Mary Ayers Farmer during her time at The Fredericksburg State Teachers College (now U.M.W.) 1929-1931.
photo courtesy of Jake Martin
About Mary’s Life
Mary Emma Ayers was born to J.W. and Mamie Neal Ayers in Patrick County, Virginia on May 5, 1910. This was a community located near the Virginia and North Carolina boarder. Mary was one of five children, there was three boys and two girls, Gene, Neal, Melvin, Ruth, and of course Mary. When Mary was about eight years old her father started to become ill and they decided to back up and move more North in Virginia. In 1918 Mary and her parents packed up and moved by wagon train to a little railroad community called Woodford. This community was just south of Fredericksburg where Mary would eventually go to college.
Once in Woodford Mary and her siblings like many others in the area attended the Woodford two room school house. Mary would walk several miles a day to school in order to obtain a public education. After attending the the Woodford Schoolhouse, Mary started going to Mica High School. Mica was a high school that many students went to in the Woodford area. This school had the highest college enrollment of all five high schools in the county. On June 7, 1929, Mary graduated with honors from Mica along side several of her friends and neighbors.
Life at F.S.T.C.
After graduating from High school in June, Mary enrolled and started at the Fredericksburg State Teachers College in August of that same year. Mary like many other young ladies of the time attended this college in order to obtain her two-year teaching degree. Mary was a very active student and attended many events, celebrations, dinners, fieldtrips, and practicums that evolved around student life and academics on campus. Some of the dinners Mary attended were Halloween, Christmas, and Oyster dinners among her friends and the student body. Mary and her classmates would attend the May Day celebrations that used to take place every May on campus and last about a week long. This celebration included theatrical performances, dances, and the crowning of the May Queen.
While at the college Mary worked waiting tables as well as in the College’s Laundry. Between this and studying Mary didn’t have much time to herself. Mary lived on campus during the week and she would catch the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad train back to Woodford on the weekends, in order to spend time with her mother and younger siblings. Once the weekend was over, it was back to Fredericksburg and studying. Her hard studying paid off and in June of 1931, Mary graduated with her Teaching Certificate, and just like Devil-Goat day today, Mary was considered a Devil.
Teaching and life after F.S.T.C.
Mary found a job as a teacher at a school near Little Washington called Cresthill after graduation. She taught grades from one to twelfth earning about 75 dollars a month in order to pay off her student loans. Mary’s student loans were about 200 dollars back then. Once she paid them off, she married Marion Farmer who was a neighbor and friend she met in Woodford. When they got married Mary quit teaching and her and Marion returned to Woodford where they would eventually open and run one of the longest operating General Store there. Mary and her husband then became world travelers for over 40 years. Her husband passed away in 1998 at the age of 98 and Mary passed away in 2009 at the age of 99.
