Wallace met the girl of his dreams, Susan Elston, when he was visiting Crawfordsville in 1848 to attend a Wabash College Commencement activity. After four short years, the couple married in Crawfordsville on May 6, 1852 but not without some resistance from his wife’s family. Wallace worked hard to gain the respect of the Elston family. Susan’s father, Major Isaac Elston, the richest man in town was especially unimpressed with the young lawyer. He and his wife often voiced disapproval of Wallace, suggesting that his prospects were not too promising. They also cited his reputation as an audacious boy who was later directly involved with the Elstons. As a young boy, Wallace had actually snuck into the Elston Homestead to peak a look into the mansion and to examine two luxuries of the time—a sofa and a piano, both of which he had never seen before. Wallace never completely forgave his in-laws for their initial disdain that continued through the first years of his relationship with his future wife.
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