 
 one, there can be no reason to doubt that 
 they were invited to take up their residence 
 in this house, or, as so often told by Molly 
 Ferriss Akin (at that time living there), that 
 she assisted her mother in hurried prepa- 
 
 40 
 
rations to receive their distinguished guests, 
 and that "Headquarters of General Wash- 
 ington" was for the time put over the front 
 door. 
 
 From "Memorials of the Ferriss Family" 
 we quote nearly the same account. "Mr. 
 Ferriss was a substantial farmer; his house 
 like his means, large and ample, was then 
 considered the biggest thing for miles 
 around, and toward which General Wash- 
 ington naturally turned his steps. Mrs. 
 Molly Ferriss Akin, mother of Judge Albro 
 and Daniel Akin, used to tell the story of 
 its occupancy in this way: 'One day two 
 aides-de-camp rode up to the door inquir- 
 ing for Mr. Ferriss to inform him that Gen- 
 eral Washington would like to make his 
 home there for a time, to which Mr. Ferriss 
 consented, and to notify all intruders that 
 this was the house of the Commander-in- 
 chief, the officers fastened a paper to the 
 front door reading thus: "Headquarters of 
 General Washington." He and his Staff 
 OflBcers came, and the southwest chamber 
 was evermore known as W^ashington's 
 Room, which he occupied during his resi- 
 dence in Pawling.' " One of the officers 
 gave her a delicate wineglass with a 
 twisted stem as a souvenir of their stay, 
 which was carefully preserved for ninety- 
 
 41 
 
four years, but met its fate when the house 
 built by her husband was burned in 1872. 
 Mrs. Wain has preserved the large key to 
 General Washington's room, which might 
 properly serve to open an Historical Mu- 
 seum on Quaker Hill. 
 
 When Academy days had passed, and 
 the stores of merchandise had been re- 
 moved, the men turned more exclusively 
 to agricultural pursuits, both as employ- 
 ers and employed. Those who possessed 
 much land, built tenant houses and were 
 always solicitous and devoted to the best 
 interests of the families of those who 
 occupied them; in manner, not at all 
 aristocratic, but essentially patriarchal. At 
 that period there was no visible rallying 
 point on Quaker Hill, except the Friends' 
 Meeting House, on Sunday morning, yet 
 there was still a bond of unity in the 
 many customs religiously observed ; and we 
 cannot think of the neighborhood being 
 segregated, when we recall the beautiful 
 service of watching with the sick and the 
 dead, which was at that time considered 
 an obligation that even quite young 
 women could not refuse to acknowledge. 
 We recall a winter, when in a home on 
 the southern boundary of the Hill, a young 
 
 42 
 
woman was confined to her bed for many 
 weeks, and the widowed mother could 
 no longer attend her day and night, of the 
 young brother, with a little cutter (or 
 "pung") as it was called, and the faithful 
 old horse attached, coming around at 
 twilight for a '* Watcher," and going over 
 the icy snowbanks with the bright glitter- 
 ing stars above and a courage born of ne- 
 cessity, stimulated perhaps by the book un- 
 der the arm, which was to keep us awake 
 during the long hours before morning 
 would dawn. 
 
 Still another reminiscence looms out of 
 the dim past, when two sisters went at 
 night over the east hill to watch in a 
 home where a daughter of the household 
 had fallen on the "sleep that knows no 
 waking." When the midnight hour came 
 it was their duty to leave the cheerful fire, 
 and with lighted candle traverse the dark, 
 deserted rooms to the chamber of Death. 
 The touch of that small brass knob, and 
 the creak of that dcor, was graven on the 
 susceptible memory with a thrill, that all 
 the years have brought between could 
 never ({uite efface. 
 
 It would seem, at that time, as if each 
 family had its own individual character and 
 standard of living, and there was no desire 
 
 43 
 
1 mi 
 
 to live up to one's neighbors; yet, if trouble 
 came to anyone, or there was need to rally 
 for a good object, it was an affair for the 
 whole neighborhood and all worked to- 
 gether. Though the cares and burdens of 
 Life may keep us at times apart, yet we 
 may preserve the simple faith of our 
 forefathers, that we are one neighborhood, 
 always ready when needed. 
 
 While there may be many points of view 
 as to what will insure the success of the fu- 
 ture of Quaker Hill, we may venture to say, 
 while the inevitable progress of time will 
 surely go on, its success will be, not in 
 accomplishing special things to mark it, 
 but in the spirit with which they are 
 carried out, remembering that natural 
 forces always work slowly and silently, 
 and only as God is in them do they make 
 permanent advancement. 
 
 If to some there be a note of sadness in 
 thus bringing back the years that are no 
 more, and looking for the "Homes" that 
 have vanished, I would say to them : 
 
 "Not by the wayside ruins let us mourn. 
 Who have the Eternal Towers for our appointed 
 bourne," 
 
 44 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
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