When I first met the young man, we girls were coming home from choir practice and were taking Ann Pender home and she lived up the tracks past the station. Her father was section foreman and they were very nice scotch people. Anns brother Tom worked nights as baggage man so when we were going by, Tom called to us. There was someone there who would like to meet you. He went in and brought out this young man who was the operator. I think I must have fallen in love there. Not many days later, he telephoned our home and asked for me. He asked if he could come over and see me and my family. Now he was only about 18 or 19 and already had worked as operator and station agent before coming up to Minnesota. He was the most gentle manly fellow I had ever met and very humerous she I say.
My mother made the remark that he looked as though he'd just stepped out of a _____? And those eyes, is it any wonder I fell right there.
He was born in Victor, Iowa. His father was a doctor- a country doctor (Hervey Marr). He graduated in Medicine from the University of Iowa. His mother was a wonderful woman. She had the same brown eyes. She was a great help to the doctor and went out on calls with him especially baby cases or operations where she could assist.
There were two sons, Irving, your father and Ivan (2 years apart). Both learned telegraphy instead of going to the University as their parents wished. They learned telegraphy from their Uncle Homer who worked for C B I Railroad in Omaha, Nebraska.
Your father was very young when ge got his first job as night operator at a small town station "Morning Sun". I remember when he told me about it all, I thought that a funny name for a town. He had to keep switch lights clean and those for office. He was a baggage man and everything after the agent or day man was off duty. The wages were not much in those days. He also worked at Early, a little town. I noticed as I came through on the bus last summer, the little station was boarded up. Progress. Automatic signals put many of those little stations out of service.
After a couple of years as operator and agent in Iowa, he desired to come to Minnesota and try his luck. He had 19 cents in his pocket when he got to St. Paul. In those days if you were low on cash, a man would get a lunch by ordering a glass of beer. He then went to general office of Northern Pacific and asked for a job. They fired him and sent him to Staples first which was the Northern Pacific Railroad center at that time. He was there just a short time and made friends with a young operator who loaned him money until he received his first check. I don't remember that your father ever borrowed money although after we were married, he helped different ones. He always had some stacked away. He was sent to East Grand Forks very soon and was night operator there from 1903 to 1906 when they again transferred him back to Staples. I will say he was a fine telegrapher. During a presidential election he was hired to take the returns by wire.
This was a postcard sent to Irving Marr on September 1, 1908:
Started school today and got along fine. Had fourteen scholars. Came in town from school to buy stuff for primary work. Will write you a long letter soon. Aura.
MARR FAMILY LINKS
