This may be the "wedding photo" of my Paternal Second Great Grandparents William Roscoe & Lena Jorgenson. This photo was taken in Peotone, Illinois where they both lived before coming to Nebraska. But their marriage certificate is from Gage County, Nebraska dated May 4, 1882. Whether the photo was taken before or after their wedding, getting it had me doing a happy little genealogy dance.
In 1627 on the 28th of May in Drayton, Somerset, England William Roscoe's fifth Great Grandparents, John White & Joan West were married. How cool would a "wedding portrait" be of this couple! I'm their ninth Great Granddaughter.
On May 23, 1867, Charles Gaisford & Henrietta Smith were married in Worcester, Massachusetts. They are my paternal Grandmother's Grandparents and were married for over 52 years at his death. Ancestry has his name as "Gilford".
Three days in a row in Wayne County, Kentucky are anniversary dates of my direct maternal ancestors. David Bell & Mary Polly Adair were married on May 4, 1812. Twenty-six years minus one day later their son, John Silas Bell married Rutha Simpson on May 3, 1838. Those couples are my Fourth and Third Great Grandparents respectively. Also in Wayne County, my Second Great Grandparents Benjamin Spann & Hiley Decker were married on May 5, 1852.
Three sets of my Second Great Grandparents were married in May - the Roscoe's, the Gaisford's & the Spann's. May 4th and May 19th are the most popular dates for May weddings in my tree with 4 each out of 42 total. William & Lena were married for 65 years, the second longest marriage of my direct ancestors that I am aware of in my family tree.
In my husband's maternal branch of the tree there are two couples who chose May wedding dates. His Second Great Grandparents John Austin Spalding & Ann Melvina Simms were married on May 27, 1851 in Marion County, Kentucky. I have that his Fourth Great Grandparents Benedict Thomas & Ann Abell were married on May 29, 1798. They married in either Maryland or Kentucky, I haven't found a record to confirm that yet.
These marriages were more recent than the ones I had in my April list. It's nice to be able to find actual copies and online images of the marriage certificates or licenses of these couples. Photographs are still hard to come by, but any I can find will have me dancing like no one is watching -- and hoping no one is.
I'm surprised to see the bride seated with the groom standing. I can't recall ever seeing a photo done that way; it's usually the groom sitting and bride standing.
ReplyDeleteHa! Maybe she was a dominant woman! Thanks Wendy
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