Paternal Great Grandparents: Benjamin Logan Wallis and Sophia McCool
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 22 May 27, 2025
Prompt: Reunions
Anniversary celebrations are a special kind of reunion, gathering family and friends across generations to honor lasting love and shared history. Whether it’s five years or fifty, these milestone gatherings offer a moment to reflect on the past, reconnect with loved ones, and celebrate the bonds that endure.
One such gathering took place on July 4, 1915, when my great-grandparents, Benjamin Logan Wallis and Sophia McCool Wallis, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their home in LaHarpe, Kansas. Their fiftieth anniversary was a true family reunion, attended by children, grandchildren, and friends who came from near and far.
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| Benjamin Logan and Sophia Wallis with their children, 1898 in Iola or LaHarpe, Allen County, Kansas. |
Seated in front are Benjamin Logan Wallis and his wife Sophia McCool Wallis.
Standing behind them, from left to right:
Charles Lewis "Lew" Woten and Gertrude “Gertie” Mae Wallis Woten;
behind and between them is Charles Bertrum Wallis;
center are Calvin Luther "Cal" Morrison and Emma Maud Wallis Morrison;
and on the right, Scott Adelma Wallis and Julia “Dollie” Daniels Wallis.
Absent from the photo is their son, William Clinton Wallis.
Sophia’s dress, with its modest high neck and wide ribbon-like sashes, may have been her wedding dress or a special garment worn for the marriage celebration of her son Scott earlier that spring — a subtle reminder of family ties and traditions. Sophia holds a small dog on her lap, with another dog seated beside Benjamin.
Seventeen years after this photograph was taken, Benjamin and Sophia gathered many of the same faces to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary as reported in the Iola Register, July 7, 1915.
CELEBRATE GOLDEN WEDDING
MR. AND MRS. B.L. WALLICE WEDDED JULY 4, 1865
Wedding Day Was Spent On Tippeecanoe Battle Ground Listening to News of Lee’s Surrender
The two oldest sons and their families of Oklahoma were unable to be present, but the youngest son, C. B. Wallis, wife and little daughter, also of Oklahoma were present. The oldest daughter, Mrs. Morrison and husband of Moran, and Mrs. Woten and family of Iola were present also. Aside from the family, these friends did their best to make the bride and groom forget they were on the down grade of life and as an aside did ample justice to the more than bountiful dinner to which they sat down and it was claimed that one lady ate so much of the extra fine ice cream that she had an icicle hanging on her chin.
Mr. and Mrs. Wallis received some handsome presents. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold and Mr. and Mrs. George Baker of Iola, gold cuff buttons and gold broach; Mr. and Mrs. Abe Mason, souvenir spoons; Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, picture; Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Woten of Iola, Bible; Mr. and Mrs. Huck of Iola, gold thimble; Mrs. M. Stroud, hand embroidered handkerchief and hand embroidered center piece; Mr. and Mrs. Cal Morrison of Moran, handmade portière and handmade mantel lambrequin; Mr. C. B. Wallis of Oklahoma, two 2½ dollar gold pieces; Mrs. C. B. Wallis, handmade bed spread which occupied four months in making; Mrs. Correll, bon-bon dish; Mr. and Mrs. Gladfelter and daughter of Iola, ___; Mrs. Carner of Iola, gold edged glasses; Miss Eva Faddis, doiley; Mr. and Mrs. Mueller of Indiana, dollar bill; Harold and Alene Woten, dozen carnations; Mrs. Fritz and Mrs. Walker; Mrs. Swartman. These friends who were not present sent tokens of remembrance: Mrs. A. A. Tinker, of Ohio, dollar bill; Mrs. Joseph Ross of Indiana, guest towel embroidered with gold; Mrs. Geo. Wallis and daughter Alta of Indiana, bath towels embroidered in gold.
The dining room and large front porch were gay with Fourth of July decorations, and after dinner, Mr. Spradley came up and took a picture of the crowd in front of the house.
For souvenirs there were cards of Mr. and Mrs. Wallis printed in gold with little gold bells attached.
Late in the evening, the friends departed wishing the bride and groom many more as merry anniversaries as this one had been.
As part of the day’s celebration, Benjamin Logan Wallis read an original poem he had written for Sophia:
To my Wife on Our 50th Wedding Anniversary, July 4th, 1915.
Dear wife, on this our golden day,
Our hearts with ardor glow,
As when we first joined heart and hand,
Just fifty years ago.
The silken tie, that bound us then
To each, for good or ill,
Hath closer drawn as years have sped
And finds us lovers still.
Of joys that fall to mortals here,
We’ve surely had our share;
And sorrow, too, but when they come,
We still found strength to bear.
We’ve sought each others joys to share,
Each others griefs to bear;
And found in each our comfort still,
As life sped year by year.
The Lord, and blessed be His name,
Hath lengthened out our days.
The night now spreads your silver tent,
Your hair displays God’s praise.
We’re drawing fast toward eventide,
Our numbered years grow slow;
But still I clasp my bonny bride
Of fifty years ago.
And still looks with brightening ray,
Our early toast,
Our happy goal,
Our life in endless day,
And endless joy, at last.
Among the keepsakes from that celebration, one treasure has been passed down through the generations. My Aunt Gladys Wallis White — the little girl mentioned in the newspaper article — attended the anniversary celebration with her parents in 1915. In 1995, Aunt Gladys gave me her souvenirs from that day: a honeycomb red, white, and blue streamer and one of the gold-printed cards with a little bell attached for display at my parents golden anniversary. I placed them in a shadow box before the celebration of my parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary — Ralph David Wallis and Margaret Ella Nolen Wallis. After the party, Aunt Gladys smiled and said they were mine to keep — a tangible connection to two golden anniversaries, eighty years apart.
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| The shadowbox displayed at my parents Golden Anniversary celebration in 1995. |
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| Honeycomb streamer from the 1915 Golden Anniversary. |
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