Four Weddings and a Funeral

Last weekend I spent some time trying to locate the marriage record of my husband’s great-uncle John.  John was the oldest child in his family, and my husband’s Grandma Lois was the youngest.  “Johnnie” joined the navy and moved away from home shortly after Grandma was born.

Grandma didn’t see Johnnie very often, but she has told stories about how she went to Washington D.C. the summer before her senior year of high school to teach English to Johnnie’s wife Irene, a native of Russia.

Wedding Number One

My search for Johnnie and Irene’s marriage record began with  Johnnie’s Person Page on FamilySearch, where his marriage date is listed but no marriage place is given.  I then looked at his Sources Page and discovered that Johnnie had a marriage record attached to him.  I opened the record to gather additional information and was quite surprised to discover that while the marriage record did indeed belong to Johnnie, the wife was on the marriage record was not Irene.  Closer inspection of the marriage record revealed that Johnnie’s first, middle, and last name, along with his birthdate and parents’ names all match our family records.  Furthermore, this 1931 marriage record states that this was his second marriage and gives his marital status as divorced.

Wedding Number Two

These clues led to a search for a record of Johnnie’s first marriage, which ended up being quite simple.  I clicked on the Ancestry button from Johnnie’s Person Page in FamilySearch and an additional marriage record from 1927 popped right up.  I opened the record, and sure enough, the information for the groom matched everything we know about Johnnie, right down to his occupation in the U.S. Navy.  Wedding number two had just been discovered.

Based on family stories along with her scrapbooks and personal history, I am fairly certain Grandma Lois never knew about these first two marriages.  Whether her parents or other siblings knew about them will likely remain a mystery.  One thing is certain – all living family members I have asked about these marriages were surprised to learn of them.  The records in this case have provided additional details of Johnnie’s life story that might otherwise have been lost forever.  Further research will hopefully uncover more information about these two marriages.

Wedding Number Three

After discovering these two marriage records, I returned to my search for the record of Johnnie’s known marriage to Irene.  Johnnie’s first two marriages took place in California, so I searched California marriages, but didn’t find anything.  To determine where the marriage might have taken place, I began searching for Irene’s immigration records.  I found that she traveled from Shanghai, China to Honolulu, Hawaii in August of 1940, and her passage was paid by her fiancee, John.  I discovered another passenger list for a ship originating in Honolulu and bound for San Francisco dated June of 1941.  This time, Irene has the same last name as Johnnie, lists her occupation as housewife, and gives her final destination as Washington D.C., where she will be joining Johnnie.  Clues from these passenger lists led me to look at marriage records in Hawaii.  I was able to find the record at FindMyPast for a marriage between Johnnie and Irene that took place in Honolulu. The date on the record matches the marriage date from family records.

Wedding Number Four and the Funeral

Johnnie’s baby sister, Grandma Lois, is the person who inspired me to get involved in family history research. I have been researching the paternal side of her family for the last decade.  Grandma’s health has been declining over the last few months, and she passed away peacefully on August 24 at the age of 95.  She was the last living family member of her generation.   It was an honor to be able to attend her funeral and celebrate her life.  One of the stories that was told during the service was about how she and Grandpa met.  I had never heard the story before and it was fun to hear the details.

Shortly after Grandma graduated from high school, she moved to Manti, Utah and began working in a parachute factory.  One weekend, a dance was to be held.  Grandma mentioned to a coworker that she would like to go, but she didn’t have a date.  The coworker happened to have a brother that had recently come home from California for a visit.  She set the two of them up and they went to the dance together.  They enjoyed their time together at the dance so much that they began a long-distance courtship, as Grandpa had to return to California to finish his schooling.  They kept in touch by mail, became engaged, and were married 12 May 1943. 

Two days later, Grandpa reported for active duty with the U.S. Army to serve in World War II.  Grandma Lois supported herself in the years he was away by continuing to work at the parachute factory.  She also drove taxi in the big town of Provo, Utah.  After Grandpa returned from the war, they settled in a small town in Wyoming, where they raised their six children.  I’m so thankful that Grandma recorded these details about her courtship and marriage as well as other details from her life!  Discovering stories in the records is possible, but those that have been personally recorded fill in so many more details! 

I have renewed my determination to keep a record of my own life for posterity.  What are your favorite ways to document your life?