Saturday, March 5th and we are on our way in Cecil's car to Prairie du Chien (WI) and the train that would take us to Galena, IL to be married. Once in Galena, the search for a white or light blue dress commenced. I told the clerks I wanted it for confirmation...later reflection in 1996 I recalled that it was a bit overcautious as the clerks wouldn't have cared to tell anyone our secret anyway. No white dress was to be found, wrong season...Cecil saw a red velvet dress on a hanger in the window and suggested i try that one. The dress fit perfect so that was it. Neither of us carried flowers but the men went to get wedding rings, they jewed [term common in 30s] the jeweler man down as long as they were buying 2 rings. My ring turned out to be 1/2 size too small so on the way to find the minister, the ring was sized 1/2 size bigger. The search for a minister ends with Presbyterian Reverend Ballis. He (the minister) later tells us that te room we were married in was the room that Abraham Lincoln gave General Grant (Grant lived in Galena, earlier larger than Chicago) his stand on slavery. We were happily married about 8:00 PM.

One night in a Galena Hotel and Sunday back on the train to Prairie where the car was parked, then to Fennimore to drop me off at the home of the Johnson family. I could walk to my teaching job from there. I gave Cecil my wedding outfit and ring to take home with him because the girl I shared a room with would snoop in my suitcase and would give everything away I was married. Cecil and I were married about 2 months and people said Neil and Evelyn were married, so they (Neil and Evelyn) admitted it...then everyone knew we were married too. I told my dad and received no friction about the marriage. He said, "I wish you lots of happiness". I wore my ring to school and my students passed a note around first thing...it said, "Teacher is married, has on a wedding ring."