Any account of the Society would be incomplete which omitted the work of the Little Gleaners, a band of children auxiliary to the C. W. B. M., whose leader is always a member of the Society, and elected by it. It was organized in December, 1884, under Miss Sallie Ashbrook, whose successful management contributed to the permanency of the band and to its splendid record in after years. More than once it has carried off the State banner. The children respond promptly and intelligently to the efforts of their leader, and have contributed, in all, between six and seven hundred dollars to missions. The present membership is thirty; leader, Mrs. W. T. Lafferty. (p. 93) As soon as the erection of the new church had been definitely decided upon, in fact before any formal action to that effect had been taken, the women of the congregation, always alive to their responsibilities in Church affairs, effected an organization known as the Ladies' Aid Society, the purpose of which was to raise funds to be appropriated toward the furnishing of the church. In reality, however, this was not so much the formation of a new Society as the re-establishment of one that had really been in existence for more than a score of years, but had been in a state of suspended animation for the last few years. Of this older Society the promoters and active women were Mrs. Elizabeth Oxley, President; Mrs. Charles T. Wilson, Secretary; Mdms. Eliza Frazer, Mary Frazer, J. C. Walden, J. S. Withers, and others, who are still actively engaged in similar work. Its raison d'etre was to be found in the fact that then, as now, a congregation none too abundantly blessed with this world's goods found it difficult to meet demands additional to the ordinary current expenses, and the good sisters felt it incumbent upon them to supply the deficiency. Its methods, particularly at first, were more those of the time-honored sewing circle. Whatever hands directed by wise heads could find to do was under (p. 94) taken by it. The members, meeting generally at the house of the president, "took in" plain sewing, cut and made garments to order, purchased material from which their skillful fingers manufactured such articles as would find a ready sale. Again and again the dreaded spring sewing of the pastor's wife was accomplished by their magic touch; more than once garments fashioned by them were transmuted into some much-needed article of church furnishing. Their efforts of this sort were supplmented by an occasional supper or entertainment, or by contributions solicited from the congregation at large. Once the church carpet, costing about $200, was provided by them, During the erection of the parsonage they rendered very substantial assistance. At length regular meetings were discontinued; but the spirit of the Aid survived, and, as occasion demanded, special work was undertaken by its members. The present Ladies' Aid was organized March 9, 1898: Mrs. Harry Johns, President; Mrs. W. S. Cason, Vice-President; Mrs. R. L. Jameson, Secretary; Miss Mattie Remington, Treasurer. Among the first subscriptions to the new church in 1899 was that of this society, $500, toward carpeting the building; of this amount $125 was already in the treasury. Under the able management of the president, Mrs. Johns, a woman of indefatigable energy and unfailing resource, the society set to work to (p. 95) raise the amount pledged. Ice-cream, the strawberry, and the oyster, each in due season, played its part in the accumulation of funds. During the spring and summer of 1900 a series of receptions was arranged at the homes of the members, which proved not only a charming feature in the social life of the Church, but also a source of profit. In August of the same year some friends of the Mt. Zion congregation who wished to assist the Cynthiana women in their enterprise gave a moonlight fete. The supper, under the direction of Mrs. Perry Phillips, a member of the Aid, and Mrs. Cass Garnett, proved a most enjoyable affair, and about $50 was realized. On March 7, 1901, a birthday party was given at the residence of Mrs. M. E. Lydick: scores of friends commemorated each her own natal day by contributing pennies as many as the milestones in her life journey; as a result the Society was some ninety dollars the richer. Following close upon this was the wittily-conceived "Conundrum Party" at Mrs. W. S. Cason's beautiful home, which, although a "pay affair," was characterized by its demands upon the wits rather than the purses of those fortunate enough to be in attendance. At last the $500 was paid into the treasury of the building committee, and at the dedication the Society made another pledge of $1,000. The more usual means of raising money having been exhausted, the ladies have discovered others, or have (p. 96) successfully adopted some that originated elsewhere. Chief among these was the sample sale, which involved unusual work. The merchants, grocers, and dealers of all kinds of our little city kindly lent their assistance; samples of almost every article known to modern trade were contributed, at the request of local dealers and patrons, by the big firms in cities. Everything from a corn-planter to an onyx table was to be found in stock; the sale was conducted with such energy and on such business-like methods that $230 was realized. Under the auspices of the Society a reception was held Julie 26th, in the church parlor, at which two or three hundred guests were present. The brilliantly-lighted rooms, profusely decorated with flowers, formed a charming scene. In the receiving line were Mrs. Johns, the president, and the local pastors and their wives. Light refreshments were served and a delightful musical program was rendered. This sketch includes, of course, only the more notable features of the work accomplished, and can convey no adequate idea of the time and labor devoted to it. The Society now numbers between thirty and forty. Its officers are MRS. HARRY JOHNS, President,- MRS. W. S. CASON, Vice-Presidenl, MRS. R. S. HAVILAND, Secretary, MRS. W. H. ZILAR, Treasurer. -- Bob Francis 1920A Butner St. Ft. Eustis, VA 23604 My Homepage is: http://www.shawhan.com Ruddell's Fort Page: http://www.shawhan.com/ruddlesfort.html Early Bourbon County Families Page: http://www.shawhan.com/bourbonfamilies.html