Old Settler's Association of Grayson County, Vol. 1. Page: 5 of 322 (Transcription)

Sherman, Texas, September 5, 1879.
The Old Settler's Picnic
HaHappy Meeting of the Grey Haired Veterans of Grayson County

A Glorious Reunion of the Sons of Texas and a grand Love Feast Fashioned After the Olden Times.
About seven miles southwest of Sherman is situated, on the farm of J.C. McKinstry, a beautiful grove, made up principally of young walnut trees that nature has laid out and arranged in her own inimitable style without insulting the views of the horticulturalist or a nyone else.

It is a grove constructed by nature with such innate simplicity and so appropriate in every respect as a place for a social gathering of the people that the handiwork of many in its constrictions would only mar its beauty, and deprive it of that supreme loveliness that is displayed by nature's architect alone.

It seems to us, it was a well, adappted [corr: adapted] and a luxuriously fitting place for the first settlers reunion ever held in this portion of Texas.

On 28 and 29 of August a meeting was held at this grove gotten up under the auspices of the old settlers of the county. The principal object of the meeting was for the citizens of North Texas was to meet and confer together from the lips of the old Texans something of the early history of this portion of the State. Their tryals [corr: trials] and tribulations; their joys and their sorrows; their misfortune and success, and meeting together as one united band of brothers, whose fortunes and interest were identicle, [corr: identical] they could open the portals of their hearts and in their own way and manner give vent to their gratitude and joy.

It has been their fortune to have often attended social gatherings and take part in their festivities but never before in our lives did we experience so much joy; or reap so much happiness, as was afforded us at