Sarah and George Shoop, January 16, 1911

Some of the kids got married before we did, but in January 1911 George and I were married. We walked to the church. Bill Wertman and Sophia Wineland stood with us. When we went up the aisle of the church, my brother-in-law Charlie Ringler pinched George in the leg and he almost yelled. When the church services were over we went home in my daddy’s carriage because a bunch of boys were going to take us for a ride, so they followed us home and gave us a big serenading. My Mother had refreshments for all that was there. We stayed at my home and George’s home till February 1912. In the meantime we took trips to Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Cumberland, Maryland, and other places . George was working at the railroad yard in Hollidaysburg, later on in Altoona railroad shops. Then our first baby girl was born, and lived only 25 days. We were alone again.

We went to housekeeping at McKee. We bought all new furniture from Sears. Everything was so pretty. We were proud of our new home, but we only lived there two months till George’s brother Charlie’s wife had their first baby, and Cleo, the mother died. Before she died she named her baby Cleo Olive. Charlie’s Dad and Mother took the baby and kept her. Charlie had bought a place with five acres at Vicksburg. When his wife died he wanted us to take that, so we did, and moved there. We were there a good many years and did a lot of work on that place. About an acre was pasture land, then part of the other field George planted fruit trees. We had a big garden, a stable and pig pen. Later on we kept a cow, pigs and chickens . I had them mostly to take care of for George left in the morning at 5:30 for the train. That didn’t get back till 7:30 in the evening, so it was a long day for me, so there were a lot of days I would go to my home that was two fields away if I went that way. Around the road was much farther anyway.

I would go and help my mother who lived on a farm then. There was always lots of activity there, and of course, I would get my dinner. We carried our drinking and cooking water from a well below the house. The wash water was from a well of rain water at the back porch. There was no running water or electric in those days, but we were happy and did just like other young couples.