The Golden Wedding.
Most Interesting Family Reunion

The Roberts Family Meet in This City at the Home of One of Its Members – Notes, Etc, Etc.

[The first column of this article did not film well—words are indistinct and many lost in the fold of the paper—see article on page 1 of October 18, 1888.  I will transcribe the 2nd column of this article.  The 1st column repeats some of the information in the previous article.]

…Among these gifts was a gold headed cane from Mr. Starling Roberts to help his father walk, and a pair of gold rimmed spectacles from Mrs. Roberts to help the mother to see.  Then dinner began – the children and a few friends at the first table.  The meal had proceeded perhaps half way through or more, when it was announced that the missing child, the thirteenth, had come, and by general consent, there was a pause in the proceedings till her appearance.  When she had saluted father and mother and brothers and sisters, and had taken her seat at the table, the old gentleman cast his eyes around, and said:  “I see now what I have so much wanted to see, all my children together at once, and now I see it, I can say with Simeon of old, ‘Now Lord lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace,’ for my heart’s desire is satisfied.”

It was very interesting to see him as he finished his meal, rise and go upon this side of the table and then upon that looking into the faces of his sons and sons-in-law, daughters and daughters-in-law, and hear him remark: “Well, you are all a right good looking set, and I am proud of everyone of you.”

The writer of this may say just here that he thinks Mr. Roberts has abundant reason to be happy over his large family.  They are all healthy and vigorous in body and mind, while in the affairs of this world they are all well-to-do people, while some of them have gone further than that and acquired considerable property.

If we were to employ a long string of superlatives in describing the dinner prepared by Mrs. Starling Roberts, we would not go beyond the bounds of truth and propriety.  It was abundant – it was rich and greatly varied.  We ate of ten different kinds of cake –it was well cooked, and it was elegantly served by a number of charming young ladies and elderly matrons who aided Mrs. Roberts in the matter.  We hope Mrs. Roberts will have a golden wedding or something else of that sort at her house semi-occasionally or oftener, and invite us over.

In all, there were four tables, and 116 that ate of the dinner.  The thirteen ladies, daughters and daughters-in-law, were all dressed in white, the daughters-in-law being distinguished from the daughters by a rosette of black worn on the left breast.

To go back to the table again.  At each end was a large and beautifully embossed cake.  We looked at the one at our end, and amid the elaborate ornamentation rested our eyes on the two dates: “1838” – “1888.”  Fifty years between these two dates, and yet these old people still live and are happy in their recollections, happy in their present experience, and as the old gentleman said in his remarks, happy “in the hope of the future.”

As they could hardly hope for all to meet again, the family had the artist, Mr. Tomlinson, go out and take the picture of the old couple and the thirteen children in a group.  Another picture of the entire assembly was taken afterwards.

All in all, this was one of the most interesting occasions we ever witnessed.  We could not, in reason, expect the old people to celebrate their wedding fifty years hence, but we do most earnestly wish for them a bright and happy old age, and a triumphant departure, when it pleases an all wise Providence to take them hence.