Ray Harden came from a family of four children, three boys and one girl whose names were Elbert, W.J. and Lana. His parents were Harrison Harden and wife Lillie Stanford Harden. The Harden family made their home in the Lilly Dale community. At a very early age, Ray carried the mail on horseback, and would sometimes haul mail in a wagon pulled by a team of mules. Sometimes when he rode in a wagon on the mail route, and the weather was cold, he heated bricks, placed them in a tub, and covered the bricks with hot coals and ashes to help keep his feet warm while delivering the mail. He went to school at Lily Dale through the eighth grade, and even went back an extra year just to be in the eighth grade one more time.

The Harden family lived near the banks of the Obey River in the Lilly Dale community, and experienced their home being flooded on several occasions. The river got up high enough during one of these floods that a pot of beans sitting on the wood burning kitchen stove floated off and ended up sitting on the kitchen table when the water went down. On another occasion, Harrison Harden checked on the damage to their home during a flood by paddling around inside the house in a canoe.

Ray and Tessie met at a neighbor’s home where a dance was being held. Ray not only danced on these occasions, but called sets at these dances. Folks who held dances in their homes moved out as much furniture as possible from the front room or even a bedroom to make room for the dancers and musicians. Ray asked Tessie, who was only fourteen years old at the time, to dance with him that night, and that was the beginning of a four year courtship.

Tessie’s parents made their home in the St. John community near Willow Grove. They were Burr Thrasher and wife Venice Colson Thrasher. Tessie’s father was a mail carrier and farmer. There were eight children in the Thrasher family, four boys and four girls. The names in the order of their births are: Lucille; Tessie; Doyle (who was killed in World War II); Willie, who was known by the nickname "Scrutcher"; Juanita; Elise, Randall; and Eddie Ray. The Thrasher children attended school at the St. John, a one room school not too far from their home. Two of the teachers Tessie remembers having there were Chester Ledbetter and Nan Sewell. In the later years of this school, an additional room was added on for the smaller children. Pie suppers and spelling bees were always well attended events at St. John school. After completing the eighth grade at St. John, Tessie went on begin high school at Willow Grove, but dropped out because she didn’t like it. She found work in one of the homes there in Willow Grove through a government program that employed women in that area. In this particular home, mattresses were made. A lady by the name of Myrtle Capley oversaw the fifteen or twenty women who made the mattresses. Some of the women even took their work home with them and were supplied with the patterns and materials to complete the job at home. After two years on this job, Tessie found another job as a cook at the St. John school. She, along with Claudine Ledbetter Sells, did all the cooking of school lunches for the 50 to 60 children who attended school at St. John then.

Ray and Tessie lived in one of Livingston’s older homes on West Seventh Street until 1984, the year they built a new brick home nearby. Raising a big garden was always something Ray and Tessie did together. Neighbors and others who were acquainted with them would often come by during the gardening season to buy vegetables from them. Ray and Tessie have been long time members of the Allons Church of Christ where Ray taught a Bible study class. He was always well prepared for that class, and spent many hours in preparation and study each week. He was bedfast the last couple of years he lived. During that time, Tessie made it a point to always be at his side, but should he awaken to find that she had stepped out of the room for a minute or two, he would inquire of Tessie’s whereabouts. He always made the same statement when asking for Tessie. He would say, "I want to see my Tessie." If Mrs. Della Harvey happened to be there on these occasions, she would ask Ray to tell her what Tessie looked like, he would always reply: "She’s of average height; average build; the prettiest lady in the county; and she’s good too. You can’t bet her anywhere." Tessie said Ray was very easy to take care of, and that he never complained. It was quite easy to see how devoted to each other they were. The very special memories of their early years together, beginning with a time they shared their first dance, to Ray’s last days spent on earth, will be carried in Tessie’s heart forever. I’m very happy she allowed us, through this story, to share in those special times too.