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NOTABLE GATHERING
June 15, 1911
On June 15, 1911 at the home of Asa Bailey, Ringgold County, Diagonal, Iowa on Asa Bailey's Birthday. He was born
June 15, 1858. 16 First Cousins in attendance.
Hartmans - Joshua K.; Albert; J. Ed; Eliza (Smith)
Fords - O.B.; T.H.; W.A.; Sarah (Sleichter); Amelia (Overholser)
Baileys - G.F.; W.E.; J.H.; Asa; Cora (Overholser); Lydia (Overholser)
Total attendance of 29 at the gathering included the following who were related by marriage:
Harriett Earhart w/Joshua Hartman; Elvira Rogers w/Albert Hartman; Rose Feldman w/J. Ed Hartman;
Dave Smith w/Eliza Hartman.
Frank Overholser w/Amelia Ford.
Alice w/John Bailey; Cordelia Overholser w/W.E. Bailey; Anna Barks w/ Asa Bailey; Jacob Overholser w/Cora Bailey;
Loren Overholser w/Lydia Bailey.
Mrs. Sarah Kessler; Barbara Vack; Miss Ida Sleichter.
First Row, Left - Right: Asa Bailey, W.A. Ford, T.H. Ford, Ed Hartman, George (Deek) Bailey,
Milton Z. Bailey, Jacob Overholser, Albert Hartman
Second Row, Left - Right: William Bailey, Sarah Kessler, Barbara Vack, O.B. Ford, Joshua Hartman, Ida
Sleichter, Elvira Hartman, Dave Smith, Frank Overholser
Third Row, Left - Right: John H. Bailey, Alice Bailey, Eliza Smith, Anna Bailey, Harriet Hartman, Amelia
Overholser, Cordia Bailey, Rose E. Hartman, Cora Overholser, Sarah Sleichter, Loren Overholser
NOTABLE GATHERING
June 15, 1911
On last Thursday at the pleasant home of Asa Bailey, Ringgold County, occurred one of the most pleasant gatherings that was
ever the lot of man to attend. Twenty-nine gathered there and all except one, Miss Sletcher, were born and raised in Johnson
County, this state near Iowa City, all in the same neighborhood and nearly all in the same school district. Sixteen of them
were first cousins, whom part of them had not met for thirty-five years, so haven't we the right to call it a Notable Gathering
and a happy meeting. The writer has been in a great many gatherings, but never did we see such a meeting among men and
women as we saw there. We have been in groups of women where they were all talking at once, but never before were
menand women all talked at once. Men and women wept with joy over the meeting. And what memories that meeting brough tup in
the five short hours we were together. We just simply relived the first twenty years of our lives in fact, just turned it
into an experience meeting of our school days. Every expression, every remark would remind some one of us of something
that happened forty-five and some of them, happenings fifty-five years ago. To hear them tella bout their egg roasts, chicken
roasts, hooking their mother's pies, their sleigh rides, spelling bees and their good old country dances and the Lord only
knows what all. If you would have heard all these tales, you would have come to the conclusion that Pecks Bad Boy was
not in it in those days, and yet all innocent fun, fun that time cannot efface from our memories. These sixteen first
cousins were all from three families. Namely, Hartman's, Ford's, Bailey's. The Hartmans present were: J.K.; Albert; J.E.;
of Clearfield and Mrs. D.N. SMith of Texon, Iowa. The Fords were: O.B.; and T.H.; of Oklahoma, W.A. and Mrs.
Sarah Sleichter of Wyoming and Mrs. Frank Overholser of Diagonal and Loren Overholser and Mrs. Jacob Overholser, Frank
Overholser, D.N. Smith, Mrs. J.E. Hartman, Mr. J.K. Hartman, Mrs. Sarah Kessler, Mrs. John Bailey, Mrs. William Bailey,
Barbara Vack and Miss Ida Sletcher. The oldest cousins were sixty-six and the youngest fifty-one years of age. Just think,
forty-five years ago, these cousins began to get married and leave home until they finally branched out going to different
states and territories, some of the making several moves and all raising families. None of them wealthy, but all well to do,
and in comfortable circumstances. They were married in several nationalities, yet not a scandal of Black sheep in any one
of the families and all respected and esteemed in the communites where they reside, and to think after rambling for forty
years, it should happen that we would all meet and spend another day of close friendship together was something remarkable.
But the day was not all pleasure for we had to part and the parting was as sad in the evening as the meeting was happy
in the morning. Knowing full well it would be the last time many of us would ever meet again, and it was with extreme
sadness as we said goodbye, and God bless you. It was a time when tears flowed freely and strong men wept, and yet we were
all thankful we were there.
Milton Z. Bailey
NOTE: The cousins were all born in Johnson County, Iowa, near Riverside. Most of them ended up in
Ringgold County. Milton Z. Bailey (a.k.a. M.Z. Bailey/Teen) farmed on the Platt River and was the President of the
Diagonal State Bank.
Submission by Bryan K. Bailey, May of 2011
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