Llewellyn Hemingray attends tea party for pioneer families of Covington

Descendants Of Covington's Oldest Families Gather

For Anniversary Tea At Historic John W. Baker Home

By Pearl Respess.

The Baker-Hunt Foundation, 620 Greenup Street, Covington, for­merly the home of the late Mrs. Marguretta Hunt, was the scene yesterday of a brilliant assemblage of representatives of old families of Covington and surrounding communities. They had responded to the invitation of the directors and staff of the Foundation for a tea from 4 to 6 o'clock to bring together descendants of families who resided in Covington about 1854.

For the happy occasion, at which three generations of a family, in many instances, were guests, the specious rooms of the Foundation were adorned with vases of white chrysanthemums, which, with the rare furnishings, pictures, and pieces of art, made a charming background as the guests mingled here and there, chatting with friends, some of whom they had not had the pleasure of seeing for a long time.

The tea was also to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the pur­chase of the house by the late John W. Baker, father of Mrs. Hunt.

Miss Virginia Reed, a Director of the Foundation, who resides in the home where she had lived for sev­eral years with Mrs. Hunt, was the gracious hostess who welcomed the guests and was also mistress of ceremonies, which were most fit­ting for the occasion. She was as­sisted in extending hospitalities by Miss Evelyn Boardman.

In the dining room Mrs. Bernard Southgate, one of the representa­tives of the Kennedy family, the oldest in Covington, whose ancestors surveyed the ground upon which Covington is built, settling in 1788, and Mrs. Daniel Wagner, granddaughter of the late Mr. George McDannold, and daughter of Mrs. Charles Warrington, presided over an elegantly appointed tea table, topped with an exquisite Mexican drawnwork cloth and centered with a large bowl of white chrysanthemums.

Following the tea Miss Reed in­vited the guests to the lecture room where delightful program was given.

Miss Reed gave a brief history of the purchase of the house by Mr. Baker; the coming of Mrs. Hunt's ancestors, the Adams family, who come over in the Mayflower, and the Bakers; how Mrs. Hunt's home became the Baker Hunt Foundation, and how Mrs. Hunt and her niece, Miss Kate Scudder, who resided with her the greater part of her life, had planned for it to become a center for education and culture for those in the community.

She explained that Mrs. Hunt and Mrs. Scudder had arranged that after their deaths their fortunes should he combined and placed in trust to endow the Foundation. Upon the death of Mrs. Hunt, who passed away after Miss Scudder, the home was opened and dedicated as the Baker Hunt Foundation with appropriate ceremonies in 1931 as a memorial to Mr. John W. Baker and Mrs. Hunt's husband, Dr. William H. Hunt.

She also told of the Foundation's having been started June 29, 1929, when on the seventy-fifth anniver­sary of the home's purchase by Mr. Baker, Mrs. Hunt officiated at the laying of the corner stone of the Baker-Hunt Foundation Museum, which is in the rear of the home with an entrance on Sandford Street.

Miss Reed exhibited many interesting stereopticon views beginning with artists' conceptions of the May­flower and its landing at Plymouth Rock She recalled that John Alden and Priscilla were among Mrs. Hunt's ancestors.

She also showed pictures of the Adams family and their home in Portsmouth N. H., where Mrs. Hunt's mother resided for many years. She told also of Mr. Baker's coming to the west "prospecting," finally deciding on Cincinnati as the logical place to establish a jewelry store, he having previously had such an establishment in Philadelphia. Moving his family to that city to reside, he later came to Cov­ington.

Among the views were many at­tractive ones of the home at 620 Greenup Street from the time of purchase by Mr. Baker to the pres­ent time, in many of which Mrs. Hunt was the center of attraction.

Miss Reed told of the opening of the foundation in 1931 to the community. The first activity was the housing of classes for the Religious Day School in connection with the public schools. It now has many classes which are open to the young people of Covington, teach­ing music, dramatics, handcraft, and other things.

One of the most active groups is the Six Twenty Club, which has more than 100 members ranging from 18 to 20 years old, with Mrs. Virgil Collis as director. It is also open to educational clubs as a meeting place.

Following Miss Reed's talk an enjoyable program was given by Cleveland Grant, who showed motion pictures of bird life, illus­trating the hatching of a nest of eggs of the upland plover, the other a series of pictures of the woodcock on her nest and the at­tack of a pilot blacksnake. The pictures were followed by music.

Among the guests were:

Miss Lucy Blackburn, a descendant of Churchill Blackburn who settled in Covington in 1853, and of the Stephens family that came to Covington in 1807.

