News From the Suburbs: Married in Spite of Her Father
What great vintage gossip! This rule breaking bride is my gg grandmother. I guess even in 1887 gossip found it's way into the public eye. This article was sent to me by a fellow researcher, thank you Charles!!
"Social circles on Jersey City Heights, and especially the members of the South Bergen Reformed Church, are interested in a wedding which took place Saturday evening at Asbury Park. The bride, Miss Virgnia Wentworth Franks, was a school teacher living with her father at No. 173 Bergen Ave. She was active in church work. About three years ago she became acquainted with Thomas Middleton, and an engagement soon followed. The young woman's father positively refused to sanction the projected marriage because Mr. Middleton had been divorced. All the other members of the family sympathized with the couple. On Saturday Mr. Middleton, Miss Franks, her brother, Mortimer Franks, and some friends were at Asbury Park and it was decided that three years were long enough to defer to the prejudices of the father. The Rev. Mr Battin was hunted up and the couple were married, Mortimer Franks giving the bride away. They will at once go to housekeeping in a pretty little cottage in Ocean Ave, which has been handsomely furnished by Mr. Middleton."
I wonder what Virginia thought of this being published!! Did she ever think that I, her gg granddaughter, would be reading it!?
The groom, Thomas Middleton, is a very mysterious character in my family tree. I have connected with my grandmother's cousin who has also extensively researched the family tree and he is facing the same brick wall. I know he was born in England, purchased a house in East Orange, NJ 1896 (I have the paperwork), and died in 1910. And now that he was married/divorced to someone before Virginia Franks. The 1900 census lists his arrival year as 1884, so was his first wife in England? Did they have kids? ahhh more questions...
Connecting with family members is HUGE! DO IT! If you don't know of anyone, find them! Charles and I share gggg grandparents and I found him very randomly. He had posted a query on a message board and when I googled my gggg grandparents names I found him. He had letters and had done a lot of research. We have been able to exchange a bunch of really great information and details. Not to mention, I have 3 daguerreotype's from the Franks family and he had 3 or 4 from the same generation! How about that.
I'll take what I can get, I've learned to focus on the details. Sometimes it can be the smallest detail that leads you down a path to copious amounts of information. If nothing else, this article gives me a fuller understanding of their life experiences. I'm sure glad I wasn't there when he father found out!
Mon, June 13, 2011 at 6:00 PM