Barton County KS Archives History - Books .....First New Year's Reception 1912 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 9, 2007, 1:58 pm Book Title: Biographical History Of Barton County FIRST NEW YEAR'S RECEPTION (From Great Bend Tribune, January 29, 1909.) A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from Dr. Lightfoot. The letter is published first, and is then followed by considerable matter from the Tribune of Janury 3, 1880, concerning the reception of that date, and other New Year's news: Mr. Will Townsley, Editor Tribune, Great Bend, Kansas. Dear Sir: In reading your account of the New Year festivities in Great Bend, my mind went back to the beginning of the custom, and I thought it might be of interest to your readers to hear of it. Eighteen-eighty being leap year I suggested to some of the then young men of the town, that on New Year's Day we entertain the ladies. At that time I had an office over Allen's drugstore. Cal Weaver and E. W. Moses had a nicely furnished room near mine, and after some consultation we decided to use these rooms for our purpose—my office being used as a kitchen, presided over by Mose Wells, an old time darkey and the other room was converted into a reception room, by removing the bed and instituting a dining table in its place. The reception party of five consisted of Cal Weaver, E. W. Moses, Will Moses, Ora Dodge and myself. I was apnointed to receive at the door, Ora Dodge and E. W. Moses took charge of the refreshment table, and Will and Cal took a hand where it would do the most good. Quite a number of ladies, married and single, called, also some of the gentlemen. Prominent among the young girls who are still living in Great Bend were Miss Jennie Pursell, now Mrs. Castle and Miss Annie Wood, now Mrs. E. W. Moses. The next year many of the ladies received calls, and D. N. Heizer originated the idea of a reception in the evening, he inviting those who received and made calls to his home, then the little cottage on the east side next to the Diffenbacher residence. This custom continued for some years, but even when the calling was dropped the evening reception has continued until the present day. It has been a great element in the social life of Great Bend and I hope it may long continue. Of the original five who received in 1880 all are living but Cal Weaver. I am, Very respectfully yours, DR. FRANK LIGHTFOOT, Excelsior Springs, Mo., 1-12-'09. In his letter Dr. Lightfoot says, the custom of having a ball in the evening originated the next year with D. N. Heizer. D. N. was undoubtedly instrumental in promoting the matter, but that same night of which the doctor writes, a big Leap Year ball was given at which the gentlemen were the guests of the ladies. Many of the couples noted in the write-up of the affair were afterwards married to each other, but we expect the ladies will deny that Leap Year had anything to do with the matter. The write-up of the ball from the Tribune of January 3, 1880, is as follows: "The Leap Year ball was the most pleasant one of the season. It was gotten up by the ladies who took advantage of the fourth year wherein they enjoyed certain privileges not accorded them often. They managed the affair in a business way, selected their company to suit themselves and for once in their lives—if never before—had things all their way. We give the names of all who took part in the exercises, and will say now, should there be any emission, we hope the ladies will not pounce on us, for it was with much labor and exceeding great embarrassment that we procured the list, in so large an assembly. It is possible that some may have escaped our observation: Mary Birdsell and James Hinchcliff, Mrs. Sooy and husband, and E. W. Johnson, Mrs. E. R. Moses, husband and M. B. Fitts, Miss Zachary and John Cogan, Jennie Pursell, Ed Dunaway and Mr. Losecamp, Ada Birdsell and W. Kelly, Mrs. Frank Wilson and W. W. Kearney, Bessie Johnson and Frank Wilson, May Kelly and Dr. Castle, Mrs. Hulme and Geo. Kellar and Mr. Hulme, Emma Mitchell and Will Webster, Lizzie Dodge and Frank Peffer, Luella Miller and Will Stoke, Nettie Dick and Mr. Osmond, Mrs. Long and D. N. Heizer, Mrs. Heizer and Fred Long. Mrs. Wells and J. M. Fugate, Mrs. Doty and Wm. Maher, Lillie Arnold and G. W. Wells, Mrs. John Lightbody and husband, Mrs. Evans and James Sweet, Mrs. Sweet and G. A. Evans. Mrs. S. B. Stokly and husband, Flo Diffenbacher and Will Dunaway, Ella Brown and John Taylor, Mrs. J. B. Mulks and husband, Mrs. Chaffee and Mrs. A. S. Allen and husband, Jennie Flint and Dr. Gebhart, Grace Buckland and Will Moses, Laura Lewis and W. M. James, Belle Brown and Ora Dodge, Mrs. Chapman and