Mexico weekly ledger., 1913-02-27
.AupRAIN's OLDEST MARRIED
conplE LIVE IN MEXICO

" to-day as any young couple, Just
married. and they look upon n an
,ther With even more love and ad-
niration than when they first start
a Lies Journey together.
They we're married at the home Of
he BRIDES parents, Mr.. and Mrs. G.
R. ward-Mrs. Pearson was Miss
Lucy Ann ward-thelr house thpn
standing about where 8. a N. Phil
Inns store now stands. The cere-
mony was performed at s o'clock in
the evening in the parlor OF the
home By the Rev, Theodore Boul-
ware. an old hardshell Baptist min
lister.
Miss Ward who was only II years
Of age, had for herbridesmaids Miss
es Nancy G. Ward. her sister, who
was later Mrs. Dingle. and Miss
Mary Kirkpatrick. The bride was
dressed In a white Swiss dress,
which she had cut and made her
self. This fact her husband tells
with great pride.
Mr.. Pearson. then a young man OF
%. and one of the most desirable
beaux Of this section, was attired
in a full dress suit. No ring was
used in the ceremony and the en-
tire wedding vas very simple, yet
most impressive.
After the ceremony the guests
about so in I.ymber-enjoyed a de
iightful and plentiful supper and re
manned to make merry until late
in the night.
"In those days there was no chariy
airing and cutting up like there Is
now" said Mrs. Pearson, and we
had a great deal better time"
After the ceremony Mr.. and Mrs.
Pearson lived with Mr.. Ward until
November when they moved to
where the Missouri Military Academy
now stands and lived in the house
which wa recently moved. At that
time there was woods between their
home and town and a dense forest
behind II.
At the time of his marriage Mr..
Pearson was in the dry goods bust
ness with his brotherin-Iaw, S B.
Gass.
Mrs, Pearson. who celebrated her
s3rd birthday. Jan. 4th. Of this year.
came to Mexico in 1s45 with her "a.
Their, C, r. Ward, She was born in
Galloway county. near williamsburg.
but her father moved 10 Audrain cor d
ty when she was very young.
Mr.. Ward was one OF the leading
pioneer blacksmiths in Missouri and
people came al far as 100 miles TO
have him make an auger. He was
noted for the famous augers he
made and many OF them are stlll in
use. SO carefully we're they manufac.
tured.
Mr., Pearson came from North Car
DINA and settled with his father.
John A.. Pearson in Galloway conn.
ty, nea Concord His father was a
farmer and blacksmith and vas later
was County Judge for a long while.
Rufus Pearson came to Mexico
with his father In 1885, when he
was nine years old In his early man.
hood days, he was 4 printer and
practiced his trade in Paris. on the
Missouri Sentinel. That paper is no
the Paris Mercury He later went in.
to the dry goods business at Fulton.
Mr.. Pearson will be 81 years of
age January 20.
Mr., Pearson is one OF the Oldest
residents of Mexico and an authority
on Audrain and Mexico history. In
speaking Of Mexico, in the early
days, he says:
MY father. John A. Pearson, came
to Mexico in 1895 and built a home
on what is now known as Highland
Addition. 1t was a double log cabin.
The white folks lived in one room
of the cabin and the negroes in the
other.
we had plenty of corn bread,
fat pork. yenison. wild turkey, prai.
rie chickens and quails and also wild
ducks and geese in season.
Our nearest neighbors we're VII.
liam Levaugh, w. C. West, Ackley
Day, Thomas Hook, Francis ARMS
tead, William Jesse, Richmond Pear
son, Joel Haynes and John c. Mar
tin. The latter owned a horse mill
which ground our meal.
The nearest settlement on the
south was four miles; ten miles on
me east, twenty miles on the west
and twelve, north. Wolves roa,ned
Iere IN the day time and occasional.
y a bear was seen even after the
county was organized and the town
OF Mexico was established.
Lots In Mexico we're laid off and
sold by Mansfield e. Smith. ]. n
Norris built the first house and n. O.
Mansfield, the next. James II
smith In 1887, built about where ]
j. steele's home now stands.
For our mail. we went to Full.
ton and paid rs cents postage. Lat.
en- Il mail route was established he.
t"eeh ulton and Paris and John D
MOTIFS WIS appointed postmaster here
'ueo'te W. Turley built a bouse
George Brooks home now IA
al the corner Of Love and Clark nv.
ep''e' He started a store on what
li'er~ard vas known as the Harper
corner, Robt. Taylor and r T
stone came about the same time.
Fhe Methodist Church was organ.
i~ed in 1882. Preaching was held
~ private homes. Robt, Younger was
me first Baptist preacher. The Bar.
lists built a church two miles wes,
Oh mere known as old HopeweIl.
James q. Fenton built a tavern
mnere hemper's saloon now stands.
en'on was a very enterprising man
LOT those days. The first brick