Our wedding took place on April 25th, 1934, at the Congregational Church parsonage by Pastor Steadman, St. Joseph, Mo. The church was close to where Franklin’s parents lived and where they had attended since he was a small lad.
My mother had expressed a wish that we get married by Pastor Pritchard who was preacher of the Methodist Church of Sheridan, but it was decided and agreed that it wouldn't work out so good. In those days traveling was quite different than it is today, and for various reasons it was best to go along as first planned.
I had wished to have my friend, Dorys, stand up with me but she was away at the time, so Anne, my future sister-in-law, was happy to. Arthur Petree, a lifetime friend and neighbor, stood up with Franklin. The vows went smoothly enough until it came time for him to put the ring on my finger. I offered my right hand and quickly thought "Oh, no!" and stuck my other hand over to accept the wedding ring! Some time later Franklin told me that he couldn't see my eyes because my hat was in the way. But maybe it was because he was about a foot taller than me.
Franklin’s mother had mentioned a little quote about the best day of the week to marry, which was Wednesday, so I guess it worked. Then another was what the bride should wear and or have with her during the ceremony goes as follows: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. I carried a very old silk handkerchief that I borrowed from my future mother-in-law and wore a pale blue dress and a brand new necklace.
After the ceremony was over we went shopping for a few odd and ends. I especially remember the rolling pin and what the clerk said when we checked out. He said: “Now remember that when he gets out of hand use this to hit him on the head!” I never did, although I may have felt like it at times. We bought a washtub and washboard, clothes pins, and then a few groceries that Franklin was out of. Of course there was milk and eggs furnished and waiting up on the farm. After we shopped, we went to the afternoon movie "Tarzan And His Mate". How appropriate! To finish the day we went to Franklin’s parents and had a wonderful meal with them, Anne, and Arthur. Anne thanked me for marrying her brother!
We went by the Pitmans to get my belongings and headed for the farm. It had grown almost dark and the cows had to be milked. The chickens had gone to roost already. Franklin hurried out and milked the three cows while I nervously groped around by the light of a coal-oil lamp. Oh yes there was no telephone, no running water, but I'd been used to such almost all my life, and Franklin was getting used to living without by this time. He had the necessities such as a little wood cook stove, a kitchen table and chairs, his little bookcase full of books, a Victrola with a bunch of the ole time popular songs of the day, and a huge covered chest full of old time relics that I think he had bought at an auction.
Everything was nice and clean. The furniture that his folks were giving us had not been delivered. Franklin had a cot to sleep on downstairs and an extra bed upstairs. It was an old brass bed where company slept. By the way, at that time and for a long time after we were married the upstairs was more like an attic as only one room had flooring and neither of the two rooms had been finished.
Honeymoon? Guess that was it. The evening was cool and the moon was shining. The stars were out, the little night creatures were "singing", and we were as happy as two bugs in a rug.
Was this the farm in Rosendale that I remember?
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