THE PETERSON PICNIC

We’ve been to the Peterson Picnic,
 Where gathered the Peterson clan.
‘Twas held, this Peterson Picnic,
That the young folk might understand
That there was more to the Peterson Picnic
Than just getting together to eat;
That you went to the Peterson Picnic,
Young and old your relations to meet!
‘Twas not quiet at the Peterson Picnic;
‘Twas as noisy as noisy could be
For there were kids at the Peterson Picnic,
And they were joyful and happy and free.
And people talked at the Peterson Picnic!
In fact, everyone was talking at once!
You couldn’t hear at the Peterson Picnic
Unless close together you bunched.
Now the food at the Peterson Picnic
Was plentiful and tasty and good;
There was so much at the Peterson Picnic
That you ate far more than you should.
They sang at the Peterson Picnic,
And the Petersons just loved to sing
Hymns at the Peterson Picnic,
To Jesus, their Lord and their King;
Yes, they sang at the Peterson Picnic
And the harmony brought joy to the ear
When the Petersons gathered to picnic
In the Summer time of the year.
There were memories at the Peterson Picnic
Of the folks and times of the past,
And those memories at the Peterson Picnic
To the next generation were passed.
Now, if you’ve been to the Peterson Picnic
Then I really don’t have to tell ya
About the folks at the Peterson Picnic,
The descendants of James Robert and Ella.

July 14, 1991 by
a. franklin staples
Great-grandson of James Robert and Ella (McLean) Peterson,
Eldest Son of Anson Staples and Teresa Pauline (Crouse) Staples, who was the eldest of the eleven children born to Franklin and Mary Bell (Peterson) Crouse, who was the eldest daughter of James Robert and Ella (McLean) Peterson.