The Bible lay on the center table and the willow
switch hung conveniently behind the door.
After the line of railroad was completed upon which the father had
worked, he came to Laclede and invested his savings in a small general
store. It proved a profitable venture. It was the only one in town,
and Pershing's reputation for square-dealing brought him many
customers. A neighbor pays him this tribute:
"John F. Pershing was a man of commanding presence. He was a great
family man and loved his family devotedly. He was not lax, and ruled
his family well.
"The Pershing family were zealous church people. John F. Pershing was
the Sunday School superintendent of the Methodist Church all the years
he lived here. Every Sunday you could see him making his way to church
with John on one side and Jim on the other, Mrs. Pershing and the girls
following along."
John F. Pershing was a strong Union man, and although local feeling ran
high between the North and the South, he retained the esteem of his
neighbors. He had one or two close calls from the "bushwhackers," as
roving rangers were called, but his family escaped harm.
At times during the War, he was entrusted with funds by various other
families, and acted as a sort of local bank. After the War he was
postmaster.
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