Birthday Anniversary (Mrs. Abbie Longley)

[genealogynut]

Howard Courant
February 29, 1912


Last Friday, February 23rd, was the eighty-ninth birth anniversary of Mrs. Abbie Longley, mother of E. K. Longley, and Mrs. S. J. Bascum of this city.  In honor of that event, Mr. and Mrs. E.K. Longley entertained in their beautiful new home, Dr. and Mrs. J. L. Hays, Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Bascom and Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Flory at a five o'clock dinner.

Mrs. Longley has been making her home in this city for several years with her daughter and son and those who have been so fortunate as to make her acquaintance always delight to honor her.  Mrs. Longley was born amid the green hills of Massachusetts, and at an early age moved to the then territory of Wisconsin, where with her beloved husband they lived for many years and reared a large family.  At the beginning of the war they moved to Washington D. C. where many of their relatives resided and where Mr. Longley acted as warden of the penitentary during the exciting war period.  During her residence in Washington she became acquainted with the prominent personages of that day, including the beloved Lincoln, who frequently visited her home with his romping boys.  Her memory of those stirring events is acute and she has the happy faculty of narrating them so interestingly as to delight her auditors.  Few persons of her age are so vigorous in body and mind.

After the splendid dinner and congratulations form those present, Mrs. Longley favored the company with the following original poem:

February 23rd, 1912

I'm eighty-nine, just in my prime;
I can laugh and joke and sing,
I can read, and write an awful eight
Or dance the Highland fling.
I used to fear old age would come
And lay me on the  shelf,
And I'd grow cross and fret, and scold,
Until no one loved me--except myself.
Old age did come, and left its mark,
But thoust best not to stay;
I thought so too--and would my friends,
I'm with you here today.