This post for the Carnival of Genealogy Smile For the Camera edition is a wedding photo of my grandparents Ziphirin Champagne and Marie Octavie Carriere. They were married May 21, 1907 in Manitoba. She was 18 at the time and he was 30, almost twice her age.
I was amazed at how many children they had. I know of 12 children that lived but was told by my mother of many more that did not. She stated that her mother was pregnant almost every year of her married fertile life with stillbirths and infant deaths mixed in amongst the living children. I doubt that on this wedding day she expected such a life but maybe I am wrong. Perhaps in those days that was all she expected.We were at a wedding a couple of weeks ago. The happy couple are now off in Europe on a honeymoon. The differences between then and now are so staggering. 100 years and we can't even wrap our heads around the lives our ancestors led.
There were few honeymoons, no gift registries or openings that lasted half a day, no albums full of pictures of all the family in attendance, no videos.
If you were lucky there was a photo taken and if we are lucky it has survived the years and we have a copy to enjoy. Oh yes, and we have birth control.
4 comments:
She was very pretty. You are fortunate to have a wedding photo. I have none....not even for my parents. They did not have a white dress wedding. I guess with WWII and my Dad in med school, they were married by a justice of the peace. I had to dig to get a photo to do this particular blog. Weddings today are so expensive. Popular now are these destination weddings....too expensive to even attend. Several of my son's friends have these planned....but with the economy in the toilet, have decided to just get married in local churches. Nice blog, Lori.
Modern women should band together and errect a monument to birth control.It has enabled all of us the freedom to choose our own lives.
While were at it,we can show those that long for the "good old days" the cemeterys and numbers of children that familys buried back in the good old days!
I like your blog and your grandmother was a beutiful woman.
What a treasure! I'm hoping to get a photo of my maternal grandparents' wedding when I go visit them next week. They were married in 1942 when my grandfather was in the Navy. I'm glad you posted this. I'm hoping to turn my blog into a genealogy blog someday.
Lori, I'm sure you've looked at this photograph of your grandparents many, many times and wondered what they were thinking on this day. Was she frightened coming into a marriage with such an older, wiser man? Was he gentle and understanding? Maybe you can learn some of those answers by looking at the personalities and demeanor of others in your family.
I really like your blog. Thanks for sharing this beautiful photograph with us, your fellow genea-bloggers.
Post a Comment