Charles & Ruth Get Married

 Today Sarah Ruth Baird Shaw and Charles Columbus Shaw were married at the bride's home, 45 Hazel Street, Porterdale, Georgia.

Here is a letter to her children Ruth wrote about her courtship and marriage many years later:

August 5, 2017

It was 79 years ago today that I, Sarah Ruth Baird , at age 15, married Charles Columbus Shaw, who  was  the advanced old age of 19. We were both about as ignorant as we were innocent. 

Charles said his innocence was only because his Dad, Grady Columbus Shaw, had convinced his that "any girl who would "let him" would also " let any other boy" so was afraid of disease. So , apparently, he set about to find an "innocent" girl to marry.  

You all have heard the story of Grady and Lillian Shaw coming to Porterdale to visit Lewis Shaw, his wife Celeste and family....Their daughter Clara and I were casual friends and my friend Julia Sellers and i were visiting Clara one Sunday afternoon when Charles and family were there. On the way back to Milstead, Charles said to his mother, "Mama did you see the pretty girl I really like". Mama Shaw told me , much later that she thought Charles  was "taking about Julia" because she though "Julia was so beautiful." 

So Charles kept coming down to Porterdale to visit me and he was there for a Neighbor Pound party!  What in the world is a "Pound Party."  

You have all read about the Civil War devastated South, "after Sherman's March all the way to the Sea?" from which the Southland  did not recover until after World War II!   

In those days...no one was wealthy enough to " host a party." But in my childhood , we could make a pitcher of sweet tea or lemon aid or make some flavor of "Cool Aid"  or some soft drink .  People who came to the party  would bring over bits of cake or cookies or whatever they had to share and get together. 

The hostess would have some games or some "mixers"  to gets the boys and girls  together.  Charles came  down from his home in Milstead (16 miles from Porterdale) the first time he asked me to marry him.   

Most of you have have heard this story that we were walking together. I was 14 and he was 18 and he turned toward n me and said, "Will you marry me?"  My reply was, "I am too young to even think about marriage."  He said, "I do not mean "right now." Could we be engaged?"  That was October 23.   As crazy as it sounds, we always celebrated October 23.  

My teen-age wisdom was ..."My mother and family  are right, I agree...I am too young to get married...BUT, i have already met the man who wants to marry me and who I want to marry and we will just have that many more years to live together." Great "teen age" wisdom?? 

Big mistake. I do not recommend  it.   BUT you sure do have wonderful children when you are a teen-ager.  

 ------------------------