Sunday, March 10, 2013

Fearless Females – How They Met

March 5thHow did they meet?  You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit.  Do you know the story of how yours parents met?  Your grandparents?

My mom and dad lived on neighbouring farms in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.  It’s a small enough place where everyone knows everyone!  My dad was the second son and was six years older than my mom, however he was not my mom’s first choice!  She was actually dating my dad’s younger brother, Jack who was closer to her in age.  Times were tough on the farms during winter and so a lot of the young folks would go elsewhere to find work, often Toronto.  This is what Jack did one winter and while in Toronto he met someone else and dumped my mom!  I don’t know how long it was after that that my mom started dating my dad, but they did and they were married on August 15, 1953.

As I’ve written in a previous post, my mom’s parents (Robert Burn Marshall and Eliza Hamilton Burnett) were first cousins.  I’m not sure exactly when they first met but it couldn’t have been long after Robert’s first wife, Margaret died in 1914.  After Robert and Margaret’s youngest child died in 1902, they returned to Dundee from Glasgow.  Robert’s grandfather (another Robert Marshall) and Aunt and Uncle (Helen Marshall Burnett and John Burnett) were also living in Dundee.  Eliza was 17 yrs. old to his 43 yrs.  Their first child (my mom’s oldest sister) was born in Dec. 1915 and they finally married in July of 1917.

I’m not totally sure yet how my great grandfather, David Fenton Marshall met my great grandmother, Rachel Wyse Hume – all I have right now are my own assumptions.  In 1861 at the age of 14, David was boarding with an Aunt in Edinburgh and was working as a stationer’s apprentice.  Rachel’s father, Hugh Hume, was a bookbinder in Edinburgh.  It is entirely possible that 1) David was Hugh’s apprentice or 2) became acquainted with the Hume’s through that business.  David and Rachel did eventually meet and were married on August 12, 1870.  

My great-great grandparents (Robert Marshall and Ann Kynoch) met in 1839 during the time Robert was touring the North of Scotland preaching abstinence.  They met when Robert billeted with Ann’s family when he stopped in Elgin, Morayshire for one of his lectures.  When he was getting ready to leave, he couldn’t find his walking stick.  Ann’s mother loaned him an umbrella instead, claiming this would be a good reason for him to return (which he did).  I believe it was after this second visit that a romance blossomed between Robert and Ann and they began to correspond with each other and they were eventually married on September 26, 1841.

As for my paternal side, I haven’t yet uncovered the stories of how they all met.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

1 comment:

  1. It is interesting to discover how couples met. Thanks for sharing your stories.

    ReplyDelete