STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - After the War....Bob and Betty
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From the notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman:
 
The War was over, Captain Carter settled down on his father's (Richard Carter) 
farm, trying to make a living running a grist mill grinding wheat and corn. 
The Reconstruction period was on and times were almost unbearable for the 
South.
In 1865, a little girl twelve years of age climbed upon a horse and with a 
sack of corn rode to the Carter Mill several miles away. The little girl's 
parents had been respected leaders of the community. (note: they were dead and 
she lived with her step mother) She arrived at the mill and the miller seeing 
her through an opening supposed to be a window, went to her and helped her off 
her horse. Taking the sack of corn, he invited her to come into the mill and 
warm by the log fire as it was a cold day. After he ground the corn, she was 
on her way. Bob asked a man in the mill who the girl was. That's Betty Coble 
was the reply. Bob said, "She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and I 
expect to wait for her."
Bob joined the Bethseda Methodist Espiscopal Church in 1855. In that he had a 
good singing voice, he became song leader. After the War he led singing at the 
Rebobeth Camp meeting. People for miles came and built tents of wood. Once a 
year they loaded their wagons with provisions, hitched the cow behind the 
wagon and the family drove to the two week meetings at Rehobeth. Richard and 
Nancy Marshall Carter were regular attendants. Betty Coble was a direct 
descendant of two pioneer families of the St. Martin's Lutheran Church-David 
and Martha Bray Coble and Jacob and Elizabeth Dove Efird.......Although stauch 
Lutherans also went to Rehobeth.
 About two years after that first meeting of Bob and Betty, the Efirds invited 
Betty to attend. She was now 14 years old. Bob was the song leader and was in 
the bush arbor morning and evening leading the singing. There was a spring of 
water with gourds made for dipping across the field from the camp. It was the 
custom for the boys and girls to walk across the field to the spring and back. 
I suspect many a lad got his bride in such a manner. Bob asked Betty to walk 
to the spring with him, but she had been teased so much about him that she 
refused, even after much persuasion.
After three more years when Betty was seventeen, she accepted his attentions. 
Six days after Betty was eighteen on Aug 30, 1871, she and Bob were married by 
the Rev. George Wilhoit* in the Coble home. Some of Bob's sisters were 
present. Betty was dressed in a long white dress. After the wedding, they left 
in buggies for the house on the Carter farm known as the Miller's House. On 
the second day, neighbors and friends called on them socially as this was the 
day of enfair. Betty had a beautiful dress of alpaca pale green and a hat with 
a lovely ostrich plume to match, but she didn't wear her hat until they 
attended Bethseda Methodist Church. 
 
*The reason they had Rev George Wilhoit to perform the ceremony was that  
while in the army George was a young private. One day a grave was dug for four 
deserters who were to be shot. Capt. Carter asked if any one would come 
foreward and pray and talk with these condemned prisoners. George volunteered.  
After this, he performed the duties of Chaplain for Co. C 42nd Reg. After the 
war, George Wilhoit became a Baptist minister and preached in Anson County  
the rest of his life.