Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 80, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1899 — Another Brother and Sister Strangely Re-united. [ARTICLE]

Another Brother and Sister Strangely Re-united.

Elder L. B. Appleton, of Elkhart, this state, is here visiting his sister, Mrs. Aaron Hickman, and the story of their being re-united after almost a life-time separation is even stranger than that of the meeting of Wm. Downey and his sister, related last week. Along early in civil war times Mr. Appleton’s parents lived in Ohio. When the war broke out his father went to Illinois and joined the 14th Illinois cavalry. He was killed in battle, and soon after the mother died. Six helpless orphans were left, to take their chances in the world. The subject of this article, knocked about wherever he could find a home, and had many hard and cruel experiences, but finally found a good home among Christian people, and at last, by any amount of hard work, he got an education and entered the ministry in the Christian denomination. Of the other children of the family, three soon died, but two sisters lived, but Mr. Appleton knew nothing of their whereabouts. Finally, some years ago, while in Pennsylvania, he learned that one sister was in Rensselaer, but before he could write to her, he lost the address and could not recall it. Last year, being at Elkhart, when the little find of oil was made in Burgess Dillon’s well and published over the state as a 50 barrel spouter, Mr. Appleton noticed the dispatch, and thuname Rensselaer at once recalled his sister’s place of residence. He wrote here, found his sister, and is now seeing her for the first time in 35 years. Mrs. Hickman is also able to tell him of his other sister’s whereabouts, she being in Ohio.