The courier-index., 1920-04-16
REMINISCENSES
 OF EARLY DAYS
BRIDE OF 1872 RELATES Ex- PERIENCES IN MARIANA WHEN PLACE WAS VILLAGE WITH 100 INHABITANTS.

The following "reminiscences of a bride of 1872 who came to Mari anna from Brownsville, Tenn, were given at the January meeting of the D. A. K.
 ''We came from Memphis to HeIe- ma on the Steamboat Robert E. Lee. We occupied the bridal cham Der that had draperies of blue silk which 1 thought was the prettiest thing 1 had ever seen.
 "We reached Helena at 10 a. m., had dinner at the old Wayne Hotel and then started for Marianna. As there were no railroads the trip had to be made through the coun- in coach drawn by four horses, with the driver outside wrapped in a buffalo robe. But the horses be- gan to prance and rear and I re- fused to ride behind them. We changed to a two-horse carriage and began our long, cold drive over the February roads to Marian ma. We stopped at Lexa for cup of coffee and reached our des- tination about 10 o'clock p. m. We went to Mir. Ham Cotter's home where Mrs. E. J. Beazleys house now stands, to spend our honey moon.
 Mariana was a village of per- haps one hundred souls, no streets, no walks, no church and few stores of rough lumber.
 "Where the school house now stands there was a wilderness of grape vines and undergrowth.
 My first home was where the Marianna hotel now stands and my bedroom carpet was several layers of bagging. My curtains were sea island domestic. I remember hemmed them one night after 10 o'clock getting ready for company the next day. My mahcine was the third in town and all my neighbors came in to stitch.
 "Tucks were very much in vogue, especially in petticoats. A petit coat was then made of four widths of domestic and there had to be at least eighteen or twenty tucks in each. No one in those days ever wore less than two petticoats.
 "The school house was on the site of Judge Hutton's old home. There were no desks, but benches with old slats at the back and one long desk to write upon. These were made by Ben Branson's father. All church services and parties were held in the school house. At our parties we always served boiled custards or ambrosia and cake. Mrs. Banks, the mother of Mrs. Longley. and Mrs. Will Newborn, was the brag cake-maker of the town.
 Miss Belle Mills was the first teacher I remember here and after her marriage to MT. McCulloch, the school was taught by Mir. w. A. Johnston.
 We had boats on Tuesdays and Fridays-the St. Francis and the Molly Hambleton. These boats had a very good stringed orchestra so we would all go down in our calico dresses, white aprons and sun-bon- nets and dance all afternoon. Later Memphis people began to make the round trip and we had to dress up for these occasions. Mir. w. A. Johnston and Mir. Grove were the beaux Of the town.
 AhCtC WCft Ho TOT ten or twelve years, but every one had a carriage or a buggy and horses. The favorite mode of courting was to go buggy riding.
 "Mr Jno. R. Jarratt built the first brick store and it was the only one for ten years. Cotton crops were good and s cents was a good price. Labor was cheap and plentiful and 90 cents day was considered a wage.
 -Four years after I came a union church was built where the Method st church now stands. It was built 'y Capt. Monroe Anderson, a kins- nan of the Daggett's.
 "l remember at the church ser ices MT. John Farrar used to pray ervently for the progress and well are of Mary Ann the town.
 "Dr. David Staton and Dr. Bur- ord were the physicians of the place md Aunt Caroline Roberts was the community nurse"
 "The Friends lived next door to ne. My boys would not come home It meal time. At noon or at SUD- 'er they always had urgent business lext door. I at last discovered the Friend had dining able with revolving center, and O see this in operation made my 'oys forget completely their own ungry 'tummies.'
 Tn a few years, the late seven ies, many Alabama and Tennessee antilles came into the country.
 Stores were built, the railroad anne, and progress was steady until farianna became "as it is in the