Family Weddings

Family weddings are one of my absolute favorite things, so I thought it would be fun to do a blog on stories and documentation from weddings in my family tree.  Below are not complete discussions of the family wedding, but quick memories or thoughts that I have. If ANYONE mentioned within wants a full blog entry on their wedding, I will happily extend author rights to the blog and invite your contribution with GIDDY DELIGHT.

1846: Nicholas Hoey and Elizabeth (perhaps Long)

This first marriage is a huge piece of the family story.  Nick Hoey's first wife, Elizabeth McConnel, Anne Hoey's mother, passed away in 1845; Hoey remarried Elizabeth Long, and Anne Hoey moved to America!  Had this marriage not occurred, perhaps Anne would have remained in Ireland to help her family.

1857: John Nolan and Anne Hoey 

Immaculate Conception Church

John and Anne's first child, Morris (pronounced Mauricie), was born and baptised in 1858, so I am hypothesising that the couple married by 1857. So far, I've not found documentation of their marriage; while they lived in New York, all their children were baptized at Immaculate Conception in Manhattan (a new church at the time with a large Irish immigrant community). My hope is they married there, and I continue to pursue evidence. 

Anne and John had 10 (11) children, 8 (7) of whom lived to adulthood. There is evidence of a baptism of a baby William, but no further evidence, and a family story of a Stephen, but no documentation for him at all (hence the parenthesis above). 

1888: John William Gagan and Mary Nolan

I have Mary Nolan's wedding ring; her marriage date is inscribed within.  John Willie (as he was referred to in family stories I was told) was from Central New York - Glenville, NY.  Interestingly, they were married at St. Mary's Church in Port Chester - the rest of the family's religious ceremonies were held at Our Lady of Mercy.  (Also note that I am not the only family member to find a man on the Mohawk River!

The Port Chester Journal, 28 June 1888

1912: George Hughes and Mary Ellen Gagan 

George Hughes was a rising local star as a professional golfer in Port Chester; Mary Ellen was a telephone operator working to help her family. They married in February of 1912 at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Port Chester; tantalizingly, there is a photo of the couple. 

My Aunt Mimi kindly brought it to my wedding to put on display. I regret that I failed to make a copy, and I am not sure where the photo is now.  Tragically, George died in a car crash, coming home with tickets for a surprise cruise for his family (his wife and their girls). 

1940: Daniel McCarthy and Anne Hughes

With Anne's father's death, she asked her Uncle Stephen Gagan (her mother's brother) to walk her down the aisle.  Anne and Dan married on 19 July 1940 and held the wedding reception at her childhood home. Anne and Dan would buy that home from her mother - at her request after their wedding - for $100 - it was sooner than they wanted to buy a home, but MaryEllen was concerned that her youngest daughter, Rita, have a home to be married from and Anne and Dan agreed.  They spent a great deal of time and energy keeping the house up, and it still stands today!  Below is a photo of Anne and Dan's daughters (Sheila and Mickey), their daughters (Amy, Heather, and Meghan), and their granddaughters! 

36 Lafayette Drive

1950: Frank Beluk and Rita Hughes

 This wedding is where the idea for this blog was born. My mom, Sheila McCarthy, and Catherine Beluk (the groom's niece) were flower girls. Throughout my entire life, whenever these two saw each other, they would smile and laugh about their role in the wedding; the twinkle in their eyes made you think they really believed they were the highlight of the day! 

Rita and Frank met through mutual friends and had three boys. Their youngest, Paul, has three children (a son and two girls); his two daughters married recently, and their amazing weddings are now on the list of happy memories we all share. 

1964: Sam Begg and Sheila McCarthy

My parents married on 1 August 1964; according to my father, Mom spent 40 minutes praying to the Virgin, and he was never quite clear about the topics unpacked at that private yet public session - nor was he pleased with the time spent. 

Mom and Dad married in Pittsburgh, where her family moved in the early 1960s and where Dad's family had been since their immigrant ancestors came to America from Croatia (at the time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire).  Dad's family stories are on another blog - How Grey Was My Valley.l

1971: Dale McLane and MaryEllen McCarthy

My mom's sister, MaryEllen (Mickey), met Dale at a bar after an eye exam; she was trying to light a cigarette and was trailing her finger down the butt to "find" the bottom to light it; Dale saw the movements and felt pity or intrigue and lit her cigarette.  A few days (or weeks) later, they saw the Albert Finney musical Scrooge, and as they exited the theatre, signing the soundtrack, Mickey realized she was in love. I adore that story. 

I created some tension at this wedding; Dad wrote up the summary.

1998: Thomas De Groff and Amy Begg

Tom and I met in Jamaica, and we were in our late 20s and knew what we wanted, so from meeting to marriage, things went quickly. I suspect for many in the family it was a bit of a whirlwind. I was the first in my birth cohort to get married, and I am a rather close-circle kind of person, so I had not been to a lot of weddings when it came time to plan ours.  I share that last part because I had a few ideas for our wedding - I'd heard the Apache Wedding Blessing at a friend's wedding - but really did not know what to suggest or ask for. Our wedding was a hybrid of old fashion wedding (frankly somber mass — one and a half hours!) and a (IMO) quasi-sophisticated reception (cocktails, dinner, dancing) at a historic home.  If I could go back in time, I'd get married at Forest Hill or my childhood home! 

Bottom line - our wedding was full of our families and friends and remains a glorious and important memory.  I think same can be said for each wedding remembered above.