Mary Pettibone was born in La Crosse to Albert and Cordelia Pettibone; her father was the mayor of La Crosse from 1862-1864 and was engaged in the lumber industry. On February 6, 1884 Mary married Captain J. T. Barber in Hannibal, MO. Captain Barber was the manager of the Northwestern Lumber Company and the couple lived in Hannibal, MO.
Newspaper accounts of the day speak of her wedding as “notable” and ‘brilliant.” It signified the union of two important businesses, as her father A.W. Pettibone was described as “one of the large lumber dealers in Hannibal,” while her groom was also important in the lumber industry.
Mary Barber died in August 1886 after medical treatment in St. Louis. Her remains were returned to her home in La Crosse for internment. Her family preserved her wedding dress as a memento of the daughter they had lost.
We are left with little to say about one who died so young.
Location: 145 8th Street South
1884: Home of her parents Albert & Cordelia Pettibone
2019: Privately owned
Wedding dress, 1884
Made in St. Louis and worn by Mary Pettibone Barber
Materials: silk velvet, taffeta, lace, cotton
From the collection of the La Crosse County Historical Society
