Scott Burow has the original newspaper clipping, along with a large collection of photographs and memorabilia from his granny! Lucky Scott!

GOLDEN WEDDING CELEBRATION

The 19th of September, 1894 is a day that shall always be remembered with
pleasure by the members of the family of Mr. and Mrs Thomas Ratcliff on
account of the golden wedding celebration.  Thomas Ratcliff was born in Kent
county England, April 3, 1824.  He came to America with his parents when
about seven years of age.  In 1842 he came to Olney - a year after the town
was laid off.  At that time there were but two or three houses here.  He
helped to build the first school house and church - a log building in which
court convened also.  Of this Methodist church, the future Mrs. Thomas
Ratcliff became a member at eighteen years of age.

Catharine H. Raustead was born in Indiana, Feb. 9, 1826.  At the age of
twelve years she came to Illinois with her parents and lived in a house
where the cemetery now is.

On the nineteenth of September, 1844, Thomas Ratcliff and Miss Raustead were
married. The Rev. Jay performed the ceremony.

At this time Mr. Ratcliff was learning blacksmithing with Mr. Urie, whom he
bought out in a years time.  Later in life he began dealing in agricultural
implements, which he still handles.

All their married life has been spent at Olney with the exception of
possibly two months' residence at Newton - the first thirty four years in
the house at the northeast corner of Main and Elliott streets.  The present
residence was built in 1878.

Mr. Ratcliff has been a stock holder in the First National Bank ever since
the organization of that corporation, of which he is a director, as he has
been for many years.  Of nine children, eight are living all of whom
attended the fiftieth wedding anniversary, celebrated at the home by a
family reunion.

Four generations were represented, Mrs. Eunice Ellingsworth, who lives with
her daughter, Mrs. Ratcliff, being present.  Mrs Ellingsworth's eighty-ninth
birthday anniversary was passed but ten days before.

Those present from a distance were Alber Ratcliff, Princeton, Indiana;
William Ratcliff, St. Louis, Missouri; Mr. and M.B.F. Michels, Albion,
Illinois.

At the dinner hour a gift from all the own children was presented to each of
them by John Ratcliff, who made an appropriate speech.  Other remembrances
were received, one of which, a bunch of yellow roses tied with a yellow
ribbon, graced the center of the table.  Reminiscences of the wedding of
fifty years ago was the order of the hour, some of which seem funny to us.
The favors were sprays of golden rod, tied with yellow ribbon.

Through the day and evening, others present were Mr. and Mrs. T. F. Hoopes,
Sumner, Illinois; Miss Nancy Patton, Ed. Ridgeway and the so-called "adopted
daughters", Misses Anna and Erna Johnston, Miss Clara Gorbett, Mrs. H.
Kitchell and Mrs. Bidgway.

From Scott Burow, the contributor of this article:"....Thomas and Catherine Ratcliff are my
great-great-great grandparents, and their son, Luther Ratcliff, is where my
line dead-ended before I found this article.

If this can be tied into any line that you know of, I want to share
information with that line.

My great grandmother (Florence Ratcliff or Ratcliffe, depending on who
writes it) saved everything .... no... let me say this, she saved
EVERYTHING.

I have tin type photographs of Luther Ratcliff, his family and children, the
family bible which lists all their birthdates, marriages, and some deaths.
And I believe, but I am not positive yet, a picture of Thomas and Catherine
taken ten years after this article at their (believe it or not) Sixtieth
wedding anniversary!  When my grandmother passed away, we found a trunk
filled with her and her mother's past, a virtual treasure trove of
information but mostly photographs, about 2000 of them, from tin-types to
the modern day.  After sorting through them, I have a photograph of almost
everyone from the Ratcliff line from Thomas and Catherine to today.

Maybe with this tie-in to Thomas, I can match lines with someone and share
the Ratcliff wealth amongs his decendants...."

Scott is making a very generous offer.  If you have any connection, please email him!