40 
YE ELDER BRETHREN 
34th Annual Reunion of Manches- 
ter’s Unique Organization 
Held Wednesday 
(Written by John D. Woodbury 
of Gloucester.) 
A fair sky and a cooling breeze 
greeted the Elder Brethren of Man- 
chester on their thirty-fourth annual 
reunion at the town picnic grounds 
at Tuck’s Point Wednesday, and the 
gathering was in keeping with the 
day. Ninety-five members responded 
to their names, a few of whom had 
never attended the gathering before, 
although most of the company have 
been practically annual participants 
in the outing for a number of years. 
Seven of those present were over 
80 years of age, William Johnson, 
95; William C. Rust, 84; George F. 
Allen, 84; Daniel Allen, 84; Nehe- 
miah C. Marshall, 84; John R. Allen, 
82; and John C. Elliott, 81. 
Among those whose absence was 
conspicuous was the late Delucena 
L. Bingham, for many years the li- 
brarian of the Manchester public li- 
brary, who has passed away during 
the year at the advanced age of 97 
years. 
A few of the members gathered 
at the pavilion early in the forenoon, 
and the larger portion reached the 
grounds long before the noon hour. 
As usual the intervening time be- 
fore the dinner was announced was 
passed in renewing old acquain- 
tances and the recalling of reminis- 
- cences of the days when Manches- 
ter had a high reputation as a 
manufacturing centre, before, as 
one speaker phrased it, ‘‘the fishing 
and farming and furniture making 
had not been superceded by fashion 
with its fads and follies.’’ 
Although practically the lifetime 
of a generation has elapsed since 
the earlier gatherings of the older 
residents of the town for a chowder 
party had erystalized into the forma- 
tion of the association, it is a re- 
markable fact that three of those 
who were present at the first meet- 
ing in 1878 were able to be present 
Wednesday,—George Forster Allen, 
who has been president of the gath- 
erings since their inception, William 
Choate Rust and Arthur M. Mer- 
riam. 
Promptly at 1 o’clock, the hour 
appointed, Chefs Crombie and Bab- 
cock, who have cooked the chowders 
for the gathering for a number of 
years, announced that all was in 
readiness and all present gathered 
about the tables. After the divine 
blessing had been asked by Rev. A. 
G. Warner, pastor of the Baptist 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
church, attention was given to ap- 
petizing fish and clam chowders 
which had been prepared, and which 
by unanimous consent were voted to 
be fully up to the high standard of 
previous years. 
At 2 o’clock President Allen called 
to order, and the members gathered 
in the picnic house fpr the usual in- 
teresting addresses. 
President Allen in opening gave 
a brief account of the origin of the 
organization, which grew from the 
annual custom of a few of the con- 
genial residents of the town indulg- 
ing in a chowder annually at some 
convenient place along the shore. 
The idea of a permanent organiza- 
tion was suggested by the late Capt. 
Charles Fitz, at one of the gather- 
ings, and the idea found great favor 
not only among the residents and 
former residents of the town but 
among the summer people and oth- 
ers connected with Manchester. It 
was at the suggestion of the mem- 
bers of the association that the 
building was erected, and the flag 
staff was a gift from Greeley S. Cur- 
tis. At one of the earlier gather- 
ings a flag was presented bearing 
the motto, ‘‘Elder Brethren,’’ and 
the organization adopted that as its 
title and has since been known by 
that name. 
The report of the secretary, Wil- 
liam J. Johnson, showed that eight 
deaths had occurred during the past 
year, Delucena L. Bingham, the old- 
est resident of the town, Charles 
Hooper, Jacob Cheever, Jesse Pierce, 
Patrick Guinivan of Beverly, Charles 
F. Lee of Beverly, Capt. William H. 
Collins’ of Gloucester and Augustus 
M. Cheever of Beverly. 
The financial condition of the or- 
ganization was reported in good 
condition, the sum of $190 being on 
deposit in the Cape Ann Savings 
Bank, which by vote of the associa- 
tion will be transferred to the cus- 
tody of the Manchester Trust Com- 
pany. 
The old officers of the association 
were re-elected, and it was also vot- 
ed to choose a vice-president, Ed- 
win P. Stanley being elected to that 
position, and M. C. Dodge, John G. 
Haskell and Francis M. Stanwood 
added to the board of directors. 
Deacon Joseph A. Torrey was the 
first speaker. He expressed himself 
as being proud of Manchester, both 
in her earlier days and now when 
the fishing, farming and furniture 
making had given place to fashion 
with its fads and fancies. Princes 
and presidents have been charmed 
by her beauty and dukes and diplo- 
mats have dwelt among her hills and 
shores. Much has been done by 
wealth to add to the beauties which 
nature has endowed by those who — 
come to visit this beautiful snot, and 
all present should cherish their 
birthright. 
The venerable William Johnson, 
the oldest male resident of the town, — 
who is 95 years of age, gave some 
interesting reminiscences of his boy- 
hood, when living with his parents 
in New Hampshire. In 1825 General 
Lafayette came to Boston to assist 
in the laying of the corner stone of © 
Bunker Hill monument and after-— 
wards made a tour of the country 
with President Jackson, who went — 
from Concord to Porthmouth. His ~ 
father then kept a toll-gate in Ep- 
som, and his mother dressed him as 
a soldier and he was at the gate 
when the party came along. Presi- — 
dent Jackson asked to shake hands 
with him and pressed a $5 gold 
piece into his palm and General La- 
fayette did the same thing, and he 
felt he was the richest boy in New 
Ifampshire. Ile was now 95 years ~ 
of age and felt strong and hearty, | 
and he attributed his excellent 
physical condition to his custom of — 
eating Graham bread. 
Hon. Robert S. Rantoul of Salem, | 
who is always a welcome visitor at 
the gatherings of the Elder Breth- 
ren, spoke of his pleasure in attend- 
ing. He was absent last year, being 
in Europe, feeling perhaps that he 
had talked himself out the previous 
year. He was interested in the ref- 
erence to Capt. F'tiz, because he lived 
in Gloucester from 1832 to 1859, and 
Capt. Fitz lived there at the same 
time and often took for him small 
ventures on his sailings to South 
America. He remembered at one 
time Capt. Fitz has a consignment 
of a hundred young mules, which ~ 
were placed in a pen, but during the — 
night kicked down the pen and 
wandered about the town, to the 
great joy of the boys. Some of the 
mules were so small that a man could 
easily lift them from the ground. — 
They were safely rounded up and 
taken on board the next morning, — 
but they certainly gave the crew a 
run for their money. - 
Mr. Rantoul gave some interest- 
ing stories of his unique experiences 
abroad. He was in Geneva in 1878 — 
just after the close of the Franco- | 
Prussian war, when the sympatizers 
with the commune were driven from | 
France and settled in Geneva. Later — 
they were allowed to return to 
I’rance and they proposed to cele- — 
brate the event with a grand pro- — 
cession. To this the Genevese ob- 
jected, but at that time a hospital 
