My parents were married December 16, 1941. So if Mom hadn't died 12 years ago and Dad hadn't died almost 6 years ago, they could celebrate their 74th wedding anniversary this year. They did almost make it to 62 years. Mom died just a couple of weeks before we could have had this celebration.
However, they did celebrate 25, 40, 50, and 60 with parties. In my current cleaning and sorting mood, I uncovered congratulatory cards from December 1981- their 40th anniversary. Of course, mom kept them. Of course, I kept them. All my family is asking "Why." So I have thrown out a few. It was nice to read familiar names of friends that were prominent in their lives at the time. Many of those names belong to the deceased now as well as do Mom and Dad. Some of the cards contained nice letters which I think could be shared on this genealogy blog at some point in the future. Don't we wish we had old letters of other ancestors. It won't be long before these old letters are ancient. I am saving parts of some cards for my signature project. ( just a little teaser).
What do I know about my parents marriage? I understand they were married in the Methodist Parsonage in Scranton, Iowa. My mother's mother, Nina Grisso, was their witness. The date was December 16, 1941 just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Mom shared that she had been to Cedar Rapids, Iowa with her Aunt Ardea and Uncle Steve that day. They had probably gone for the week-end due to the distance. Cedar Rapids is where mom's uncle and Ardea's brother, Merroll lived. They were on their way home when they heard the news. She had purchased her wedding blouse on this trip.
A couple of dozen years ago as we were driving through the tiny burg of Farlin, Iowa. Mom pointed out a house that she said they stayed in after they were married. I have no idea if this was a day, a week, or longer. I also know they spent time living with Mom's parents and 5 other siblings across the road from where they started farming. The farm they were to live on would not be available until March 1. This was an established date when renters vacated and a new tenant occupied the farm they were to work the next growing season. March 1 gave them some time to get settled and work the ground before time to put in the crop. The farm was owned by Estella Vorhies Smith, my mother's grandmother. She inherited the farm from her father, John MacVorhies. This farm was part of the original homestead purchased by Joseph Withrow, my 3x great-grandfather.
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| Vern and Mary December 16, 1941 |
Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary
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| Mom's and Dad's rental farm 1942-1959 "The Sixty" (where it all began) |
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| The farm they bought in 1969. (Still in the family) |
"Of course, I kept them."
ReplyDeleteOf course! Somebody has to become the "keeper of the stuff!" Your family may not understand now, but someday, someone will be grateful. I know I was, when I received the stash posthumously bestowed upon me by family members I'd never met.