Did your spouse, father, or grandfather propose marriage in a romantic location or in a unique way? Is there a funny story of how grandpa finally won grandma’s heart? Or vice versa? How did you meet your sweetheart? These are the stories that typically can’t be found in records. Take a few moments to document them so that future generations will know the story too. Have a happy Valentine’s Day!
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My Grandfather was a Stonemason in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. He carted the Stone being used for jobs with a Horse and Cart.
He saw his Sweetheart one day, and stopped to speak to her, the horse got impatient and bolted, his Sweeheart run and got hold of the reins, and stopped the horse. He asked her to marry him, as he said anyone who could handle a horse like that would make a good wife.
Maureen
That’s a great story! Thanks for sharing it.
One day when my Grandparents were courting, they were riding in Grandfathers buggy, when my Grandmothers new bonnet and hair piece got stuck in a low tree branch. Grandmother was embarrassed, but Grandfather just smiled and put his arm around her. Grandmother fell in love with his smile and sense of humor, and married him!
My grandfather, Julien JeanRichard was from Switzerland, but working in Dresden, Germany. He came to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, IL and married my grandmother, Julia Pinger and stayed.
Don’t know exactly how they met, but my grandmother’s maternal family ran a boarding house in Chicago, IL and her father ran a Saloon according to the City Directory.
The outbreak of war often hastens marriages: The night of Pearl Harbor my father was serving in the US Navy, and his destroyer had just arrived in Peru.From there, he telephoned my mother in Manhattan to propose asking that they marry in San Francisco at Christmas when his ship was due back in the USA. My mother wanted to spend her “last” Christmas at home so they were married in Reno, Nevada on New Year’s Eve, 1941 in the Catholic cathedral.
Martha
In our family it is quite common that the women married men younger than themselves. My grandmother refused to marry my grandfather because he looked TOO young, so he grew a mustache and it worked. He had that mustache all his life and he passed away 6 months after she did. He was in hospital and they wanted to shave his mustache but he would’nt let them.
Anne
This story was published in our local newspaper about my son’s proposal to his wife of ten years.
Gaye LeBaron’s Column The Press Democrat July 2, 1998
ACTORS DO IT dramatically: At the final dress rehearsal for Summer Repertory Theater’s production of “Judevine,” Greg Humes, a member of last year’s SRT company, came walking down the aisle as the cast was taking its curtain call, climbed to the stage, presented the bouquet he was carrying to his lady love, Anna Glenn, dropped to his knees and asked her to marry him.
Once she recovered from her surprise, Anna said “Yes.”
For SRT’s Artistic Director Frank Zwolinksi, who considers himself the father of this brood of student actors, it was just another in more than a quarter-century of Great Moments in the Theater.
“I was in tears,” said Frank. “The whole cast was in tears.”
Anna plays the role of “Bobbie” and sings an amazing “Amazing Grace” in David Budbill’s fine play.
Regulars will recognize her as the rubber-faced “Sister Mary Amnesia” in last season’s “Nunsense.”
I have to say a word about this play, “Judevine.” Like most of the audience, I had never heard of it, but came away very impressed. It’s staged like “Our Town,” written as poetry, like “Spoon River Anthology” and compresses life into vignettes in the manner of a series of National Public Radio essays. It is, in turn, sweet, harsh, sad and funny. Everybody’s talking about “Sound of Music,” but don’t overlook “Judevine.”
And remember, it’s “Bobbie” that Greg loves.
I try to include as much personal stories into my genealogy records as I can. John married Mary is not very interesting except when you find that Mary and John were on a train. He going back to Air Force camp; and she on leave from nurses training. She wanted someone to talk to and maybe buy her lunch. Well, they hit it off and have been married for over 50 years.
Ours was a blind date, and we’re celebrating soon 53 years.
Not long after my husband and I agreed to be married we were in a shopping mall walking past a jewelry store which was having a big sale. We decided to look there for matching wedding bands. I wasn’t going to have a diamond engagement ring because we didn’t want to incure the added expense at that time. But as we were looking at rings my future husband found a solitare, heart shaped, diamond engagement ring that he wanted me to have. It too was on sale for 60% off the regular price. He decided we could afford it. So he got the attention of the sales lady and told her that he wanted “that one”. She took the ring out of the showcase and had it cleaned and polished. Then as she handed it to my future husband she made this announcement to everyone in the store… “Attention everyone. We are about to witness a very special occasion.” She told him to take the ring and place it on my finger. He did and then kissed me as everyone in the store applauded. It is a moment I will never forget. Last November we celebrated 20 years of marriage.
My sister’s boyfriend borrowed his friend’s car to pick up my sister. He uncharacteristically said I could attend the basketball game with them. I didn’t know his friend was at the school waiting. The following week when I was getting ready for our first real date, my sister informed me that this was the guy I should marry. Three years later we were married and have been married for almost 43 years.
Grandma Lena met Grandpa Henry at a barn dance. Henry had been working on a neighboring farm and the owner’s son Louis was married to Lena’s sister, Bertha. Lena had a reputation for being “difficult to get to know”, but Henry was interested. So, he bet Louis a new hat that he could walk Lena home from the dance. Louis was sure he would win the bet, but Henry told Lena about the bet and said he could not afford a new hat. She took pity on him and let him walk her home. They married about a year later.