W. W. Winstead, Mrs. Winstead and E. L. Chapman, Anna Wood and Ed Moses, Mrs. Kidder and husband, Stella Eastey and Fred Zutavern, Mrs. Rowell and husband, Maggie Dodge and George E. Mitchell, Mrs. G. L. Brinkman and Dr. Bain, Hattie Wells and G. L. Brinkman, Jessie Prescott and Clarence Birdsall, Mrs. Pickering and husband. The dance lasted until five o'clock the next morning and the large hall was densely crowded. Supper was served at the Typer house. The managers of the ball will have enough left for new spring bonnets and other absolute necessities. The ladies established a rule forbidding any gentleman from leaving the hall until the close of the ball. Numerous efforts were made during the evening to escape on one pretext or another, but George Moses being doorkeeper, it was a waste of time to plead for 'breath of air.' The ladies set an example for the men in the expeditious manner in which they filled their engagement cards which occupied a remarkably short interval. The result of it was that those who came late were unable to find partners. In the Tribune of January 3, 1880, we find the following notices: Cal Weaver, Ed and Will Moses, Dr. Lightfoot and Ora Dodge kept open house Thursday and were visited by all the ladies who made calls. They received in the rooms of these gentlemen in Allen's building up stairs and were elegantly fitted up with a beautiful supply of good things. They were the happiest set of mortals on earth and only regret that they had but one short day in three hundred and sixty-five to throw themselves away on ladies. The following ladies honored the Tribune sanctum with their presence Thursday: Jessie Prescott, Stella Eastey, Mary Birdsall, Ada Birdsall, Jennie Flint, Emma Mitchell, Mrs. E. R. Moses, Mrs. G. L. Brinkman, Jessie Miller, Belle Zachary, Mrs. Scoy, Mrs. Long, Miss Dick, Jennie Pursell, Ella Brown, Belle Brown, Mrs. John Lightbody, Mrs. A. S. Allen and Mrs. A. C. Moses. We tender our thanks to the above ladies who won us with a call. We appreciate the compliment greatly, enjoyed their visits and wish them all a happy new year, and fondly hope that each succeeding day of 1880 to its close may be as happy a one to them as the first one was to us. Signed, Wm. Moses, Cal Weaver, Dr. Lightfoot, Ora Dodge and Ed Moses. But though these dashing young blades were the ones to follow the idea of a reception, the idea spread, as witness the following notice in the paper of the week before, and which was largely as a joke on the part of the editor of the Tribune: "January the first is the the beginning of the Leap Year and we are authorized to announce that the following young gentlemen will keep open house for the accommodation of such young ladies, as may feel inclined to assert the privileges which the new year accords to them: Wm. Naher, assisted by his brother, Stanley, and George Stovall; E. W. Johnson assisted by Ed and Will Dunaway; Cal Weaver, assisted by Drs. Gebhart and Lightfoot; W. M. James, assisted by M. D. Skinner and Henry Moore; Frank Eastey, (if he don't go to the country,) assisted by Ora Dodge and Lynn Moses; Ed Moses, assisted by his brothers Will and Cash: (N. B.—Owing to the peculiar circumstances of which the public seem better posted than he does, Clayt will not take an active part in this business.) Clarence Birdsall, assisted by James Hinchcliff and John Cogan; Joe Howard, assisted by Ran Goit—no providential hindrance—and Ira D. Brougher; Will Stoke, assisted by James Clayton and Elrick C. Cole; (this is regarded as a sure thing all around.) Joey D. Fugate, assisted by the following kids: Ned Goit, Albert Kergs and Sammy Keifer; Wm. Webster, assisted by Wm. Kelly and Frank Fetter; Henry Moss, assisted by John, Al and Art; ladies over thirty ruled out; Wm. Osmond, assisted by Tom Clayton and Charley Carney; girls under fifteen strictly. W. W. Carney, no discrimination as to age but brunettes preferred; Wm. Losecamp, assisted by Wm. Teed and others. No reserved seats. And then the Tribune of January 3, 1880, backed down. Witness this: We owe the ladies an apology for misleading them in our last issue by giving the names of young men who would receive on New Year's day. They left their names for publication as presented, but from some cause or other very few adhered to their promises. But at the same time the ladies are indebted to us for the few who did receive as they felt in duty bound to follow the program after their announcements were published. Additional Comments: From: Biographical History Of Barton County File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/barton/history/1912/biograph/firstnew53gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ksfiles/ File size: 9.7 Kb