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.