Miss Ann Withers Bullock and her sister, Mrs. Marshall, descendants of the Clayton and Bullock families, settlers in Covington about 1814.

Mrs. Bruner and Mrs. Charles Warrington of the McDannold family, 1854.

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Clarkson of the Clarkson family, of 1852.

Mr. and Mrs. Winston Coffman, Mrs. Coffman representing the Knoll and Davidson families, settled here prior to 1830.

Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Collis and their daughter, Miss Josephine, representing the Price family of 1835, and the Simrall of the fifties.

Miss Eugenia Cooper of the Cooper family.

Miss Mary Corre of the 1835 Price family.

Miss Sara Creaghead and her brother, Thomas Creaghead, about 1852.

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Culbertson, represent­ing the Perkins family, 1850.

Mrs. William G. Eaton to represent the John Morgan family, 1849.

Mrs. Dudley Glenn, a daughter of George Mason, 1855.

Mr. and Mrs. James M. Harper of the Johnson family, of about 1820.

Dr. and Mrs. Harmon Howard Hays, Cleves, Ohio, descendant of the Kennedy family of 1792, the Hays family of about 1800, and the Howards of 1842.

Mr. and Mrs. John Hermann, Mrs. Herman another descendant of the Knoll and Davidson families.

Miss Llewellyn Hemingray of the Hemingray and Mathews families of 1852 and 1856.

Mrs. Sarah Morse Huber of the Charles A. Withers Family of 1852.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hume, Mrs. Hume representing the Tranters of 1848, and Mr. Hume the Humes of 1830 and the Watsons of 1835.

Miss Rosa Johnson and her niece, Miss Marguerite Hunt, of the Johnson family of about 1840.

Misses Grace and Charlotte Kennedy of the Joseph and 'Thomas Kennedy families of 1790.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry B. Mackoy of the Mackoy family of 1829 and the Hardt family of 1820.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Koklauner of the Welling family of 1850.

Miss Elizabeth Marshall, a descendant of John Marshall of 1830.

Mrs. Alice McElroy of the McGlasson family of the forties.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles McLaughlin of the Stephens family of 1807 and the McLaughlins of 1838, also Ralph and Miss Nancy McLaughlin.

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Menzies, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Van Winkle, Mrs. Anna M. Spears, and Mrs. John Simrall, all representing the Menzies family of 1842.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Percival of the Clarkson, Percival, and Roberts families, all prior to 1854.

Mrs. A. J. Pruden of the Russell Dean family of about 1840.

Miss Matilda Ranson representing the Wright Smith and Ranson families of the early fifties.

Mrs. George H. Reed, a descendant of the Irvines of 1850.

Miss Dora May Reed, representing the Irvine family and the Thomas Reed family of 1843.

Miss Pearl Respess representing the General Leonard Stephens family of 1807, and the Major William Respess family of 1820.

Mrs. Joseph Schweer, a descendant of the Childs and Harrison families.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Simmons, representing the John Winston family of 1804, and the Robert Simmons family of 1830.

Miss Josephine Simrall, representing the Price family of 1835.

Mr. and Mrs. Bernard W. Southgate and their daughter, Mrs. Kain, representing the Thomas Kennedy family of 1788 and the George M. Southgate family of 1835.

Dr. Louis Southgate, also representing the 1835 Southgates.

Mrs. E. K. Stephens, a descendant of Peter Shinkle of 1852.

Mr. and Mrs. Mayo Taylor, Mrs. Taylor representing the Dr. J. H. Stevenson family of 1835, and Mr. Taylor representing the Samuel Mayo family of 1796 and the Moore family of 1840.

Judge and Mrs. Frank Tracy and their daughter, Miss Cambron, representatives of Stephen Horace Cambron of 1830.

Mrs. Drue Skinner Thomas of the 1818 Newmans and the 1790 Caseys.

Miss Elizabeth Stein of the Conrad Stein family of 1852.

Charles F. Warrington and his daughter, Mrs. Daniel Wagner, representing the Warrington family of the 1840's.

Miss Maude Walter and her daughter Miss Jane, descendants of the Richard Mayberry family.

Among the other guests were Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth B. Bowen, Stanley Powell, Miss Frances McKelvey, Rev. and Mrs. W. G. Pendleton, Rev. Kelsey Regan, Mrs. Archie J. Williams, and the members of the staff of the Foundation, Miss Boardman, Miss Elizabeth Gilmore, Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Kains, Mrs. Virgil Collis, Archie Williams and Raymond Williams, and Mrs. Stanley Powell.