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July 12, 1955

On July 12, 1955, Abe, his Mother, his best friend, Dwight and myself all headed to Richmond, In. It was a hot day, but not unusual for a day in July. I was 18 going on 19 in Oct. Abe was 20 going on 21 in Oct. At that time, a woman/girl could be 18 and sign for herself to get married, a man/boy had to be 21, so we had his Mother along to sign for him. This never made much sense to me. We stopped off and got our blood test first, then picked out two gold wedding bands, got the blood results, took out a marriage license, went to the Justice of the Peace and got married. Then the license had to go back to the courthouse to be recorded. Since it was almost closing time, the lady that worked at the desk said she make sure it got stamped and recorded and take the license with her to her home and we could come there and pick it up. We got back to Ohio around early evening.

This was the first time I had ever done anything my Father told me I couldn't do. Since Abe had been home from the service in March and had to go back to Japan on Easter Sunday, he didn't expect to have another leave until Christmas time. So we planned on getting married then. But his Father who was ill with cancer died in June and the Red Cross couldn't get him home in time for the funeral, so he got home around the 7th of July. He was staying at his best friends house, which was a farm at the edge of Gordon. That's when we decided we would go ahead and get married, but Dad said no, because we had said we would get married in December. Even though we tried to tell him, because Abe was home now, he wouldn't get another leave in December. That didn't matter to him.

That's when we decided to take off for In. After we were married his best friend dropped us off at a Hotel in Greenville. That Hotel since has been torn down. What a room, we had to share the bath with everyone on that floor. We did have a sink in our room, but that was all. We left there the next day and found a room at a different Hotel/Motel. Nice room and at least it had a fan and it's own private bath. But when we went back to pick up our key, they said they had to move us, and we thought yeah right probably some little tiny room. Were we surprised to find it was a nice large room, and the bath was almost as large as the room. They didn't charge us any extra. I think they realized we were just married, because it made the front page of the local paper in Greenville. Something to the fact that a Custer had married a Lincoln.

We had no car, but thank goodness Greenville had Taxi service, and a bus line at that time ran from Greenville to Arcanum. While Abe was home we did get ourselves a 1950 blue Buick, and rented a furnished apartment. He also got a 30 day extension on his leave and was home a total of 60 days. He left to fly back to Japan on Labor Day 1955. He came back home in May of 1956 to a very pregnant wife. I had been sending him photos all along, but for the first hour after he got home and saw me all he could say was oh my god what have I done to you. I'm short and the baby had to go someplace so I was huge through the belly. First baby was born on June 1st, weighing in at 8lbs. 4 1/2 ozs. She was two weeks old and we took off for Baltimore, MD where he finished out his Army hitch. Being discharged the first part of May 1957, our second baby was born on May 10th, weighing in at exactly the same as his sister did the year before.

We moved into our own little house in Gordon, very small, two bedroom, living room, kitchen and a path out back. The next year on July 5th, 1958 our third child was born. I told Abe we had to find out what was causing all of this to happen. Then I went through gall bladder surgery in Oct. of 58, and again in April 1960. The second one was actually removal of adhesions and they explored and drained the gall ducts and repaired a slight herina of the navel. So I was feeling pretty good and looking better then I had in a while, and BINGO I was pregnant again with the fourth one, she was born in March of 1962. We sold our little house that finally had two small rooms added for more bedrooms also a bath and a small utility room for doing the laundry with my wringer washer. No dryer, everything was hung outside, if it was still damp, I had some lines I would throw the stuff over in the utility room until it finished drying,

We moved here to Brookville in Dec. of 62. We thought this house was so big, and it was compared to what we had. Everything was new. But I still had my wringer washer, did finally get a dryer that took for ever to dry the clothes because a wringer washer does not spin them out.

Thought all the babies were finally over and done with and surprise, surprise, found out I was pregnant again, with our fifth child, born in June of 1973. Beleive me in Oct. of 1973 I went and had some minor surgery to make sure there wouldn't be anymore surprises. So that brings us to today.

Fifty two years later, five children, five grand children and still living in the home we bought in 1962. Now you know a little about us Lincoln's. Back in 1955 this was one of our favorite songs. Please go here to hear it. Star Dust

Pat Lincoln

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