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Lineage Luck: How Applying to Societies Helps Your Research

I underestimated the value of joining lineage societies until I completed an application for one. I didn't think my ancestors had been in the United States long enough to qualify for any, thinking ancestors would have had to be in the United States for centuries to qualify. I wasn't aware of the wide range of lineage societies available. But once I took that first bite of that lineage society apple—I was hooked. And I see many more benefits now.  First, joining a lineage society requires proper documentation , and not just for an individual's vital stats, like birth, marriage, and death, but also for the connections between those generations that form an unbroken line from the applicant to that specific ancestor or ancestral couple. Second, applying to a society might require acquiring new skills . This is certainly true for me. My very first application, to the First Families of Pennsylvania, required full citations for every fact stated. I had never learned how to do prop
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A Look Back: Engagement & Wedding Artifacts



Bridal shower invitation.


Another set of artifacts I have come across in my archive closet clean-out are those related to my wedding to James Dale Casey, Jr., aka here as "the Hubs." Since we celebrated our 33rd anniversary on August 31st, I thought I'd look back at these articles and add a bit of context.

My family was not Emily Post-appropriate when it came to how to do a wedding. Honestly, we didn't care. Flexibility was key, as I was living out of state and Jim and I were planning a wedding long distance. We were getting married in my hometown, Willowick, Ohio. 

Case in point: my Mom and sister, Sharon, threw my bridal shower. The Emily Post Institute states, "It had long been considered a breach of etiquette for the bride's family members to host showers. Why? Because the main point of a shower is to give gifts to the bride and it could seem as if her family were asking for gifts."1 Um...isn't that what we were doing? Silly! On the other hand, the maid-of-honor traditionally hosted the event, so on that score we were okay, as my sister was my maid-of-honor.

In any case, above is the pretty invitation that they picked out. My bridal colors were emerald green and pink, and my favorite flower at the time was roses. Nice job, ladies!

I spent many an hour poring over wedding invitation catalogs trying to find the perfect ones. I haven't been to a wedding recently, but it seems that invitations these days are not as formal as ours. I recall addressing the envelopes in the fanciest script I could muster with my cool calligraphy pen, as I sat cross-legged on the floor of our State College, Pennsylvania, house.

Our wedding invitation.
 

The wording of the invite was tricky, because both sets of our parents were divorced, so we couldn't say "Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gilbride," or "Mr. and Mrs. James Casey," as that was not accurate. This was the best we could devise to cover the bases. It also indicated that we were adults and both on our own, so it wasn't like anyone was "giving me away." 

At the time, it was traditional to have an engagement announcement in the newspaper. While Jim and I didn't have a formal photo of us together to offer, we did get an announcement run in Lake County's The News-Herald in April 1991. Things are so different now. Engagements are announced over social media or in reveal parties, or some such. I know I don't even read a paper newspaper anymore. So many local newspapers have disappeared, consolidated, or offer only digital editions—and charge to run such announcements. This tradition seems to be a thing of the past.

Our engagement notice ran in the Lake County News-Herald.

Jim and I had just moved from Illinois and New York to Pennsylvania, where Jim would begin his new job. I was unemployed at the time. So, money was tight. We opted to create our own wedding program and just photocopy it rather than pay to have it formally printed. If memory serves, we collaborated on the text, and Jim did all the layout. Nice job, Hubs!

The cover of our wedding program.

In family history research it is usually great luck to find engagement and wedding announcements, as they are usually chock-full of names of relatives and sometimes even guests. Reports of higher profile weddings might even include descriptions of the bride's gown and what type of flowers she carried, as well as where the couple would honeymoon. Will future generations consider our wedding artifacts to be the genealogical gold they were looking for?

Of course, I had to include a wedding photo...

The happy couple outside St. Mary Magdalene Church in Willowick, Ohio, 31 August 1991.

Until next time... 

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.


NOTES     

1 Emily Post Etiquette (https://emilypost.com/advice/shower-etiquette : accessed 29 August 2024), "Bridal Shower Etiquette."


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  1. Sandra RobertsonSeptember 4, 2024 at 12:02 PM

    You were a lovely bride. I hope these wedding items went into your keep pile.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseySeptember 4, 2024 at 12:39 PM

      Since they don't take up much space, I probably will, Sandra. Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  2. Marian B. WoodSeptember 4, 2024 at 1:59 PM

    Nancy, this is such a lovely way to look back on a special day in your lives, with 33 years of insights and experiences shared since that day. You both look so happy in that wedding photo! Congrats.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseySeptember 4, 2024 at 6:55 PM

      We were—and are—very happy! I hit the jackpot with my Jim! As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

      Delete
  3. Molly's CanopySeptember 17, 2024 at 11:02 AM

    Such a moving memory post -- and the photos are delightful, from the invitations to the wedding portrait. I love how you positioned the invitations on top of a circular placemat. I have struggled with backgrounds and I may use this in future. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseySeptember 17, 2024 at 12:54 PM

      Thank you. It was a fun stroll down memory lane! The placemat was a fluke. I have a dark black countertop and it's very shiny and I usually get some reflections when I photograph items on there. I just looked around my kitchen and voila! It worked out nicely. Glad it was inspiring!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete

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