The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 7

PEARCE'S BEGIN BUSINESS IN GUIN

Agnes MONTS and Largus PEARCE were married, March 20, 1888, in the home of
her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac MONTS in Lee County, Mississippi, and came
to Guin, from Tupelo, Mississippi, on the Frisco Railroad. They went from
Guin to Pearce's Mills where Mr. PEARCE had a job with his uncle, Jim
PEARCE.

Remaining at Pearce's Mills until the following October, Jim and L. PEARCE
decided to go into the mercantile business in Guin, and L. PEARCE came a
few days ahead of his wife to open the business, expecting her to join him
shortly. After failing to get a ride by buggy, Mrs. PEARCE had to ride the
sixteen-mile distance by horse back on a horse named Pine Springs. She
followed two wagons filled with bales of cotton and drawn by six-horse
teams that had to stop quite often for rest and water, make the trip take
most of the day for travel. The drivers of the teams were Rosco REEL and
Dan LINLEY.

She recalled the few places of business in Guin as PEARCE and Company,
located on the corner north of the Depot; CLARK and WHITE, BROCK, JONES and
one saloon. There was a rooming house operated by Mrs. KIRK, where they had
living quarters until they built a two-room house, and they had meals at a
boarding house operated by a Mr. HARRISON.

Some of the families included Dr. Jerry GUIN, J. D. WESTBROOKS, section
foreman; Dr. Emmett MORTON, Forbus COLLINS, Dr. Will COLLINS, and Bill
WRIGHT. There were no schools or churches at the time, Mrs. PEARCE said,
but the PEARCES and the HUGHES, who lived nearby, began the organization of
the Methodist Church in 1890, with fourteen members. Mrs. L. PEARCE was the
last living charter member of the fourteen.

Mrs. PEARCE and her late husband were the parents of nine children.