R – REMEMBERING Marriage Vows

The wedding of an unknown couple in Montgomery, Alabama in 1911. My cousin, Jackie Vincent shared this photograph with me years ago.

In 1918 and 1919 thirty-seven young women, friends and neighbors of my grandmother Fannie Mae Turner were members and guests of the Edelweiss Club in Montgomery, Alabama. These are snapshots from their lives, place and times.

Click on any image to enlarge!

How many among the Edelweiss members and guests were married? Twenty-eight were married. Of these, five got divorced. Nine never married. Before I counted them up, I thought there would be more who never married. Here are some of the marriage announcements from local newspapers. There seven weddings mentioned below.

The Emancipator, Montgomery, Alabama Sat, Apr 19, 1919 · Page 2

They moved to Chicago and remained together. They had no children.

The Montgomery Times
Montgomery, Alabama • Thu, Dec 21, 1922Page 7

This marriage ended in divorce after several years. He went back to Texas and married someone else. She remained single and described herself as a widow on future censuses.

The_Emancipator_1918_04_06_page_3

This couple moved to Chicago. They had two sons. Both of the couple died young. She died of TB and he died several years later.

The Emancipator, Montgomery, Alabama
Sat, Jun 21, 1919 · Page 2

My grandparents stayed together. They had four children. Both sons died in childhood.

The Emancipator, Sat Dec 28, 1918

They remained together, relocated to Detroit and had five daughters.

The Journal, Huntsville, Alabama • Thu, Jun 22, 1911 Page 3

This surprise marriage ended in separation and divorce. She went to Montgomery to teach and then to Detroit, where she died young. He remained on his farm. Messalaine is “a soft lightweight silk dress fabric with a satin weave”.

The Emancipator, Montgomery, Alabama May 08, 1920 · Page 1

They lived in New York City and had four children. Unfortunately Dr. Vincent died young and left Naomi a well provided for widow.

The Emancipator, 1920 May, 8 page 2

At last! A description of the food served! More about planked mackeral here https://us.gozney.com/blogs/recipes/cedar-plank-mackerel-recipe

14 thoughts on “R – REMEMBERING Marriage Vows

    1. I know all of their futures, except for maybe two who disappear without a trace. Just decided not to write all of them because it makes for very long posts!

  1. Amazing set of clippings about the Edelweiss weddings — started off by that incredible photo. I had a 3rd great grandmother who did the same as Bertha Loveless. After she and her husband were divorced in 1866, she also said she was a widow.

    1. I think it was pretty common. I’ve found ex-husbands living around the corner when the ex-wife says she’s a widow.

  2. I am surprised at the number who divorced. Perhaps because they were educated women and independant thinkers they had expectations of marriage …

    1. I don’t know. I would have to do a study of women who weren’t educated. I know that my great grandmother’s younger sister was divorced. She was a seamstress. I also found a sister of my great grandfather Howard Turner, was also divorced. She wasn’t working outside the home in the last census I find her. Both were literate.

  3. Thank you for including a link to learn about planked mackerel. Fascinating.
    I think that learning from others all around the world is what makes these challenges so worthwhile. Cheers.

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