My Great-Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary

My Great-Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary, originally uploaded by confections.

In my post yesterday, I mentioned a great-great-grandmother who had emigrated from France in 1848, Catherine Decker. Her son John P. Mayer (whose father was Casper Mayer) is seen in this photo on the occasion of his 50th wedding anniversary circa 1932, along with my great-grandmother, Christina. I never knew these great-grandparents (Christina died two years before I was born, John about six years after this anniversary), but I have heard many stories about them. I'm trying to gather as many as I can from the old-timers who still remember them.

My Paternal Grandmother with Her Siblings & Parents, circa 1910

My Paternal Grandmother with Her Siblings & Parents, circa 1910, originally uploaded by confections.

My Great-Grandmother Christina Boyer Mayer, seated left, Great-Grandfather John P. Mayer on the right, with his youngest daughter Leona to his immediate right. My paternal Grandmother Mollie (Mary Susannah) is the second daughter behind Leona in the back row. I love the bows in the girls' hair, and I especially love the dress and strong attitude of Aunt Belle (standing far left). I greatly resemble Alvina, standing between Mollie and Leona.

Comments on 50 years of marriage by Christina Boyer Mayer and John P. Mayer, on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary, circa 1932 (from a local newspaper at that time):

“Well, I guess ma and I will start on the next 50 years now,” Mayer said. “I’m happy we got this far, but we are going to keep right on living.”

“We have had our little misunderstandings, but somehow we always managed to kiss and make up. With all these divorces these days [1930’s], the young folk don’t know what real married life means. There ought to be a law against divorces.”

“The 50 years have been entirely satisfactory,” Mrs. Mayer said. Naturally we have had little spats while I was convincing John that I was right. [Emphasis mine.] No matter how clear the water, it sometimes gets muddy, but it will clear again.”

My Maternal Grandfather's Parents & Sisters

My Maternal Grandfather's Parents & Sisters, originally uploaded by confections.

One of the most exciting gifts to me in the early days of my genealogical research was receiving this photo of my maternal grandfather's parents and sisters via email. I had located a long-lost cousin who had this photo along with at least one-hundred more from my mother's side of the family. She generously shared them with us and they have been disseminated to the rest of the cousins.

My great-grandfather, Thomas Galbraith, the only male in this photo, was a California Gold Rush '49er. He kept a journal of his cross-country adventures, but the journal ended as soon as his party found gold. He returned by boat to the East Coast, completed medical school, and practiced medicine in Pennsylvania for many years. Family legend says that he attended the birth of his future wife, my great-grandmother Martha Jane, who was twenty-two years his junior.