{"id":9851,"date":"2015-03-05T16:47:36","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T16:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=9851"},"modified":"2021-04-21T11:22:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T15:22:30","slug":"love-marriage-newspaper-engagement-wedding-announcements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/love-marriage-newspaper-engagement-wedding-announcements.html","title":{"rendered":"Love & Marriage: Newspaper Engagement & Wedding Announcements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Gena\u00a0Philibert-Ortega shows how engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements in old newspapers provide a wealth of genealogical information to help with your family history research. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What should you be searching for when conducting family history research in newspapers? Vital record events are some of the most common newspaper articles about our ancestors, such as birth notices and obituaries. There\u2019s another broad category of newspaper articles that is extremely helpful to genealogists: engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements<\/a>. Falling in love and getting married can result in multiple articles rich in genealogical data.<\/p>\n

Whether you are tracing an ancestor\u2019s courtship, marriage, or wedding anniversary, you can find it in the newspaper. And once you find these news articles, make sure to carefully note mentions of family members, dates, places and other information that you can follow up with additional research in newspapers and other ancestry records.<\/p>\n

Researching Courtship & Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Engagement notices are a good example of newspaper articles with surprising information in addition to the names of the happy betrothed couple. Street addresses, former city residences, parents\u2019 and other relatives\u2019 names, occupations, alumni information, and pending nuptial dates can be found in these announcements. This engagement notice titled \u201cNews of Engagement Interests Society Folk\u201d from 1914 would interest present-day descendants of these couples.<\/p>\n

\"engagement<\/a>
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 3 May 1914, page 14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

20th century engagement announcements often included a photo of the bride-to-be. One good weekend project would be to find the engagement notices for more recent generations in your family to include in your genealogy.<\/p>\n

\"engagement<\/a>
Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 4 October 1931, section III, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A bridal shower for one friend may also be the perfect place to announce another\u2019s wedding engagement. This unique event provides the researcher with information about those closest to their ancestor.<\/p>\n

\"engagement<\/a>
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), 28 August 1932, page 33<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> If you know the marriage date for an ancestor, don\u2019t narrow your search to that date. You may miss an engagement notice printed months or even a year prior to the big day.<\/p>\n

Tracing Marriage Licenses & Weddings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget that you may be able to use newspapers to follow your ancestral couple from engagement to marriage license, and then from wedding to milestone anniversaries. In this 1927 San Francisco newspaper article listing vital record events, names of those applying for marriage licenses as well as those being issued licenses span San Francisco and nearby cities.<\/p>\n

\"marriage<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 28 September 1927, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Don\u2019t assume that a marriage license means the couple went through with a wedding.<\/p>\n

Newspaper articles about weddings can be full of surprises. They may include not only the names of the couple, their respective families, and details of the day \u2013 but they can also provide information about occupations and future residences. In this 1900 recounting of the wedding of Edmond Hughes and Edith Wakeman in Bismarck, North Dakota, we not only learn about the wedding but the character of the bride (\u201ccharming, accomplished and worthy\u201d) and groom (\u201ca young man of integrity and ability\u201d), as well as where they will honeymoon, and then reside.<\/p>\n

\"wedding<\/a>
Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, North Dakota), 13 June 1900, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your Ancestors\u2019 Wedding Anniversaries<\/strong><\/p>\n

How long was your ancestor married? If they stuck it out for the long ride, that accomplishment might be found in the newspaper. Typically, milestone wedding anniversaries like 25th, 50th or even beyond can be found.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s interesting about the following historical newspaper article is that it not only marks the occasion of the 25th wedding anniversary of Rev. E. N. Maynard, but notes that it\u2019s the second time he\u2019s been married 25 years. His first marriage \u201cnearly 60 years ago\u201d lasted 25 years and ended with the death of his wife. The Reverend then married again to Susan Paine \u201cconsiderably his junior\u201d and that marriage was now at the 25-year mark. What I love most about this article is all the great genealogical information found for both wives \u2013 including their names and who their fathers were \u2013 as well as the age for Rev. E. N. Maynard. Notice too that the article mentions that Maynard had no children from his first wife, but now has two daughters, a son and a grandson.<\/p>\n

\"wedding<\/a>
Worcester Daily Spy (Worcester, Massachusetts), 29 May 1895, page 5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Newspapers may include articles about parties given to honor a couple for their milestone wedding anniversary. Search for these news articles to find mentions of out-of-town family members in attendance.<\/p>\n

Some couples make 25 years of marriage look like child\u2019s play. Consider this couple, Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. Lay, who were 100 and 99 years old at their 75th wedding anniversary in 1924.<\/p>\n

\"wedding<\/a>
Repository (Canton, Ohio), 20 January 1924, page 68<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And of course once you\u2019ve successfully been married for such a long time, people are going to wonder what your secret to marital bliss is. This anniversary notice from a 1938 Kentucky newspaper may sum it up best.<\/p>\n

\"wedding<\/a>
Lexington Herald (Lexington, Kentucky), 13 June 1938, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Be sure to search old newspapers for engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements<\/a> when researching your ancestors \u2013 one more reason why newspapers are an essential genealogy resource for finding your family\u2019s stories.<\/p>\n

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