NUMBER 2

Price $1.00 a Year; Single Numbers, 25 cents Entered at the post-office at Kewaunee, Wisconsin,, as second class matter.

The Owl is the official journal of the Wing Family of America, Incórporated, and solicits information concerning family events.

Address all correspondence concerning it to Mary Gertrude Wing, Wareham, Mass.

Howard Burgress Wing

The death of Howard Burgess Wing, which was noted in the December Owl, removes one more of those who were prominent in the organizing of the Wing Family of America, Incorporated, one who had served on its board of directors for a number of years, and who had been, present at every reunion since the beginning, making for himself a host of friends.

Mr. Wing was born in 1869, the son of William H. and Susan (Howard) Wing, both of whom passed on some years ago, the mother in 1903 and the father in 1908. His parents lived in Middleboro for a few years after their marriage, where Howard Burgess was born. They then removed to Cataumet, and purchased a house which has been the family home since that time. There was also a daughter, Maud E., who was present at several of the earlier reunions, and then married a Mr. Avery and removed to Foxboro. This Wing line runs. William H., Nathaniel, Alvin, Lemuel, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Stephen, Rev. John Matthew.

The Wing house at Cataumet visited by the Wings during the

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WING FAMILY OF AMERICA, INCORPORATED Officers:

Acting Président, RUFUS L. SISSON, Potsdam, N. Y. 2nd Vice President, MISS MARY GERTRUDE WING, Wareham, Mass.

Secretary, MRS. CAROLINE E. WING PARKER,
Acushnet, Mass.

Treasurer, ALVIN P. WING, East Sandwich, Mass.
Historian, MRS. EMMA WING CHAMBERLIN,
Brunswick, Me.
Directors:

Asahel R. Wing, Fort Edward N. Y..
Geo. Homer Wing, Springfield, Mass.
Howard B. Wing, Boston, Mass.
Prof. Herbert Wing, Jr., Carlisle, Pa.
Dr. Emma Wing Thompson, Seattle, Wash.
George W. Sisson, Jr., Potsdam, N. Y.
Frank E. Wing, Boston, Mass.

Dr. Laura Hawkins, Washington, D. C.
Honorary Directors:

Wilson D. Wing, Bangor, Me.
Jefferson T. Wing, Detroit, Mich.

union of 1908, arrangements for the day's excursion having been made by Howard Burgess. After visiting other places connected with Wing history, the party arrived at his old home, which, since the death of his father, had been closed, but which he had opened and put in order for the occasion. A pleasant hour was spent and refreshments were served, after which the party returned to Sandwich.

As a youth of sixteen he went to Boston seeking employment, and has lived in the South End ever since, so identifying himself with that part of the city that he is spoken of as one of the leading citizens of the South End. For some fifteen years he was associated with the clothing firm of Macullar Parker Co., until he established a business of his own in 1913. During these years he travelled from coast to coast, and on these business trips he was always on the lookout for any of the name of Wing, thus being able to secure the interest of many who might otherwise never have known of the Association. He was an active member of the Tremont St. Methodist Church, and of its men's club, a member of the Young Men's Christian Association, and treas

urer of the South End Improvement Society.

The announcement of the engagement of Howard Burgess Wing and Martha Faith Lyon, appeared in the March 1920 Owl together with a picture of Miss Lyon. An account of their wedding, June 24, at the home of her father in Wyallusing, Pa., was given in the September 1920 Owl. At the last reunion in 1921 both Mr. and Mrs. Wing, with their little daughter, Mary Susan, were present, and helped to make it a pleasant and memorable occasion.

From Mrs. Wing we learn some details of his last illness. The family had gone from Cataumet to Boston, where they planned to spend the winter. On December 1st he went back to Cataumet, taking his little daughter with him, for the purpose of finishing the closing of the house. Here he contracted a severe cold, and when he returned to Boston was found to be a very sick man. Pneumonia developed in the left lung, but that was clearing, when the right lung became affected and he sank very rapidly, passing away at 9:30 P. M. Thursday, December 17th.

Funeral services were held the Sunday following at the Methodist Church, Cataumet, conducted by the pastor, Rev. Robert E. Bisbee, Ph. D. A memorial service also was held in Boston at the South End House, 20 Union Park, on Sunday afternoon, January 17th, with beautiful music and six different speakers participating. The South End Sun thus characterizes him.

