Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Harper, who make their home with their son, Merrel Harper, and family on the F. G. Zimmerman farm 23 miles southeast of Coldwater, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary Thursday of last week, February 27, by holding open house to their friends during the afternoon and evening.

Mrs. Harper wore a corsage of gold and brown pompoms and Mr. Harper wore a yellow rose boutonniere. The three tiered wedding cake centering the table was flanked with candles in bowls of gold and brown pompoms. The cake was baked and served by the Harper's eighteen year old granddaughter, Miss Melba Marquand of Medicine Lodge and was assisted in serving by another granddaughter, Miss Julie Mae Harper, a daughter of Mrs. Harold Harper.

Coffee, cup cakes and ice cream were served the guests. Miss Marquand and Miss Harper wore corsages of yellow and brown pompoms.

Mr. and Mrs. Harper received many nice gifts, flowers and other remembrances on this happy occasion. Their son, Merrel and daughter, Mrs. Joe Marquand, presented their mother with a 7 jewel Bulova gold wrist watch and their father with a 17 jewel Waltham yellow gold watch. A matching combination watch knife for Mr. Harper was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. George Jenkins.

Guests ate a sumptuous dinner on Thursday were the following relatives: Mr. and Mrs. George Jenkins of Wichita; Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Jenkins and daughter, Mary of Pratt; Mrs. Jack Armstrong of Pratt; Mr. and Mrs. Claude Andrew and Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Andrew of Forgan, Okla.; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Marquand and daughter, Melba of Medicine Lodge; Mrs. Ervin Jenkins and sons, Ernie and Larry, of Coldwater; Mr. and Mrs. Roy Lytle and Henry Lohrding of Coldwater; Mr. and Mrs. Merrel Harper and son, Harold Merrel; Mrs. Harold Harper and daughter, Julia, of Coldwater, and the honored guests, Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Harper.

Mr. and Mrs. Harper are among Comanche county's highly respected citizens and have many friends. Mrs. Harper was born October 10, 1876, in Tama county, Iowa, and moved with her parents to Browning, Mo., when she was about a year old. Later they moved to Cameron, Mo., and when she was nine the family moved to Lincoln Center, Kans., where they resided nine years, before moving to Humphreys, Mo.

On February 27, 1897 she was united in marriage with Emery F. Harper at Galt, Mo., and in 1900 they with their son, Harold, moved to Driftwood, Okla. Two years later they filed on a claim in Beaver county, Oklahoma, near what is now the town of Forgan.

In those early days the young couple lived 40 miles from the nearest railroad, and they knew the hardships of real pioneers. Throughout the years their patience and cheerfulness has been an inspiration to many others.

In 1911 they sold their Oklahoma claim and moved to Norwich, Kansas, then on February 27, 1913, they came to Coldwater. They have since made their home here or on farms in the surrounding territory.

Mrs. Harper has four brothers: Jim Jenkins of Sentinel, Mo.; Elmer Jenkins of Pratt; Roy Jenkins of Albuquerque, N. M., and George Jenkins of Wichita; also one sister, Mrs. O. B. Andrew of Forgan, Okla.

Mr. Harper is a native of Illinois having been born in McClain county, that state, March 8, 1875. When he was five years old the family moved to Humphries, Mo., where E. F. grew to manhood. He has been engaged in farming practically all of his life and would rather be on a farm than anywhere else in the world, he says. He has one sister, Mrs. L. D. Boxwell, of Waterloo, Iowa.

One of Mr. Harper's grandmothers, Matilda Means, was a cousin of Abraham Lincoln and lived in Mr. Lincoln's community when she was a young woman.

Mr. and Mrs. Harper have two children - Merrel of the home and Mrs. Joe Marquand of Medicine Lodge; also four grandchildren; Melba Joan Marquand of Medicine Lodge, Mrs. Caroline Cross of San Diego, Calif., Julia Mae Harper of Coldwater and a grandson, Harold Merrel Harper, of Coldwater. One son, Harold Eugene, died January 6, 1945.

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Also see:

Harold Eugene Harper, Obituary, The Western Star, January 12, 1945.

Mary Sophia (Jenkins) Harper, Obituary, The Western Star, March 29, 1962.

Motor Mechanics Mate 2nd Class John JENKINS, USN, MIA, October 29, 1943, brother of Mary Sophia (Jenkins) Harper.

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Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!

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