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.