Elizabeth and Edgar met and married within 6 months. Edgar spent the first year of their marriage without the intrusion of a job because Elizabeth’s father had generously provided financial resources for them to travel and live together to get to know each other. He’d wanted to provide a good foundation for a strong marriage.

Elizabeth’s father didn’t have that luxury when he was young as he found his fortune when Elizabeth and her sisters were young. He was one of the most wealthy people in the town having devised a system to funnel shipping materials up the coast where they lived in Canada.

When their year of travel was over they settled into a home 3 blocks away from Elizabeth’s parents. Her parents had helped them purchase the house because as her father used to say, “We want to be close to our many future grandchildren!” Then always adding, “Where are all those babies?”

He didn’t know that Elizabeth and Edgar had been trying to have a child since the night of their wedding. Heartbroken she was not with child before the second year of marriage, each time she heard her father utter the word “grandchildren” her heart broke a little more. She knew Edger would be the most fabulously proud and engaged father and she longed to experience parenthood with her beloved.

Years of doctors and theories about why her body wouldn’t produce offspring had taken their toll. She’d included a good fair amount of following old wives tales to induce pregnancy too. The most humorous one was the tale about the moon being in a certain position, with sprigs of fresh herbs above the bed at the same time her legs had to remain in their air for just the right amount of time “after” their attempt. None of it worked.

To make his wife feel better 4 years into their journey Edgar decided to surprise the woman he loved with an afternoon visit from a hairdresser. She didn’t feel in the mood, but was touched by his gesture so she agreed. She did fancy the look the hairdresser had created. Later that evening she noticed that her new hairstyle looked familiar. She’d been staring at it for the better part of 5 1/2 years of her life.

Feeling pretty and thus romantic, Elizabeth planned a special evening for her husband who’d always accepted her and her non-child producing body. It was a good night by all standards held for those married for over 4 years.

Nine months later Elizabeth gave birth to a beautiful girl they named Clarissa. Edgar proudly posed for the picture that his father-in-law would arrange, always declaring that Clarissa was the world’s most cherished, love and wanted baby. Clarissa and her grandfather had a special bond, having grown out of his close proximity to her and his daily walks to see her and play.

Kathryn “Kate” Dooley, or Katie Doodle Bug as her Father used to call her, was young when she moved from Ballina, Ireland to Pennsylvania with her family. Ballina was first recorded a settlement around 1375 when a monastery was founded. Kate’s parents grew up there and saw many changes over the years.

Kate’s parents wanted a new life for their family so when they had the chance to sell what little land and possessions they had, they did. The promise of the United States of America called them in 1858 and so, with a small trunk for each family member and a large one for family heirlooms Kate made the journey with her parents and three sisters.

Kate was 6 when the family immigrated to America so she doesn’t remember much, but she did remember the ship they came over on and how all of them slept in one small room.  She remembers the small apartment they spent a good amount of her childhood in, as it was where birth of the 3 siblings; a boy and 2 more girls, took place. Katie Doodle Bug fell right in the middle of the large family and the nickname was at first thought to be because she was the youngest, but her father kept it up to make her feel special because she was in the middle.

They were a hard working family and saved enough to buy a small home. Her father worked for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad as a track laborer – back-breaking work he would have you know – while he saved for their new home. As soon as she and each of her sisters were old enough, at the ripe old age of 12, they worked in a Wilkes-Barre silk mill. Their mother did laundry for people for coins and that money feed the family for years.

Kate married James Brennan, a textile salesman she met at a local dance in her twenties. Before then her parents thought she would never get married, so they were quite pleased when James asked for her hand in marriage. They were even willing to put aside their disappointment at her marrying someone who wasn’t Irish because as far as they were concerned she could find someone in their small community of Irish-American people. But Kate and James were in love so her parents said, “At least there is that.”

Kate and James did not live far from her parents and most of her family. It was extremely helpful to have her parents near when raising her three children. Lawrence, Francis and Julia. Lawrence and Frances came to the family in the traditional way but Julia arrived unconventionally.

Kate and James had befriended Julia, a young woman who had fallen pregnant and was blissfully happy in her marriage. The young mother died after child birth from what was likely an infection and the father, grief stricken and unable to function and raise a baby on his own, asked Kate and James to raise her. He’d wanted Baby Julia to know her first mother and father through personal stories that Kate and James could tell. Kate and her family welcomed Baby Julia in their family as the unexpected surprise she was; and they cherished her. Years later Julia’s first father would come to meet her and find a healthy, vibrant, young woman who knew all about him and his beloved. Her namesake, his wife.

