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Note: A post card with her, Carrie French, and Lula Wright has written on it "schoolmates" and "Anchorage, Kentucky". They may have gone to the boarding hight school "Bellewood Female Seminary" in Anchorage (a suburb of Louisville).
Finding Norval Pierce:
They were born quite a ways apart (half the length of Kentucky), and apparently had no locations in common, so how did a woman keeping house for her brother in New Orleans come to marry Norval. Possibility 1: They were both Baptist, and there may have been an active social network through the church at the time. Possibility 2: Norval had accepted a job as manager of the General Roofing Co. plant in Marseilles, IL. Marseilles was also the location of a Nabisco plant. Margaret's brother managed a Nabisco factory in New Orleans. There may have been some meeting of the two factory managers in Marseilles.
Natchitoches Historical Soc. Voter Registration Records: Ward 1, Precinct 3, date of registration 1 Feb 1935, N. L. Pierce, residence Natchitoches, age 63y 1m 1d; householder at residence: self; occupation: farming; born: Crittenden Co., Ken 1871; in state since Dec 1932; in ward and precinct since Dec 1932; Democrat. Another page for Mrs. N. L. Pierce is identical except: age 60y 1m 17d, born Carroll Co., Ken 1874 [this is a pre-printed form filled out in N.L.'s handwriting with his signature; he also filled out his wife's form, but she signed it herself.]
Natchitoches Times, Friday, Dec. 23, 1995
No Strangers in God's World
A Christmas Story - Natchitoches By John Merrill
Here is a Natchitoches, La., story that should be told at this Christmas-time. Not that it is unique. Perhaps not even unusual for Natchitoches, but it does illustrate that there are folks living in our midst who have the spirit of Christmas all the time.
Recently, when Operation Sagebrush [Exercise SAGE BRUSH, conducted at Fort Polk, Louisiana (Veron Parish, just south of Natchitoches Parish) in 1955-56, became the largest field trials held in the United States since World War II. It included 110,000 Army troops plus 40,000 Air Force personnel.] was in full swing and tanks, trucks and thousands of soldiers swept back and forth through this town, there were two Natchitoches ladies living besides the road who were definitely being friends to man.
Mrs. N.L. Pierce and Mrs. O.W. Spalding, who live on the the Old Mill road near the railroad switch had the opportunity to practice their Christianity and serve as "goodwill ambassadors" for Natchitoches. Most folks living on such a road at such a time would have been at least slightly annoyed as the army unloaded most of its maneuver heavy equipment right in front of their houses. But not these two. It opened a door of opportunity for them.
The sisteres put up signs showing the way to a water hydrant outside their front door and kept clean glasses on the doorsteps. They invited the boys into the yard to rest, and had picnic tables set up for them to do their paper work. The soldiers were welcome in the house to use the telephone, and to rest and wash up.
Every day the elderly ladies served coffee and cookies to all who care for refreshments - and hundreds did. Favorites were old-fashioned molasses cookies and a "whacky cake" which Mrs. Pierce makes up in the pan it's to be baked in and serves while it's hot. From reports the boys, almost without exception, asked for the recipe.
"There'll be whacky cakes all of the United States now", smiles Mrs. W.D. Roberts, who tells the story of the two unselfish ladies.
Mrs. Roberts has been lately visiting the sisters and Mrs. Spalding's husband who has been completely bedridden for two years. On one visit she showed the sisters a "Little Bible" which she had received from a friend in Pennsylvania, a tiny book containing scripture verses.
The sisters were impressed with the little books and ordered a large number of them. According to Mrs. Roberts at least 400 of them were given to soldiers who made the Pierce home their home for at least a while.
It is said more than a few of the grizzled youths that stopped in at the strange house and found true friends, went away with tears in their eyes at the kindness showed them by these complete strangers. But perhaps it is as Mrs. Pierce says: "There are no strangers in God's world." [about Margaret (Bond) Pierce and Julia (Bond) Spalding]
[This Mill Road home referred to here, and also in Okey Spaldings obituary, is Frankelva, the ~69 farm just south of town (just past the old cotton mill) on Hy 1223. On Google maps, it is called Mill St. right at the old mill, then turns into Rapides Dr., then South Dr.]
Natchitoches Times 26 Feb 1970 Obituaries
Mrs. Margaret Pierce
Funeral services for Mrs. Margaret Bond Pierce, 95, were conducted Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in First National Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. D. W. Hudnall, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church officiated and interment was in the American Cemetery.
Mrs. Pierce, a resident of Natchitoches since 1933, died Wednesday, Feb. 18 in Natchitoches Geriatrics Nursing Home. She was born in Carrollton, Ky. and was the widow of the late Norval L. Pierce.
She is survived by one son, James Pierce of Grafton, Wisc.; two grandchildren, Karen Olson of Milwaukee, Wisc. and Mary [Larry] Pierce of Grafton.
Pallbearers were Med Walker, Thermon Funderburk, Woodrow cox, Boyd Durr, John Inzer, and James Rhoades.
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