The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-04-12
A PIONEER WEDDING.
How Such Festivities Were Com
Quoted in Olden Times.
Whe Wedding Ceremony and Feast
as They Were Seventy-Fivs
Years Ago.

The cid pioneer was a great faVor1te
with his great-grandchildren, who were
especially fond of listening to his stories
of life IN his younger days. The other
evening they gathered around him,
with curly-headed Polly in his lap. who
begged for story of wedding in the
slden times. The old mans eyes twin
kled bit. and he seemed to be fishing |
tn his memory for something laid ASIDE |
for futnrs use. Finally he Strengthened |
mp.
aWen, Polly" said he, "I reckon
you'll hev to hev it. Th' hrst weddln'
ever saw-'t least the first one I'm sure
ever saw-was when my Oldest sister, |
Jane. got married to Dick Ballou. They |
wasn't no fiub-dubs bout thet weddin',
Polly, but it wuz Jest straight out 'nout
business from the frst- Everybody in
the whole neighborhood knoWed all
about it long fore 1t come of, fer jamie
N Dick wuz mighty poplar In them
parts, N everybody was wl4ln'.
an them days, Polly, they didn't hev no
NICE new cards sent roun'; they wuzn't
No post-ofice to send 'sm. Whenever
they wuz to be emmy inYitin' q small
boyd be put on bareback horse, n ned
ride all roun' tn neighborhood deliver
IN messages like this, loud's he could
hoIler; Say, they's to be quiltir', Or
o weddin', or anything whatever It
wuzh down to ole man Jones mex
Chswsday night, n they want all your
folks ter comet That wnz all, n then
he'd ride off like mad g tn next house:
IN every. body come, TOO; ne I..as noauaI
th' right way. Marryin' wuznt done ez
easy as tits now, neither. Every BODY
he'd to git married by preachef-cir-
cuit-rider they wuz calIeo-'n preachers
wuz few an mighty iur between; olan
get 'roun sometimes more'n once
fhree months, n so tn boys a girs he'd
to make calculation bout poppin tn
question n windin' up their courtln'
so,s to be on time, cause 'twould be
teng time atweeu chances.
"WelIs wuz tellin' ye, Dick n Jane
wuz T. git married n SO they got
days t. put up log house g goods en-
nYbody else's-'n the way they dld
ccokin' to fathers house wuz caution.
They he'd wild turkeys. N ventson, n
bar meat, roasted N stewed n baked, n
chicken, Z honey, N potatoes n
"Didn't they have no cake?"
"Cake! Oh. yes; what they called
Ehortcaks made O. wheat -four N mixed
vp 18th lard N rolled out fat n then
crosses put on it bout two inches apart
'n then put in Dutch oven n =.
"Huh. grandpa: l guess that WASN'T
much # q cake, 'thout no sugari Dlon
they have no ice-cream, neither?"
s.Polly," said the old man, soIemniy,
"I never SEQ no ice-cream til Wuz q
old IS your father"
The little girl opened her eyes very
vide at this evidence Of the hardsh lps
her areat-gran dparent encountered in
his youth ana reached up and patted
him softly on the cheek IN token OF COM
niseration.
"Thcy wuz alus lowin' to hev good
time to weddin', Polly, N made big
preparations. They wuz people from
forty mile away took all days to get to
fathers house, n they'd put up snack
for dinner on tn way. Course they
come tn day sfore and had to stay all
might; so when tn house got hlled up
the men Just went to th' big double log
barn n slept on tn hay. Frolics wuz
scarce them days, n when We had one
We held on to it. So tn folks what
came SO fur staid four n i've days. Us
boys thought it wuz lots O. fun to sleel
cut N the barn, long 18th tn visitors.
"Wsll, mex day the preacher got thers
sust sfore noon, Purity soon Diok'n {
lot Nv felix's 'et came 'ith him got along
When they's bout q mile from tn hous n
tkey had what wuz called tn run fer tn
bottle. Two young fellers horseback
wuz picked on, n when they wuz bou
mile from tn house they left tn res
beat, Th' road wuz awful rough. al
hill n down N cross hollers n full % biz
stones N logs n all that. But tn NOR
in tn way tn better-it'd show who wa
th' best horseman. They iIst come full
kslt, now, tell We, soon's one fsller Civ
tn signal with n Iniin whoop, N mad
mighty good time, n one fsller beat jes
by bout four feet Th' bottle was
whisky-fiask full, n wuz ready at th
door. jamie herself holdin' 1t.
Tn one It got IL took of his hat !
drunk to jamie, n then went scall,
comm. He passed it to Dick N then t
th' rest NV 'em, n all took taste.
wuzzent ashamed Nv it, nuther, fer twu
honest liquor, n they wuznt no Pre-
hibitionists them days. All but tn on
shet got beat. He didn,sgis espg 81, smell: sn..,.
Dick n Janies stood up stOre Il
preacher n wuz married, bout lik
folks is nowadays. Th' young folk
wuzn't wearin' tn freries they do nov
All homespun their close wuz, ever
stitch. But they wuz ez good lookin' {
IA straight n healthy n happy the
beth wuz, N they loved one another
ne mistake. Dick wuz stronger n
bear, n used to say he could whip b
weight in wild cats, N do b'lieve
could done it. But that day he wuz
tender o. jamie g il she wuz chan
baby, N he'd break it 4 he Wuzn't 6
mighty careful. N he watched her III
abe wuz the very apple O. his eye. JAM
she wuz SO bright, "A smilin', n blushi
like a apple blossom, N so tend
like that every young fell
there fell in love with b
Grst sight, r wished he wuz in Dieh
shoes. Then they all set down to di
ner, 'smany's could find places N
table, which wuz big one, n cover
Nth all the vittles I told ye about. N II
we'll. folks them days he'd appetites
NO dyspepsia, n reckon one or two
'em would make right smart fami
IN a short time if they set down to o
o. these here fine dinners bout tow
The ones that couldn't find room at
table set round out doors n told iof
n nursed their appetites till th' Il
ones got through N they had chan
After dinner they wuz some presents
30 Civ to tn new married coup
They wuzn't NO stores in the settlem'
thsn, n so they wuzn't no fnsry g.
bought, n people just hsd t. give
what they had. One old hunter &
Dtck bear skin of bear he'd xii
after big fight that laid him up n
cabin for SIX weeks, N anot
give him th' pelts o. two beavers h
%r.rY,ad +3ns wiutar ofora- Raayer VI