Just as the light moved through the window and hit Kate’s face a photographer took this picture. Julia had paid for the photographer to come to the house on Kate’s 80th birthday. Julia treasured this photo and it was passed to her eldest daughter. She told the story of how Nana became her mother. She smiled when she told about how she watched Kate embrace her first father on the very day this photo was taken. He, who’d been welcomed to the celebration of Kate’s well-loved life, and how she saw her mother crying and overheard her tell him “Thank you for letting us raise your daughter.”

Inspired by Charlie O’Hay, who provided “facts” about our Katie Doodle Bug, except for that nickname. Charlie blogs here.

It was 1895 in the Yukon peninsula, and the Alaskan Gold Rush was established.  Thousands of men from all along the west coast of the United States and the Canadian provinces set out to make their fortunes in the riches that saturated the earth of northern Alaska. Just getting to the Klondike was arduous, and a man had to bring with him enough goods to last the year, usually a ton or more. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was far from the gold fields, but was the “Gateway to the North” for the prospectors.

Edmonton is where we find our Kate, who emigrated from Walsall, Staffordshire, England, to help in the large and prosperous dry goods store owned by her brother. H. S. Eades, a renowned photographer, took this picture just before she left England.

Kate was a spinster, with little hope of finding a husband in England, and while Canada didn’t offer much more promise, she had nothing better to do, so she made the long journey.  Working for her brother in the store, as well as keeping house for him, left Kate little time or energy for socializing.  But when the local church hosted a farewell dance for the would-be miners, Kate and her brother loaded up a barrel of cider and joined the festivities.

Waiting patiently for his ration of apple brew, a middle-aged man named Horace Templeton saw what no man had ever seen before.  His eyes and Kate’s met, and in an instant, he recognized her for the modest, clever, honest, sweet woman she was.  He saw past her stout figure, her age, her working hands, her apparent unworthiness as a mate.  Horace loved the sweet cadence of her Staffordshire accent, her lovely blue eyes, the graceful efficiency of her movements.  Horace was smitten.  And Horace was not a timid man.

When the party began to break up, Kate was startled when Horace introduced himself, and asked for the privilege of walking her home.  She had felt his eyes upon her, and wondered at his direct, kind gaze.  Kate’s brother, though protective, had recognized the look in Horace’s eye, so he gave her a nod, and said, “I’ll wait at home for you, sister.”

“I want to know everything about you, Kate,” said Horace.  And, meeting his eyes with her clear and humble grace, Kate saw, too, that this chance meeting was to have great portent.  Their walk home was as slow and purposeful as any walk ever was. Dreams were revealed, hearts opened, plans made.  Horace would go on and make his prospecting run in two days’ time, but gave Kate his promise of returning for her in a year, two at the most.

During their tearful goodbyes, Kate slipped the photograph into Horace’s coat pocket, and he left for the Yukon a happy man.  And Kate began waiting, as only a woman can wait.

Written by Leslie Modena, Mangopunch’s Blog

When Melody was 14 she knew she would marry James. James had come calling for a wife when he was just 17 asking  for the hand in marriage of the girl who stole his heart when he was just 10 years old.

James entered through the front door of the long hallway with rooms to either side of the house and turned left into the study to join her father one Sunday in April after church. Melody, the eldest girl in her family, for 6 months had dreamed of the day the conversation would take place between James and her father. She sat holding hands with her mother, hoping that her father would approve of their marriage.

James, the only son and youngest child of merchants whose family owned a fair deal of land in the small rural town was a stable young man with a pure heart. James had been worried another local boy, from a family with more prestige, might approach Melody’s father for Melody’s hand. James would be delighted to know that Melody’s father was thrilled to know one day James would be in the family.

Two months past Melody’s 16^th birthday they wed while she held the family bible and her mother’s handkerchief in her left hand. She was frightfully nervous about the wedding night – thanks to her mother - but was relieved to find out that James was in as much panic about the marriage bed evening. Over the next days and weeks they found their way with each other most passionately.

Back then it wasn’t out of the ordinary for couples to marry young. It was though, unusual for them to have affection for each other (if at all) so quickly. Each day during their life together Melody used to love day dreaming about James until he showed up at the front door smiling. He was always happy to spend time with her, then in the years to come, her and their 5 children.

They lived a simple life and their needs were met. They eventually moved into the house where he was raised. It was near town, across a creek, where the kids spent summers chasing snakes and throwing rocks. They spent years making the home theirs, adding on a few rooms to make it more comfortable.

James loved and treasured Melody. He always put her well-being and happiness first in any decision he made that could affect their future. They were blissfully in love throughout their lives, no matter what the wedding day picture told the world.

Written by Julia Roberts, Kidneys and Eyes