The Mail-Journal, Volume 17, Number 49, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 December 1980 — Page 18

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., December 24,1980

Milford's Main Street

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OUR OLD photo of the week is that of Chester Felkner who was known to many of Our Town’s citizens. * This reporter remembers the question Chet used to delight in asking Milford High School graduates upon receiving their diploma. The question, “How do you spell Kosciusko! ” Most of the graduates would flunlehis test. It’s not a word that is used frequently by high school youngsters. He was very delighted when he would find someone who could spell the word he had chosen for his test. -o— AS WE continued our search into Our Town’s past we found the following in a series of articles on the history of Van Buren Township and the Town of

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Milford which appeared in The Weekly News in the spring of 1876. It reveals interesting facts on the early set tiers of Van Buren Township. “ ... In the year 1839 the milldam at Syracuse broke and let down onto the county a vast quantity of water, and for a4ime the whole country between Milford and Syracuse was inundated and many of the early settlers were reminded of the flood, in fact, everything along the banks of Turkey Creek, was underwater. "When the township was first settled, and in fact, for a number of years subsequently, the vast expanse of territory known as the "big mash" was nothing but an immense frog pond and where Capt. North. Geo. Horton, Stephenson, Jacob Troup and a number of others are now raising good corn and grain and have good farms were then considered worthless andl would not bring a picayune per acre (a picayune was described as the lowest form of money. Other forms of exchange at the time were sip sip, and a bit, two bits, six bits. etc). "In looking over the justice records we find the first infraction of the law to have been a case of assault and battery in the year 1833, in a case where William Felkner was charged with assaulting George More, the difficulty being upon the question of pre-emption right. More, without cause, gave the lie to Felkner, whereup, true to the spirit of the early settlers that meant fight. Felkner promptly knocked More down, went before a justice, plead guilty and paid his fine. "... New settlers came in and the breaking up of the prairies and clearing away the forrest, making homes, seemed about all that could be done. The first smoke house would scarcely be worth mentioning but for its peculiar construction it was built by Samuel Sacket, and was simply a cut off of large sycamore tree, about eight feet were cut off and set up on end, and the hollow was large enough that a horseman could have rode in on horseback and turned around inside the hollow. "The first seed glow used in the county was purchased by William Felkner, of James Doane, it will perhaps be interesting to the reader, at least those who collect him, to give a short sketch of his life. He went from South Bend, Ind., to Illinois Town, California, in 1850, returned to South Bend in 1851, bringing with him a huge Grizzly Bear, the first one brought east of the Mississippi river, went back to California in 1852, with a lot of stock, after disposing of the

same at Sacramento, and while enroute from that place to Carson Valley he was followed, overtaken, murdered and robbed near Leek Spring, by what was known as Capt. Clay and Brothers Gang of outlaws, that were infesting that country.” -O’BACK TO our December 1928 issues of the DeKalb County Herald we continue with the traditions of Christmas: Then came the period of the Puritans whose straight-laced ideas gave them a keen distaste for Christmas festivities, especially those in which the pagan elements were most evident. So they prevailed upon parliament to prohibit such celebrations and Christmas was made a day of fasting and prayer instead of a day of feasting and fun. But after the Restoration the old celebrations came back, somewhat subdued for awhile but eventually rather similar to what they had been before. If the “Merrie Christmas” of Old England with its Yule logs, mistletoe, holly, cheery Christmas caroles, Christmas cards, plum puddings and mince pies and all of the other elements which combine to make it a season of gayety. have served to change the original character of the holiday, it is equally true that other countries have contributed other traditions which help make it a joyous season. Germany has contributed the Christmas tree and Martin Luther is said to have been the first to set up a Christmas tree in that country. Holland has contributed the jolly old Santa Claus as the symbol of cheerful giving and the custom of hanging up Christmas stockings in which he is to put his gifts. The latter is the outgrowth of the custom of the Dutch children of placing their wooden shoes in the chimney corner on Saint Nicholas eve (December s) when the spirit of the good Saint Nicholas (they call him Sinterklaas, which later became Santa Claus) made his rounds and left his gifts for them. This custom of hanging up stockings is also said to have originated in Russia from two customs. In east Russia, among the peasantry, there was a custom whereby a young girl discovered through divination whom she would have for her husband and the traditional formula in this custom was "Come and take my stockings off." Among the professional classes, parents placed money in the stockings of their children at marriage as a gift from the other partner. Although Holland is usually credited with being the contributor of Santa Claus, as a matter of fact, this symbol of Christmas is a composite character and under a variety of

names he is a legacy from a number of nations. In Holland, he is Sinterklaas, or San Nicolaas; in Germany he is Kriss Kringle, a derivation from Krist Kindli, the Christ <Child; and in France he is Bonhomme Noel or Pere Noel, Father Christmas. And in Italy, the children believe that he has a companion on his annual trip, a sort of Mrs. Santa Claus whom they know, as La Befana, probably a modification of the Italian word for Epiphany. Dut it must not be supposed that any one of the Christmas customs has been contributed by any one country exclusively. In nearly all of the Christmas traditions there are contributions from several nations and every country claims a share in most of them, but it has. so we believe, improved upon many and contributed one or two of its own. The principal one. of course, is the Christmas turkey, for the turkey is "All American.” But as evidence of the fact that Christmas is truly an international holiday, consider these words of one writer on the history of Christmas: “We eat the Egyptian's goose — it may have changed to a turkey in America — as a sacrifice to the sun, they tell us. We hang the mistletoe of the Druids, burn the Yule log of the Nordic pagans. Holly, some authorities say, is our own. symbolizing the crown of thorns the Christ wore to Golgotha. The red berries are drops of blood. We drink the wassail bowl, some of us, handed to our lips by the Vikings. We decorate the sacred oak which by the grace of Saint Boniface, is an evergreen. We await the coming of the Germanic Santa Claus for our gifts. And we chant "peace on earth, good will to all men, which after all, is the most important.” —O— A RESIDENT of Our Town recently dined at the Sideboard in Elkhart (the former Hotel Elkhart) and was joined by Mary Ellen Baumgartner, an employee ofthe restaurant. Mary Ellen is a former Milford resident and is the daughter of Henry Baumgartner. She was anxious for news about Shelly Kaiser and Mrs. Larry (Deb) Mast and Mrs. Neal (Diane) Olson. —o—- — A renewal check comes a letter from Bonnie Lou Scott, daughter of Milla Scott. She states "The year of .1980 will soon be history behind us with a brand new year approaching, hoping better for everyone in all ways. "My mother looks forward to Thursday coming because her paper will be there in the mailbox with all the good healthy homespun news throughout The Mail-Journal. "News of home and our surrounding area always means so much; and, oh, what goodies one can find inside the outside covers! "Everyone at the press does such a fine job and knowing each year gets better, I am going to send along a little goodie my mother and dad taught me 46 years ago! "Good-Better-Best “Never let it rest; "Until your Good is Better, "And your Better is Best! "Happy holidays and warm blessings to the whole crew! —o— OUR HOUSE in last week’s photo was built by Pret Miles and located in Pickwick Park, Syracuse.

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