I remember that George and Grace
Taft were married in the judge’s chambers in Lamar, Colorado.
There were no church weddings then for there was no church; there were no
honeymoons for there was no money, but there would be a shivaree.
About two weeks after the wedding,
men of the neighborhood passed the word: A shivaree at the Taft place, after
the dance on Friday night.
George and Grace would be attending
the dance, so the others would stay on after the Tafts had gone home and had
time to be in bed asleep.
The crowd went to the bride and
groom’s farm with tin cans strung on wire, old tubs to beat on,
cowbells-anything that would make noise. We approached the house yelling like
Indians.
The Tafts asked us in. A chivaree
for a newly married couple was not unexpected so the Tafts were prepared. They
treated with candy, gum and cigars, and Grace put a two-gallon pot of water on
the stove to boil so she could make coffee. The women had brought cakes and all
would enjoy coffee and cake as the party went on. They played cards or dominoes
and visited, a big party for both adults and children that lasted until one or
two in the morning.
Great fun!
Mrs. Louella Canfield Perkins
Lamar,
Colorado
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the
then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers
to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from
early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from
grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were
received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title –
My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon –
hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true
tales from Capper’s readers, and
we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
