Mothers Suitors
Mama was a pretty and active young woman. She had a large
circle of neighbors, relatives, church, and school pals. They had parties,
gatherings, and excursions. It was inevitable that she would have young men
courting her as she approached womanhood. She had a camera to record it all.
One of her earliest suitors was my uncle Daniel Steppe. The
picture shows what imaginations and ingenuity a young man could use to woo his
sweetheart. What could be more impressive of a Sunday morning than to arrive in
her yard before breakfast, astride a saddled mule with a hogleg in your belt?
Daniel and brother Lewis decided to join the army. But while
they served in the Canal Zone dad had problems with two large strawberries on
his ankles and was given a medical discharge. Daniel admonished his homeward
bound brother to ‘take care of my girl.’ Brother Lewis must have taken this
seriously because he looked in on Shirley when he arrived home, and looked in
again, and again. And the next thing you know they are married. Any letters
that Daniel wrote his girlfriend have long since vanished for whatever reason.
But there are some pictures sent home, some of which have notes on the backs.
There were other serious suitors. Here is the inner page of
a fancy birthday card from Theodore. This card came from the community of
Gladys for mom’s 1935 birthday.