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| You ask me for a blog on this the day of my daughter's wedding? |
The Tardis starts materializing outside of a church in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It's a strange sight to be sure. A 1960s era British police box phases in and out of existence as a funny wheezing noise heralds its imminent arrival. You step out of the cleverly disguised time machine when it finally fully materializes and take a look around. The year is 1948 and the planet is recovering from the second world war. Life is slowly returning to normal as young soldiers on the front lines are starting to build families of their own. It seems, for once, the world is at peace. You pull an invitation out your pocket. It reads:
"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Robert Eugene Hamel and Natalie Florence Felker on June 5th, 1948."
I love weddings and I really liked writing that introduction. I had the option of using a delorean. But, can we all agree that the reentry is a little hazardous? Sure the Tardis isn't reliable, either. But, at least she takes you to where you're needed! And we need to talk about this wedding. First up, let's take a look at the picture:
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| What a dapper looking crew! |
Not a bad looking bunch, right? Everyone is dressed to the nines. Let's see who we have here....
Back row from left to right: Donald Laplante (Grandpa Hamel's uncle), Alfred Hamel Jr, Grandpa Hamel, my grandmother Natalie Felker, Elaine Felker, Austin Felker and Norman Felker.
Front row left to right: Dorothea Felker, Brenda Welch and Eleanor Felker.
This is definitely quite a crew. I remember the first time I saw this picture. I was little and my grandparents were showing me several pictures from their wedding album. My grandmother pointed out her father, Austin, and told me some nice stories about him. Though, one thing always puzzled me about the picture even when I was a kid. Where were the parents of the groom? Where was Alfred Hamel senior and Clara Laplante? Where was the mother of the bride, Henrietta Legault?
I think that the logical answer is that they were probably off camera and waiting to take another picture. This is most likely the official wedding party photo. After those are taken care of, you get the other pics taken in rapid succession. I mean ice sculptures melt, right? No one wants to see the head of an ice swan break off into a vat of meatballs, do they? Then again, that's a sign the wedding will have good luck! Or watered down pasta sauce.
My grandmother assured me that everyone who needed to be there that day was. And hey...check out the calendar. This blog is actually being posted almost seventy-two years to the day that my grandparents were married. Isn't that an amazing coincidence? It's almost like I plan these blogs in advance!
I should also note that my grandparents were married on my grandfather's birthday. How cool is that?
I really like how the picture came out. It's so clean and crisp. My aunt scanned it and distributed it among various family members. But, I think a lot of people have copies. Overall it's a great picture of what looked like a very classy time. I should also note that all the ladies made their own dresses! I doubt "The Time of Your Life" or the "Chicken Dance" were played at the reception. THANK GOD!
I should also note that my grandparents were married on my grandfather's birthday. How cool is that?
I really like how the picture came out. It's so clean and crisp. My aunt scanned it and distributed it among various family members. But, I think a lot of people have copies. Overall it's a great picture of what looked like a very classy time. I should also note that all the ladies made their own dresses! I doubt "The Time of Your Life" or the "Chicken Dance" were played at the reception. THANK GOD!
A few days after the wedding, an article about it was posted in the Newburyport Daily News and Daily Herald for June 15th, 1948. I actually found this article recently. It wasn't on Newspapers.com. I found it at the Digital Archives of the Newburyport Public Library!
Using that website, I was able to find a treasure trove of articles about my family who lived in the Newburyport area and some who were just visiting as they had businesses there. I found mostly weddings and a few obits. However, something very interesting caught my eye in the archives! An anniversary article!
On June 3rd, 1945, Joseph Laplante and Georgianna Ross celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary! My 2x great-grandparents were married on June 3rd, 1895 and wouldn't you know it? Tomorrow (June 3rd, 2020) will be their one hundred and twenty-fifth wedding anniversary! Hmm...I wonder if it's too late to hire a DJ.
Anyway, from this article we receive a ton of genealogical information. You probably could make a decent tree with this information. Everything is here. Who. Who, What, Where and When. Seriously, all that was left was everyone's favorite color.
If you look closely, my grandfather was even mentioned as serving in Italy at the time the article was written! This is definitely a great find!
Newspaper archives will always be an important part of genealogical research. I'm glad I stumbled upon that website because it's a great research tool. Newburyport has a long and storied history and I'm glad articles about it are just a mouse click away. I just hope that Haverhill, Mass follows suit with an archive of their own. Perhaps they will. Here's hoping!
Wedding photos are also useful and I have quite a few of them. I focused on my maternal grandparents because of how close we are to their actual wedding anniversary. A lot of weddings do take place in June and yet some people buck tradition and have weddings whenever they feel like it!
Though, if it were up to me I'd go for the summer option. Or early spring.
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