The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-04-23
SIXTY YEARS OF
Welded LIFE
Mr.. and Mrs. John Rudd Invite Chill.
dren to Assist in Celebrating Six
tieth Wedding Ant rsary.
OLDEST SETTLERS OF CRAWFORD
Happy Couple Were Married in Shelby
County Nine Miles South of Dow
City, April 49,, 1853.

The children of John R. and Serelda
Rudd, OF this place, were invited to be
present on this memorable occasion
and help them celebrate the import
ant event. Only part of them, how
ever, were permitted to be present
and enjoy the hospitality of their aged
parents. A very pleasing feature OF
this occasion was the fact that Mrs.
Rudd was able to do most of the work
| in providing the excellent dinner for
all who were permitted to be present.
That they were pioneers Of Iowa and
Crawford county will be learned from
the following sketch of their lives:
John r. Rudd was born Dec. IS, 1929,
in Erie county, Penna He removed
to Clay county, Mo-, about the year
1889, and from there to Van Buren,
county, Iowa, about 1910. In 1S45 he
removed to the vicinity of Council
Bluffs and three years later, in 1S4S,
he came to Gallands Grove in Shelby
county Serelda Jordan was born
Buren, county, Iowa, and is said to be
the first white girl born in the state.
She removed to Lee county, Iowa,
when a small child and from there to
the vicinity of Council Bluffs, Iowa, in
1S45 and from there to Gallands Grove
| in 1S4S. Their marriage was solemn
lied about nine miles south Of Dow
City in Shelby county on the 18th day
of April, 1868, and they have lived in
the neighborhood and Dow City con-
tinuously ever since. They are among
the oldest living settlers Of Crawford
county and their names are household
words in this section of the country
and a list of their friends would nee
essarily include the entire community.
Modesty and inability prevents us
from eulogising our aged parents
whom we love so well and who have
braved the hardships incidental to pio-
neer life and the raising of large
family on the prairies of western Iowa.
We may be pardoned, however, for
referring. to the time during the civil
war, when mother was left with seven
littel children while father answered
our country's call to defend the flag
which is dear to the heart of every
loyal American. The sixty years Of
welded life has been mixed with joy
and sorrow, sickness and health, sac
ritice and hardship; but they have
withstood them all and are today enjoy
ing a fair degree of health for which
we are thankful. They have lived to
see the wrecks of matrimonial ALLAN
ces strewn along the pathway of life,
many of them being settled by the
machinery of the divorce courts, and
when we meet couple who have been
faithful! to their marriage VOWS for
sixty years they command our most
profound and undivided respect Uncle
John and Aunt Serelda, as they are
commonly known by both old and
young, are admired for their modesty,
integrity, kindness Of heart and
friendship; hence it is always pleas
ure to visit with them. Comparative
ly few couples live to celebrate their
golden wedding and fewer still who
live to celebrate their siNtieth ami
versary, and as these events come and
go we are made conscious of the fact
that the time will soon come when the
final summons will be served and we
feel sure they will be ready when the
call comes and happy to hear the in
spring words, well done, thou good
and faithful servants, enter thou into
the joys of our Lord. A. II. Rudd.