"Mr. Wing was always eager to make his Christianity a practical matter of every-day affairs and to carry his share of responsibility for the good of all, both in church and civic matters. He enjoyed the honest kind of sociability that is an important part of New England town life and was always ready to help occasions that bring the flavor of old-fashioned customs into our modern city ways."

His will be an enduring memory in the affections of his Wing kinspeople.

"And when at last from earth we wing our way
To those vast realms of everlasting day,
May we, with hearts full of fraternal love,
Have glad reunion in the home above."

A Reunion in 1926?

Interest in holding a reunion this coming summer is growing, as the letters that are being received would plainly indicate. If we consider that the Wing Family of America, Inc., has been worth while during the nearly twenty-four years of its existence then it must be a worth-while organization to perpetuate. Many of those who were largely instrumental in organizing the Association have passed away, and it is left for us who revere their memory and appreciate their work to carry it forward. Following are notes from some of the letters lately received.

Asahel R. Wing, Fort Edward, N. Y., writes: "I would approve of a reunion being held this year and would plan to be present. Personally I like Sandwich as a place of meeting."

Mrs. Josephine Wing Jackson, Kalamazoo, Mich., "I do so hope there will be a reunion next summer, and that it will be held at Sandwich. I am already making plans to attend."

Daniel Wing, Hingham Center, Mass., "I strongly favor it if arrangements can be made."

"Walter H. Wing, Pocesset, Mass. "I would like very much to see a reunion this year. It is true, we have lost many of our leaders, and the time has come when everyone must do his bit. The organization has been wonderful. It would be a lonely day for us if we knew the Wing Family of America was to lay aside this work and the thought of meeting again as we have in the past.'

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Daniel V. Raymond, New York City: "I am very much in favor of a reunion this year, though I imagine that it would be a much harder task to make the necessary arrangements now than it was in the days of the early reunions. I was unable to get to the last Sandwich reunion and would myself prefer a return there if it could be arranged."

Elsie M. Wing, Holyoke, Mass. "I'd like to attend one and it probably will be so that I may, yet I can not plan so long before. Why not unite with the Maine reunionists?"

Mrs. Thomas C. Hoover, Medford, Mass.: "I think it advisable to have a reunion this summer to keep up the interest and I would suggest Sandwich as the most desirable place to hold it." Alvin P. Wing, East Sandwich, Mass. "I think it quite necessary that we have a reunion somewhere this summer."

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Mrs. Emma Wing Chamberlin, Brunswick, Maine: "Certainly if we hope to hold together as an organization it is most desirable and seems almost necessity. As to place of meeting, my choice is Boston. There Stephen Bachelor, with his two widowed daughters and their broods, first stepped on American soil and in the vicinity they passed the first five years of their lives in America. We have met in Boston but once, in 1907. From Boston, trips in all directions can easily be made,-to Saugus, and other places connected with their early life."

G. Myron Allen, Granville, N. Y. "A Wing Reunion without Colonel George W. has never been complete, and when we stop to think of the many others who will be conspicuous for their absence it gives us a feeling of loneliness. But if the date was fixed at the beginning or end of vacation season and the place of meeting somewhere in the vicinity of Cape Cod--Sandwich is always preferred-it is quite possible that we should attend."

Mrs. Cora A. Dunlap, Batavia, N. Y. "I was at the reunion in Albany and have considered it one of the most pleasant occasions that I ever attended. I am really hoping that it may seem feasible to have another gathering this year. If so, I will surely do all that I can to be with you."

William A. Wing, New Bedford, Mass. "Surely it would be pleasant to have a reunion, only we should miss the "old familiar faces." Of course New Bedford is always hospitably inclined, but I have often wondered why the Family have never met in Lynn, as it is the place they started from and is a delightful spot in summer."

Dr. Laura Hawkins, Washinton, D. C. "Of course Sandwich stands out as the

best place for a Family Reunion, as naturally it would be more like a homecoming to a great many, and as for myself, it seems to be the center of all Wing interests.""

Others who have written, favoring a reunion this year, and hoping to attend are: Dr. Emma Wing Thompson, Seattle, Wash., Mr. Geo. L. Wing, Banning, Cal., Miss Alice A. Allen, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Mrs. Alice Howland Macomber, Dartmouth, Mass., Mrs. Lora Lewis Fairing, Greensburg, Pa., Miss Marguerite Wing, Alleganey, N. L.

When all the "returns” are in the matter must be passed upon by the board of directors, but if a reunion is to be held the Family will be notified by a circular letter sent out early enough for vacations to be planned accordingly. Write to Mr. Rufus L. Sisson, Potsdam, N. Y. if you favor the plan!

