Wyoming County Veterans Reunion at Lake Carey, 1876

The Veterans.

The first reunion of Wyoming county veterans was held at Lake Carey, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. The preliminaries were arranged on Decoration Day, circulars were issued and every effort made to bring the soldiers together. All things considered, the reunion was a splendid success; one hundred and ten answered to roll-call and there were probably half as many more present who gave to attention to that formality.

The Tunkhannock Cornet Band, which is recognized as a veteran organization, with a number of citizens and soldiers took the 7 a.m. train on the Montrose railway and were first to pitch tents. Those who went later in the day found the Band out upon the lake in one of the large floats which had been fitted up with awning and made to assume a barge-like appearance. The glittering uniform of the Band, the many gay flags and streamers with which the boat was decorated and the accompanying rowboats made a very pretty picture.

C. I. A. Chapman, Esq., of Pittston, was the orator. He arrived with the afternoon train; was introduced to the audience by Dr. C. H. Dana, and delivered a most acceptable discourse, which was frequently applauded. Then came lunch or rather the evening meal, composed of such material as could be made available on short notice and cooked in regular soldier style. The hurriedly made coffee, eagerly taken without milk or sugar, the tin cups, the salt pork, the substitutes for “hard tack,” and other soldier fare made the bivouac seem real and like old army times. This first day there were, perhaps, one hundred ladies present, from Lynn, Lemon and the immediate neighborhood of the lake. They came in farm wagons, buggies, &c., and by their presence added much to the attractiveness of the scene. At 9 o’clock tatto [tattoo] was sounded by the Band, lights were extinguished and those who passed the night upon the ground wrapped themselves in their blankets, and wearied with the day’s proceedings, were soon in the land of dreams.

At peep of dawn on Wednesday morning the Band played reville [reveille]; after which fires were lighted and the morning meal prepared. Upon the arrival of the train large additions were made to the assemblage; the vets gathered in groups or went out upon the lake, boating, fishing and enjoying themselves in various ways.

After the arrival of the afternoon train there was roll call, the assemblage was called to order by the President, R. W. Bannatyne, and a permanent organization was effected. N. A. McKown, of Forkston, was elected President, and Major Bannatyne, Secretary, for the ensuing year. It was resolved to hold the next reunion in McKown’s grove at Forkston, he agreeing to transport all who came from and to Mehoopany depot, free of charge.

At this point there was considerable enthusiasm, and loud calls were made upon Dr. C. H. Dana, Adjutant H. W. Bardwell, and other for speeches. The responses were made promptly and in a very satisfactory manner. Then tents were struck, camp equipage packed and the line of march taken up for the depot.

To the Tunkhannock Cornet Band a great share of the pleasant and enjoyment of the reunion is due. The cheerful manner in which every call was answered, the fine music furnished and the zest with which its members entered into the spirit of the occasion was remarked by all. The following are the names of those who answered roll call:

Silas Aumick
William Hastings
Mark Wheat
Alvin Durling
Samuel Durling
George Wagner
Joseph Fry
Wesley Jennings
M. L. Vose
R. H. Atkinson
C. H. Dana
John Broughton
Wm. Aldin
D. C. Kitchen
Joseph Roberts
Tracey Roberts
Pete Walter
W. S. Davis
S. Z. Hulbirt
D. M. Wright
F. C. Bunnell
R. W. Banatyne [Bannatyne]
Sidney Dickson
Geo. H. Mitchell
Nelson Aumick
John H. DeGraw
J. B. Maxwell
H. W. Bardwell
S. H. Briggs
Alvah Fassett
M. H. Conger
Asa H. Frear
Earl Ellis
C. E. Frear
M. W. Ayers
C. A. Sherman
Frederick Avery
George Honeywell
C. J. Henry
Daniel Carey
Samuel Jones
Paul B. Jennings
William Rosengrant
Perry Carpenter
M. H. Swainbank
W. N. Reynolds
Asa Stevens
Henry Mathewson
Julius Plouty
A. S. Collum
J. T. DeSylvia
William Riker
Jud. Rosengrant
W. H. Tinklepaugh
E. S. Handrick
Frederick Denison
N. A. McKown
John Hastings
C. M. Kishpaugh
J. B. Welch
R. P. Ross
A. M. Eastman
John Hoadley
Chauncey Wright
William Russell
William Frear
Joel Sherwood
Henry D. Beebe
Myron Mott
William Brown
Wesley Billings
George O. DeGraw
William E. Stark
Joseph Housel
E. Cobert
Clark Rosengrant
P. C. Burns
L. T. Burns
E. E. Stanton
James B. Harding
James Squier
J. B. Adams
L. M. Brown
John Hard
George Amey
J. M. Clark
Newman Brunges
Henry C. Welch
Samuel Story
Solomon G. Lott
Volney Stevens
John Teague
Fernando Decker
D. C. Mathewson
J. H. Patterson
T. S. Russell
Sylvester Rosengrant
Henry Amey
Henry Stevens

—Wyoming Democrat (Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania), Wed, Jun 28, 1876, p3

[Sic] with editorial additions

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IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY SURNAME:
Adams, J. B.
Aldin, Wm.
Amey, George
Amey, Henry
Atkinson, R. H.
Aumick, Nelson
Aumick, Silas
Avery, Frederick
Ayers, M. W.
Banatyne [Bannatyne], R. W.
Bardwell, H. W.
Beebe, Henry D.
Billings, Wesley
Briggs, S. H.
Broughton, John
Brown, L. M.
Brown, William
Brunges, Newman
Bunnell, F. C.
Burns, L. T.
Burns, P. C.
Carey, Daniel
Carpenter, Perry
Clark, J. M.
Cobert, E.
Collum, A. S.
Conger, M. H.
Dana, C. H.
Davis, W. S.
Decker, Fernando
DeGraw, George O.
DeGraw, John H.
Denison, Frederick
DeSylvia, J. T.
Dickson, Sidney
Durling, Alvin
Durling, Samuel
Eastman, A. M.
Ellis, Earl
Fassett, Alvah
Frear, Asa H.
Frear, C. E.
Frear, William
Fry, Joseph
Handrick, E. S.
Hard, John
Harding, James B.
Hastings, John
Hastings, William
Henry, C. J.
Hoadley, John
Honeywell, George
Housel, Joseph
Hulbirt, S. Z.
Jennings, Paul B.
Jennings, Wesley
Jones, Samuel
Kishpaugh, C. M.
Kitchen, D. C.
Lott, Solomon G.
Mathewson, D. C.
Mathewson, Henry
Maxwell, J. B.
McKown, N. A.
Mitchell, Geo. H.
Mott, Myron
Patterson, J. H.
Plouty, Julius
Reynolds, W. N.
Riker, William
Roberts, Joseph
Roberts, Tracey
Rosengrant, Clark
Rosengrant, Jud.
Rosengrant, Sylvester
Rosengrant, William
Ross, R. P.
Russell, T. S.
Russell, William
Sherman, C. A.
Sherwood, Joel
Squier, James
Stanton, E. E.
Stark, William E.
Stevens, Asa
Stevens, Henry
Stevens, Volney
Story, Samuel
Swainbank, M. H.
Teague, John
Tinklepaugh, W. H.
Vose, M. L.
Wagner, George
Walter, Pete
Welch, Henry C.
Welch, J. B.
Wheat, Mark
Wright, Chauncey
Wright, D. M.