{"id":97395,"date":"2024-02-05T12:03:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=97395"},"modified":"2024-02-16T13:09:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T18:09:00","slug":"our-ancestors-love-100-years-ago-valentines-day-1924","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/our-ancestors-love-100-years-ago-valentines-day-1924.html","title":{"rendered":"Our Ancestors & Love, 100 Years Ago: Valentine\u2019s Day 1924"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 to help celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day \u2013 Katie Rebecca Garner searches old newspapers to see what our ancestors thought of love 100 years ago. Katie specializes in U.S. research for family history, enjoys writing and researching, and is developing curricula for teaching children genealogy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Marriage traditions have changed over the centuries. It is well known that arranged marriages were common long ago. Now, many cultures allow young people getting married to choose whom they will marry, and it is acceptable and even expected to choose someone out of love.<\/p>\n

In the days of arranged marriages, love was not considered a good reason to marry. But what did people think of love 100 years ago? Let\u2019s look at two newspaper articles on the subject that were published on Valentine\u2019s Day in 1924.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: red candle for Valentine’s Day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Winifred Black, a newspaper writer in 1924, wrote an essay on love that was published in Albany, New York. She opened with a dialogue between young girls about what kind of boys they want to go out with. Margie said she would not go out with a boy who does not have a car to take her around. Hortense agreed. Mabel stated that she wants someone who can dance well. Margie said, \u201ca good-looking beau was \u2018all to the good\u2019\u201d but stuck to her first proposition that \u201can automobile was an indispensable appendage to any young man who sought her favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Times-Union (Albany, New York), 14 February 1924, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mildred, the only engaged girl in the conversation, brought up marriage. She pointed out that all the boys they knew did not have their own automobile but used their parents\u2019 car, and that a newlywed couple was likely to be without an automobile. She advised against living in the lap of luxury as a girl because a newlywed couple would have to \u201clive on the bare necessaries of life and pay on the installment plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Somewhere in the conversation, Mabel said, \u201cOho, who thinks about marriage?\u201d Mildred\u2019s response was met with a chorus of protests. The author then stated that none of these girls, except Mildred, had \u201cyet begun to think seriously of marriage, and I hope they will get a little wisdom before their wedding days come.\u201d<\/p>\n

This newspaper article shows that girls 100 years ago considered going out with boys without considering whom they would want to marry. This is an attitude that one might expect from young people who are old enough to find people of their preferred sexual orientation attractive but are too young to get married. This is as true now as it was 100 years ago.<\/p>\n

Dating as we know it today was relatively new 100 years ago. In the early twentieth century, society shifted from courting to dating. Dating was freer for the young people involved than courting because courting had more parental involvement.<\/p>\n

Winifred Black went on to say, \u201cCertainly it is one thing to choose a dancing partner or a young man to take you driving in a handsome automobile. And another to select or accept a partner for life.\u201d She explained how a girl does not think of getting a husband when she chooses a beau. She compared the qualities of driving a machine, being a good dancer, being a bright talker, or having good manners against a sense of honor. She advised looking for \u201cthe real qualities which you can love and respect in a man\u201d and that \u201cdifficult places in life would be smoothed out\u201d by looking at the fundamental things of existence.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: champagne glasses for Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

This editorial about Valentine\u2019s Day was published in Schenectady, New York, 100 years ago. It said:<\/p>\n

\u00a0St. Valentine\u2019s Day is an excellent occasion for those who wish to suggest their young love to another, for husbands and wives who wish to remind each other of their affection; in fact it gives an opportunity at any stage of love.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"An<\/a>
Schenectady Gazette (Schenectady, New York), 14 February 1924, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This editorial went on to say:<\/p>\n

In Ophelia\u2019s day, it would seem that St. Valentine was held sponsor for the most pronounced expressions of affection. It is therefore a time for cheerful lightheartedness, and comes appropriately when one\u2019s thoughts are turned toward spring, in which the Victorian bard notes that the young man\u2019s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love\u2026<\/p>\n

We fear, however, that Valentine\u2019s Day has ceased to be more than an occasion. There was a time when St. Valentine as the patron of lovers prescribed uses and customs that will be remembered by the readers of \u201cThe Fair Maid of Perth.\u201d Life had perhaps more forms and observances then than now, or at least paid more attention to them. At a more recent period Valentine\u2019s Day inspired young men, and some older ones, to write copies of verses to the ladies of their affection. That was well because it served as one of the little amenities of life which are always pleasant and gracious. But now St. Valentine\u2019s Day is little more than an occasion and an opportunity for those who (as far as we have observed) do not as a rule need much encouragement. Still even from that standpoint it will be looked upon by most people with benevolence.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the twenty-first century, fewer people are dating than in the twentieth, and more people are choosing to stay single than in prior centuries. Some have given up on love, and some have not found the right person yet. Whatever the reason, Valentine\u2019s Day is now also known as Single Awareness Day.<\/p>\n

Based on the first article examined, even in days when people marry for love, marriage and love still have enough separateness for people to consider dating without considering marriage. The second article laments love becoming less formal, a trend that continues today. Attitudes toward love have not changed as much as one might suppose.<\/p>\n

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial<\/a><\/p>\n

Note on the header image:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cLove & Valentine\u2019s Day.\u201d Credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this article \u2013 to help celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day \u2013 Katie Rebecca Garner searches old newspapers to see what our ancestors thought of love 100 years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":97411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12703],"tags":[8739,22,3731,3252,3253],"class_list":["post-97395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays","tag-love","tag-marriage","tag-social-history","tag-st-valentines-day","tag-valentines-day-2"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/illustration-0205-2024-featured-graphic-love-valentines-day.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97395"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97409,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97395\/revisions\/97409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}