Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1910 — Proud of Five Generations [ARTICLE]

Proud of Five Generations

Old Pennsylvania Fiddler Delights in Telling of Days When Dances Were Lively. Pennsburg, Pa.—One of the oldest, most numerous and influential families in the Perkiomen valley and just across the line of Montgomery, in Hereford township, Berks county, is the Gery clan, whose progenitor was Michael Gery, who settled at Palm, near here, in the dawn of the eighteenth century. He, with Peter Hillegass, a nephew of Michael Hillegass, the first treasurer of the United States, was a pioneer linseed oil manufacturer In this section. Epraim Gery, son of Michael, who is ninety-two years of age, in his youth was teamster for his father and Hillegass, and made weekly trips by team to Philadelphia, 75 years ago, with oil, returning with flax seed and the necessaries of life, as was the custom in those days. On these trips Mr. Gery says he used to take with him feed for the horses and victuals for himself, as well as bedding, so as to sleep on the floors of the barrooms along the route. Mr. Gery voted for President Van Buren in 1840. The old man is hale and hearty and a favorite with the coihmunity, because of his cheerful disposition and his love of good stortes. °f which he has a ready fund. The one story of his interesting life which the nonogenarian is fond of relating is his experiences as fiddler at the frolics 75 years ago. Mr. Gery in his younger days was possessed of prodigious strength, and was the favorite musician at old-fashioned dances for two reasons. In the first place, they liked his fiddling, and then again whenever a rowdy tried to break up a dance, as was the custom, the husky fiddler would quietly lay down his violin, grab the bully and throw him out of the place.

get-me-not gloves or, if- very sorely stricken, gloves ornamented with a design in ivy. At present only white satin shoes are painted, but fine kid could be easily ornamented in this-way, it is said. Pretty designs are in apple blossoms, forget-me-nots, or .heather. A new shoe, for brides in white is being sold by another West End firm. This has the top edged with narrow Valenciennes lace, and on the toe a small knot of myrtle blossom. Evening gloves, of white or light shades, are again to be hand-pointed in floral designs. “It is four or five years since these gloves were in fashion,” a representative of a West End establishment said. “We can supply gloves in any desired design. “To obtain a successful resulUthe glove must tfe put on a ‘model’ while the work is being done. It will be then fully stretched, and the floral spray will be as it would appear when worn.”