Marking Ancestral Graves

Our kinswoman, Mrs. Lora Lewis Fairing (John W.) of Greensburg, Pa., is indefatigible in her pursuit of genealogical and historical matters She is an active member of the D. A. R., and regent of Major General Arthur St. Clair Chapter of Daughters of 1812. From her mother's home in Bloomfield, N. J. one day last October, with her sister, Miss Rose Wyeth Lewis, she motored to Brewster, N. Y. and then to Williamstown, Mass., to place and dedicate markers on the graves of her ancestors, Nathaniel Foster, whose wife was Phebe Wing, in Brewster, and David Foster, son of Nathiel and Phebe, in in Williamstown, as well as others of the family. Her experiences, told in a letter, will be enjoyed by Owl readers.

"The rain came down in torrents, the Friday afternoon we left home (Oct 9). We went to my brother's in City Island and slept over night. At 6 A. M. the rain was still falling and a 60-mile gale was blowing but, undaunted, we started. On arriving at Brewster we found a minister who very kindly went over his church records and phoned every one who might know of these graves, but

to no avail. About noon we started on. On the outskirts of town we rambled all over an old church yard, and found graves of children, but not the parents. All this time our auto engine had been idling to prevent freezing. We sailed into Great Barrington about five o'clock, with some fifty miles yet to go, over ice and snow. Alas! Our engine began to knock. and we knew the oil guage had not been working and we had burned out a bearing. Saturday night, and a couple of holidays at hand! But we found a mechanic who was willing to help out. He did all he could but the Pittsfield store did not send the parts needed, and we were unable to start in the morning. Again we were hopeful of starting about noon and we could still be there for our services at 2:30 P. M.-but we did not leave that town until 6. P. M.

Had phoned, postponing the grave marking to Monday, but many who came had to go home again, and on account of the early blizzard were not able to come back on Monday. However, there were seven of us who stood on wet, soggy ground, with a high, cold wind blowing through our clothing (in Williamstown) and placed and dedicated a Revolutionary marker on the grave of David Foster, son of Nathaniel and Phebe (Wing) Foster, an 1812 marker on the grave of Jabish York Lewis, sonin-law of David Foster. The wife of Jabish York Lewis was Lydia Ann Foster, and a third (G. A. R.) marker on the grave of Albert Bruner Lewis, son of Jabish. The descendants each dug a share of the dirt to make holes for the marker standards. It made me think a little of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Could we have found Nathaniel's grave (in Brewster), there would have been four generations. On the way home we went all over another yard in Brewster, but when we reached home found that the grave is five miles east of Brewster, and we had been north and

we

south. Two weeks later we were to try it again, but on Saturday morning there was sleet and slush everywhere, and still raining, so very reluctantly I had to give it up, and wait until I again go home"

We give also the account as it was written in a local paper.

Mrs. John W. Fairing and her sister, Miss Rose Wyeth Lewis of Bloomfield, N. J., have motored to Williamstown, Mass., to aid in the exercises held there by local descendants to mark the graves of David Foster, a soldier in the Revolution, Jabish York Lewis, a drummer in the War of 1812, and a son of the latter, Albert Bruner Lewis, a private in the Civil War.

Mrs. Fairing, as regent of Major General Arthur St. Clair Chapter Daughters of 1812, dedicated an official marker placed by the local chapter for Jabish York Lewis, father of Mrs. Lauretta Lewis Harris, who is a Real Daughter of the chapter.

The official ritualistic and grave marking exercises were followed by the pledge of allegiance and salute to the flag of the United States of America. Miss Lewis sang "The Star Spangled Banner", after which the marker was dedicated and a poem, "Sleep On, Brave Soldier, Sleep On," written by the patriot's daughter, Mrs. Harris, was read as a conclusion of the ceremonies. In the same plot with his father lies Albert Bruner Lewis. The G. A. R. of Williamstown, Mass., placed their official marker and appropriate exercises were held. Mrs. Fairing represented the Emily E. Woodley Tent of the local Civil War Daughters.

The Fort Washington Chapter D. A. R. of New York, sent a marker for David Foster and authorized Miss Lewis, Registrar of the Chapter and great-grand daughter of the patriot, to dedicate it to his memory as a lad of only seventeen, serving in the guard for the town of Brewster, Dutchess Co., New York, during 1776, and later in third Regiment under Col. Henry Ludenton.