School, courtship, home and service, in Bridget’s recollections and family records.
Bridget’s memories
Bridget also caught a prize-winning moment with her camera: little Ron “Having Fun,” her second-place picture-contest snapshot.
Tim remembers going along with Bridget for craft mornings at the old St. Joseph High School, with a little exploring when he felt brave. A 1977 newspaper notice also names Bridget as a contact for the church’s Craft Ladies.
Bridget Morrison Roling’s handwritten memoir preserves her recollections of school, her first date with Bob, and their family life. These stories are drawn from her own account.
Working her way through St. Joe
Bridget attended the one-room Pleyer School before going on to St. Joe High School. When her family moved to the Prairie Hill farm, she could no longer use the same school bus. Determined to continue at St. Joe, she found a place to live and work with Dr. and Mrs. Hawkins. She remembered earning $3 a week while tuition cost $3 a month, or $27 a year. Her school days included a trip back to prepare the doctor’s lunch, followed by housework and supper after classes. The work enabled her to finish high school.
About this keepsake
The visible emblem reads “SJ”. The class year follows family identification and is not legible in this photograph. The photograph’s date is unknown. This is Bridget’s own ring, distinct from the account of Bob’s class ring worn on a ribbon.
A Christmas party and a gold deer pin
Bridget remembered her first date with Bob at a Boy Scout Christmas party in the scout cabin at the city park. Each scout was to bring a date and a gift. There was a decorated tree, refreshments and music for dancing. In the margin of her account, she identified Bob’s gift as a gold deer pin. The evening brought her first Christmas party, first dance and first good-night kiss. Even the muddy walk home remained part of a happy memory.
Home and family
Looking back on their early married life, Bridget placed their home at 407 College in Salisbury. Her later memories included Bob’s love of farms, ponds and fishing, an enthusiasm she did not share. She closed her account by remembering their “49 good years together” and the pleasure they took in their family.
Source: Bridget Morrison Roling’s family-held handwritten memoir, pp. 7, 11–12, 15–16, 29 and 34. Browse the Boy Scout newspaper articles. The Christmas-party reports have not yet been matched to the first-date memory.
Room for a growing family
Bob and Bridget’s home at 407 S. College had two bedrooms. When their sixth child, Jane Maria, was born, they moved next door to 211 West 4th Street. The five-bedroom, two-story house became the home where they raised their children, and they lived there for the rest of their lives.
Source: family recollection recorded in October 2026. The year of the move has not been established.
Bridget’s service to St. Joseph School
A newspaper clipping kept by the family reports that Bridget Roling received a Senior Service Award from Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder for volunteering at St. Joseph School. The award was presented during a school assembly. The family identifies the newspaper as the Salisbury Press-Spectator; the publication date remains unknown.
Source: family-held clipping headed “Receives Senior Service Award.”
Memories kept in the family papers
A mother’s small rewards
In a Mother's Day newspaper feature, Bridget described the rewards of raising nine children. They were not all grand milestones. She remembered a child's happiness with a new puppy, an older brother standing up for a younger one, and teenage daughters offering to babysit so she could travel with Bob. For her, the lasting reward was seeing a child become a good person who would be a blessing to others. The clipping preserves her voice as a mother alongside the names and dates in the family tree.
Source: Mike Colgan, “Moms agree IOUs do get paid,” undated newspaper clipping.