Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Luke and Pearl... courting at Blue Mountain College


While Pearl Cofield was a student at Blue Mountain College, she was courted by her future husband, Luke Robinson. My grandparents were Tremont natives and both of their families attended Tremont Methodist Church where Pearl played the organ. Luke's cousin, Ross Robison, remembers watching Luke walk by his house every Sunday after church to visit Pearl, who lived near Ross (Ross's mother and Pearl's uncle/surrogate father were siblings, children of Talmon Harbor and Martha Ann Evans).

I'm pretty sure that this photograph was taken at Blue Mountain. Pearl attended there in 1926 and 1927 when it was primarily a teachers' college for women. Upon graduation she taught school back in Itawamba County although I've been unable to find out exactly where.

Luke and Pearl were married December 27, 1929 in Itawamba County. Pearl's niece, Maxine Stone Johnson, recalls that the couple "ran off" to get married. Maxine was visiting at her grandmother's when Luke and Pearl arrived, announcing their marriage. I found their marriage license in the Itawamba courthouse which shows that they received their license and were married both on the same day. The couple were married by T. L. Oakes, Minister of God.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Where is/was Blue Mountian College located? My dad, the late Leon Stone of Bexar, pulled out of high school in the fall of 1918 (he had to register for the draft in late Aug. or early Sept. - 18th birthday was Aug. 29th) in order to help his dad gather all the crops before he was scheduled to leave around the 15th of Nov.; however, when Armistice Day was announced Nov. 11th, he didn't have to go and he had already missed about 1/2 of the fall semester so he took off for Dallas, TX where his Uncle John Clifford "Cliff" Robinson lived and worked for Sears Roebuck. He spent the next 3 or 4 years as a doorman/bellhop at the Adolphus Hotel. He decided to return and finish high school and graduated in the spring of 1924. The large group of students as photographed in front of the school in most likely the spring of 1924 shows a background that looks so similar to the bldg. and shrubs in this photo behind Luke and Pearl. Back in those days, the Hamilton High School was called the Agricultural and Mining school or included those words. Some interesting folks were associated with Hamilton High in that era. . . . A classmate was Alfred C. Walker who was the principal of Winfield High School at the time I went through my 6 years there. Mr. Walker always boasted how my dad was the smartest member of their class and it always made me want to do as well - how could I do otherwise? A young first year economis teacher at Hamilton was Miss Edith Egan - she was already teaching economics, U. S. History and World History - in Winfield when we moved there in 1944. She was still teaching when my sister finished in 1958! and I'm not sure how many more years after that. Her older sister was either the President or Dean at Mississipi State College for Women in Columbus during these corresponding years - does anyone know her? Both women were wonderful educators and disciplinarians. bettye