Address by R. L. Matthews at the Matthews - Robson - Duncan Reunion
August 17 1947

Pertinent Paragraphs:

We have a number of cousins in the Wheeling area. The Putnam County migrations
seemed to have cooled their pioneer spirit - they couldn't keep up with Daniel
Boone and Davy Crockett any longer although Uncle Tom Williams went west in a
covered wagon and raised a large family near Winfield, Kansas, and Uncle John
Matthews migrated to Sioux City, Iowa, and raised a family of two. I might add
that Grand Father Williams was of Welch descent and Grand Mother Williams,
English. Grand Father Matthews, German, and Grand Mother Matthews, Scotch-Irish.

I remember my Grand Parents well and they were estimable people and good
citizens of their generation, as were our Parents in theirs. We should emulate
them by carrying on and living creditable lives. I might add there are three
sources of information unavailable as present: S. V. Hartley's notes on the
Richardson family, a branch of the Matthews family at Barnesville, Ohio, and
the Hood family, of Moundsville, West Virginia.

The Complete Address:

Dear Friends,

It is entirely fitting that we should hold this Reunion here at GrandView for
this and the adjacent country-side is the scene of our pioneer efforts to build
a good community here in Putnam County.

In this life-long effort (or struggle) the Matthews - Robson - Duncan families
have played their part along with their neighbors and friends, many have moved
to other countries and have played a creditable part in founding new
communities.

Right here let me mention a few early settlers who moved here before we have a
Free-School System in this state. Shortly before the war John Williams, Sam
Hartley and Tom Cooper brought their families from Marshall County to Eighteen
Mile Creek and soon thereafter came the William Hartleys from Wetzel County,
Edward Matthews's and Lewis Barnharts from Fish Creek, Marshall County.

My Father said the first man they met at Red House was Dudley Montague. Others
had preceded us along the river and creeks, some of them were the Hensons,
Harrisons, McGraws, Garrisons, Harmons, Higginbothams and Oldakers who settled
at Oldakers Mill just as soon as the Indians under Cornstalk were defeated by
Col. Andrew Lewis at the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. Marietta, Gallipolis
and Point Pleasant were settled before Washington died in 1799. Winfield and
Buffalo were settled about 1840.

The old poor farm on Eighteen Mile Creek now owned by the J. M. Henson heirs had
the date 1826 cut out of the chimney of the rambling old house. Then the Tucker
farm just above, now owned by John Hartley was part of that old settlement. So
you see we were on the scene a hundred years ago and many of the pioneers of
that day rest in the Graveyard across the way and the names on the Tombstones is
a Roster of the First Families - as Gray aptly wrote - "Let not ambition mock
their useful toil, their homely joys and destinies obscure; nor granduer hear
with disdainful smile the short and simply annals of the poor"-

I want to mention W. Y. Matthews as an outstanding citizen of his time. He was
richly endowed and he gave generously. He wasn't rich as the world counts wealth
but he was rich in the service of his neighbors.

The Dunlaps built a Church nearby which bears their name - and rightly so for
they gave beyond their generation.

Then there were the Olders, the Honakers, The Thomases, the Parkinses, the
Knapps, the Nulls, the Jividens, the Rayne's, the Pitchfords, the Workmans, the
Allinders, the Crandalls, the Comstocks, the Walkers, the Gates and Steeles who
did yeomans service for the community to list a few of the many.

Life in the "Horse and Buggy Days" was hard indeed and we contrived quaint and
odd customs to make it livable; for instance, "Work Frolics" in which threshing
wheat and rolling logs was considered fun.

Few schools, mud roads, Churches and Sunday School contributed to our social
life as well as our spiritual. Roads were designated by the names of farms
through which they ran and when farms changed people were confused for a time.

Then came, in less than fifty years, the modern inventions we take for granted
now, and out goes the Country store and Post Office and one room School House
and blacksmith shop - all real institutions a few years ago - even the Chestnut
tree is gone.

We have come through three economic phases. First the Hunter. Second the Timber
man and third the Farmer - and we're entering the fourth which is the Industrial
worker.

These changes vitally effect our lives and our community but wherever our lot is
cast let us continue to emulate the example of our forebears to the end that we
will leave the next generation as good (?) a world as our forefathers left us -
which is not as easy or as simple as it sounds.

We have a number of cousins in the Wheeling area. The Putnam County migrations
seemed to have cooled their pioneer spirit - they couldn't keep up with Daniel
Boone and Davy Crockett any longer although Uncle Tom Williams went west in a
covered wagon and raised a large family near Winfield, Kansas, and Uncle John
Matthews migrated to Sioux City, Iowa, and raised a family of two. I might add
that Grand Father Williams was of Welch descent and Grand Mother Williams,
English. Grand Father Matthews, German, and Grand Mother Matthews, Scotch-Irish.

I remember my Grand Parents well and they were estimable people and good
citizens of their generation, as were our Parents in theirs. We should emulate
them by carrying on and living creditable lives. I might add there are three
sources of information unavailable as present: S. V. Hartley's notes on the
Richardson family, a branch of the Matthew's family at Barnesville, Ohio, and
the Hood family, of Moundsville, West Virginia.