On a cold winter day in December of 1920 Wilbur and Rosalie were married.  The wedding was nothing fancy, a simple ceremony at the courthouse in Ocala with a few family.   Rosalie’s mother made her a blue serge two-piece dress and  bought her new shoes, hat, and a winter coat. Wilbur said she sure looked real pretty.  The wedding almost did not happen for when they arrived at the courthouse, the judge said both their parents had to be there and Rosalie’s father didn’t come.  So, Wilbur’s brother Maxie said would take his father’s car and go fetch Rosalie’s father.  Rosalie’s mother said she would go with Maxie because she knew her husband would be ornery about going.  An hour later they returned with Mr. Anderson in clean clothes and a smile.  He said ne really enjoyed the ride in the car, it was the first time he had ever ridden in a car.   The ceremony was completed, and Wilbur and Rosalie were wed.

 

 

The Old Mixson home when it was 2 stories

Not having a place of their own, they spent their wedding night at Wilbur’s father’s house and then lived there for the next few months.  There were plenty of rooms in the old two-story house since most of his twelve children had got married and moved out.  .  As you entered the front door Mr. Mixson’s room was to the right and the parlor was to the left As you proceed down the  center hall there was a staircase leading up to the second story on the right and then bedrooms on both the left and the right. Upstairs there were three bedrooms, two for the girls and one for the boys.  The kitchen and dining rooms were in the back of the house, separated from the main house by a fifteen foot walkway.  The was often done at time in case the kitchen caught on fire from cooking in a fireplace, although later, woodstoves made it safer.  There was no bathroom in the house, because of the number of kids, there were twin outhouses out back but the girl’s rooms all had chamber pots which they used at night, so they didn’t have to go outside to the outhouse.  It was usually the younger girl’s chore to empty it in the morning.  The house had no running water, in the rainy season drinking water was drawn from the rain barrel, but most of the water was drawn from the well in a bucket. On the back porch were a pair of wash basins which the water would drain into the flowers below it.  There were also washbasins in each of the bedrooms.

Three of Wilbur’s sisters, Alice, Bessie and Lois, still lived at home and Rosalie got along with them quite well, they were like sisters she never had growing up.    She was really thankful for them teaching her how to cook.  The week after they were married it was cold enough that Mr. Mixson (Wilbur’s father) butchered two hogs which she had never seen done before.

Old Mixson House in 1920
Drawn by Rosalie, abt. 1989

Updated: 01-15-2023

The Early Years