Rebecca’s older brother, Frank, was a carpenter by trade and was often called into various homes as a “fix it man.” Frank Oliver was called to the home of William P. Jordan to do carpentry work, and there he met Minnie Lee Emerson, daughter of Edgar Emerson and granddaughter of Alexander Emerson. According to the 1900 census, “Aunt Minnie” was working in the Jordan home as a “domestic servant.” This chance meeting between Frank and Minnie led to a romance which culminated in their marriage on July 12, 1903. Rebecca and Minnie became lifelong friends. Minnie made arrangements that led to the introduction of her cousin George Emerson to Rebecca Oliver. Thus began the courtship of George and Rebecca which lasted seven years.

(Note that this copy is the mirror image of the original picture.
The bicycle sprockets are on the left side rather than the right.
Apparently, when this copy was made, the negative was upside down.)

Courting in Gloucester County during the first decade of the twentieth century mostly involved a gentleman “calling” on a young lady and visiting in the home, always in the presence of her parents. When George came calling on Rebecca, he came on horseback. Mary Dowling, Rebecca’s older sister, once described George riding toward the family home: “It was like something you would see on a picture postcard. You could tell it was George as soon as he came into sight because he sat so tall and straight in the saddle. It was a handsome sight seeing George riding up to the homeplace on a well-groomed horse, cantering in a rocking motion.”

Some of the local boys did not like the idea of a man coming into their neighborhood from “far off” White Marsh to court a Coke woman. One night these local boys placed a wire across the road to trip up George’s horse as he was leaving Rebecca’s home, hoping that the booby trap would discourage George in his pursuits to win the hand of Rebecca. Either the horse sensed the presence of the booby trap or George’s skills in horsemanship avoided the intended mishap. The incident passed without dissuading George in his callings on Rebecca.

Church worship services and social gatherings were occasions when young couples could go out alone. On such occasions, George would come to see Rebecca in a buggy. Rebecca later recalled that George’s buggy was equipped with a lap blanket made of cowhide lined with wool. “On a cold winter night, you could pull the cowhide around you, and you would be just as warm in George’s buggy as you would have been in your living room,” Rebecca recalled. George’s family was Methodist; however, when George and Rebecca were courting, they would attend services at Beech Grove Baptist Church which lead to George’s baptism and membership in Beech Grove on September 13, 1915.

Sometimes a group of young people would organize what they called an “excursion” which was somewhat of a sightseeing trip. Often the excursion was a boat ride across York River and up Queen’s Creek to Williamsburg; Yorktown was another favorite destination for the boat ride.

The courtship of George and Rebecca finally culminated in his proposal of marriage. When George was 29 and Rebecca was 23, they were married at Beech Grove Baptist Church on February 16, 1916. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Harry L. Corr, pastor of Beech Grove. The following is a page from Rebecca’s Bible: