by Charlotte
Having survived the shock of being asked for an article on ‘Romance’, my brain started whirling and buzzing like a computer. What did the Guilford Central School children want—a true love story, a tale of events having occurred in Guilford or something from my imagination?
My years spent as Town Clerk included dealing with romance—marriages, births, etc. Tales of young lovers traveling from Connecticut, Massachusetts or wherever to marry in Guilford were common. The old records go back into 1800’s with stories such as I am going to tell you.
In 1914 Olive Allen, my mother, lived with her grandparents in West Halifax village. A young fellow by the name of Leon LaRock, my father, lived in South Halifax, a distance of about five miles. The romance blossomed for about one and a half years. My father always told of how many shoes he wore during that time, as walking was his only means of transportation. He was able to purchase a driving horse before they were married.
On December 24th, 1916 they harnessed the horse and with another couple as witnesses, they headed for Marlboro village through deep snow. At one point they liked to tell about having to lift the sleigh out of a snow drift to help the horse. A Marlboro minister, who they knew and liked, performed the ceremony in his kitchen. They lived to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.