Wayne-Wake-Lenoir County NcArchives Marriages.....Potts, Zoph - Jones, Clarice 1942 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Guy Potts http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00017.html#0004214 March 8, 2008, 10:33 pm The State Magazine Vol. IX, Page 33 January 17, 1942 Funny Experiences by Carl Goerch As a rule, weddings are exciting enough of their own accord, but Mr. and Mrs. Zoph Potts are of the opinion that they had more than their share at their recent nuptials. Speaking of weddings - Zoph Potts, of Raleigh, got married the day after Christmas. He married a very beautiful and charming young lady whose home is in La Grange - Miss Clarice Jones, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Jones. So far as weddings go, it was one of the most exciting ones that ever has been brought to our attention. As a general thing, there's always plenty of excitement in connection with a nuptial ceremony, but this particular one sort of outdid itself. The wedding was scheduled to take place at 5 o'clock, December 26, at the Methodist Church in La Grange. Needless to say, there was quite a stir in the Jones home all afternoon. At 3:30 p.m. somebody let you a yell of "Fire!" That kind of yell is exciting enough under ordinary circumstances, but at a wedding - well, you can form your own opinion. A Fallen Christmas Tree The fire was in the living room. Somebody had knocked over the Christmas tree. The tip end of the tree landed in the fireplace. The tree had been up three or four days and was nice and dry, so the flames spread merrily and rapidly. Three buckets of water were used in putting it out. A large hole in the living room rug was the principal casualty. Losing a daughter is bad enough, but when you lose a first class rug at the same time - Mr. Jones looked rather glum. At 4:30 somebody else let out a yell of "Fire!" It seemed to be getting to be a habit. This time the yell came from upstairs, so everybody rushed up the steps. Smoke was coming from the bride's bedroom. Somebody had hung Miss Clarice's wedding dress on a light fixture and it was smoking away to beat the band. Part of the dress was pretty badly charred, but half a dozen women grabbed hold of it, with arduous application of a needle and some new material, succeeded in repairing the damage in a very few minutes. By that time some of the wedding party were beginning to feel just a little bit faint. The hour for departure to the church arrived. The groomsmen were gathered together in the living room. "All right boys!" shouted Mrs. Jones. "Put on your boutonnieres!" The groomsmen looked around with rather vacant expressions upon their countenances. "Where are they!" spoke up one. A hurried search was made all over the house - but no boutonnieres. They had failed to arrive. "Well," said Mrs. Jones. "We can't wait; you'll have to do without them because we've got to get started at once." So everybody filed out of the house and piled into the automobiles which headed for the church. Large Attendance A large crowd was on hand to witness the ceremony. The bride and her attendants, including the groomsmen, assembled in the vestibule. The best man - Mr. Fred Potts, brother of the groom, went around to the side entrance to join Zoph. The vocalist got through with her selection, which was rendered most effectively. And then the wedding march started. Before it could get underway, however, the best man came galloping around the side of the church. He seemed to be very much perturbed. "What," demanded Mrs. Jones, "is the matter now?" Fred panted in laborious fashion. "Zoph-" he said. "Zoph-!" "What's happened!" shouted everybody together. "He ain't showed up yet!" breathlessly announced Fred. There was general consternation and everybody looked at everybody else. "Where is he?! inquired one of the bridesmaids. Nobody seemed to know. "Didn't he go across the street to dress at Preston May's house?" inquired one of the groomsmen. "So he did!" somebody asseverated. "And we forgot to pick him up when we left for the church!" exclaimed the bride. Two groomsmen hurriedly left the vestibule. They jumped into a car and they tore away from there in a hurry. The organist continued with the prelude to the wedding march. Somebody had run up to the front of the church and had told him to keep on playing regardless of what happened. The Groom Approaches Three blocks from the church, the groomsmen saw a disconsolate looking figure walking along the sidewalk. With a screech of brakes they brought the car to a stop. "This," said the disconsolate looking figure, "is a hell of a note!" "Hop in and shut up!" they commanded. He hopped in. The car swung around and headed back for the church. "How in the world did you all happen to leave me at-," demanded Zoph. "Shut up!' they told him a second time. The church was reached. The organist was still playing away. He was beginning to perspire. Somebody gave him the signal and the wedding march started. From then on, everything went along smoothly. The Rev. Mr. Hicks officiated most capably and in a few minutes Miss Clarice had become Mrs. Zoph Potts and had started off on their honeymoon. Everybody was pretty much exhausted and prospects of two or three nervous breakdowns were extremely bright, but eventually everybody calmed down and went home. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/wayne/vitals/marriages/potts253gmr.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 5.8 Kb