Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Wedding Wednesday - Edward and Mary Ann Brown nee Quirk

The Plain Speaker, 18JUN1940, pg 28
"Brown-Quirk.

Miss Mary Ann Quirk, daughter of Edward J. Quirk of Jeanesville, and Edward J. Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Brown, of West Broad street, this city, were married this morning at 8 o'clock at St. Gabriel's church by Very Rev. Monsignor Dennis J. Kane, who also celebrated the nuptial mass which followed the ceremony.

The bride wore a gown of white marquisheer made with a high neckline, short sleeves and a full ruffled skirt.  Her finger-tip veil of illusion was held in place by a cap of orange blossoms, and she carried an old fashioned bouquet of white roses, larkspur and sweet peas.

Miss Anna Turnbach, cousin of the bride, was bridesmaid and carrying out the all-white theme, wore a gown of white marquisheer similar to the bride's.  She wore a doll hat of white maline trimmed with small white flowers, and her old fashioned bouquet of mixed flowers.

Walter H. Brown, brother of the bridegroom, was best man.  The ushers were Eugene McElwee, cousin of the bridegroom, and Edward J. Corcoran.

Miss Margaret Flynn presided at the organ, and Patrick McHugh sang during the mass.

Immediately following the mass, a wedding breakfast was served at the Catholic Women's Club, after which the couple left on a motor trip through the New England States.

The bride is a graduate of West Chester State Teachers' College and is assistant music supervisor in the Hazle township schools.  The bridegroom is a graduate of Villanova and is a member of the Green-Vine Junior High School faculty."

This is the wedding announcement for my grandmother and grandfather.  I'm hoping that someday I'll be able to see a picture of the bride and groom.  The descriptions of the dresses were fantastic!  I'm told by my mom that it should be familiar...that she wore the same dress at her wedding, which  I remember trying that on when I was in high school!  It fit in my skinnier days, but it zipped on the side from the waist to the underarm.  Very awkward to try to get off.  I almost got stuck!

Some things that were not mentioned in the article:

1) The groom's parents, Thomas and Mary Brown Sr nee Barrett, were also married on June 18th in 1901 so it was their 39th anniversary that day!

2) It was the bride's 27th birthday on her wedding day!

3) Mary Ann's mother is not mentioned in the article.  Her name was Alice Quirk nee Blanchfield and she died on September 23, 1915 in (or shortly after) childbirth when Mary Ann was only 2 years old.  The child (gender unknown) died as well (or was stillborn).

4) The bride (as previously mentioned) was 27 and the groom was 31 when they married.  A bit older than we would normally see for this period.  I'm sure the fact that they were both college graduates had something to do with that!