1950's Wedding Photo Project

 I discovered this photo this year after my cousin Andrea sent it over from her parents attic. It's clearly a wedding picture from the 1950s-- I recognized the grandfather instantly (4th from right) and then his father is directly in the middle behind the bride and groom. I also recognized the girl far left, but wasn't sure how I recognized her. So, my next mission was to find out who's wedding it was and who was who and that's what I did.

Process of elimination-- the first thing I did was look up Paul's siblings. Paul is my grandfather. It was easy to determine that the groom was Paul's brother Richard Jeckering once I saw his yearbook photo-- 

Richard and Paul went to Chaminade High School in Dayton, Ohio. They were in the same graduating class of 1944.

Richard married Donna Jean Berning on September 6, 1952. An article was posted a day later in the Dayton Daily News newspaper:

The article states the wedding party as:

Best Man: Paul Jeckering

Ushers: Robert Berning, Robert Jeckering, Ernest Winner, William Scherer

Maid of Honor: Joan Berning

Bridesmaids: Janice Koester, Rita Horstman, Joanne Jeckering, Rosemary Jeckering

Flower Girls: Connie Brinkman & Linda Chmiel

As far as Richard's immediate family, I had this picture to reference, so it was easy to pinpoint Joanne and Rosemary. 

The other members, I used yearbook photos or other news article to pinpoint who was who in the photo. 

Usher, Robert Jeckering's yearbook photo was the easiest- I recognized it right away from the Chaminade Yearbook:

As for the flower girls, I researched Connie Brinkman in the brides family because I knew that Connie's mother's maiden name was Brinkman. I found out that Connie's uncle Ralph B. Brinkman had a daughter named Connie, born in 1944. The name and age matched up to the flower girl on the right. Obviously, there were only two flower girls, so the other girl had to be Linda. I found a Linda Chmiel in a Lach family tree (1948-2014)- would have been age 4 at the wedding.

Wedding party numbered for reference:

1. Bridesmaid- Joanne Ethel Jeckering (age 18), my grandaunt 

2. Bridesmaid- Rosemary Jeckering (age 22), my grandaunt

3. Flower Girl- Linda Chmiel (age 4) (unknown relation to bride & groom)

4. Bride- Donna Jean Berning (age 21)

5. Flower Girl- Connie Brinkman (age 8), Bride's 1st cousin

6. Bridesmaid- Janice Koester (unknown age or relation to bride)

7. Bridesmaid- Rita Horstman (age 19) (Identified by yearbook photo)

8. Usher- Robert Berning (age 17), Bride's Brother

9. Best Man- Paul George Jeckering (age 27), My Grandfather (he died 2 years after this photo was taken)

10. Usher- Robert Cletus Jeckering (age 18)- my grandfather's 1st cousin (Identified by yearbook photo)

11. Groom- Richard Cletus Jeckering (age 26)- my granduncle

12. Father of Groom- Gerhard C. Jeckering (age 52), my great grandfather

13. Usher- William Scherer (unknown age)

14. Maid of Honor- Joan Catherine Berning (age 23)- Bride's Sister

15. Usher- Ernest Winner (age 20)-- Ernest and Joanne (1st bridesmaid) get married in 1954, two years later.

Richard and Donna were married until Donna's death in 2000. Richard died in 2017. Together, they had 5 children together: Christine, Timothy, Julie Ann, Patrick, and Jill. 

Golden Wedding Anniversaries

I haven't done a Saturday night challenge in a while, so here we go! (even though it's a Monday) 

This one is from Randy Seaver's Genea-Musing's blog post titled:  Golden Wedding Anniversaries.

Here are the instructions: 

-To find out which of your ancestors have celebrated a golden wedding anniversary- 50 years of marital bliss-- was there a newspaper article about it?

(I am going to do the same thing Randy did- people who didn't make 50+ years will be in black, and then people who did exceed 50+ years will be in red.)

1) Jeckering line: 

~Gerhard Jeckering & Susanna Hemelt, married before 1711, Gerhard died in 1735- married about 24 years.

~Gerhard Jeckering Jr. & Martha Roling, married 1759, Martha married in 1783: married 24 years.

~Johann Otto Jeckering & Anna Catherina Lobker, married 1795, Johann died 1822: married 27 years.

~Johannes Jeckering & Euphemia Margaretha Ketteler, married 1824, they both died in 1860: married 36 years.

~Gerhard Jeckering & Maria Elisabeth Kluneman, married about 1854, Gerhard died in 1898: married about 44 years (almost!).

~Joseph Herman Jeckering & Rose A. Horn, married 1899, Joseph died in 1931: married 32 years. (I heard they were separated at one point, don't think they ever divorced though).

~Gerhard Cletus Jeckering & Josephine Mary Dabuliewicz, married 1924, Josephine died in 1965: married 41 years.

~Paul George Jeckering & Dorothy Jean Hendricks, married 1947, Paul died in 1954: married only 7 years.

~My parents- married 1975, divorced after 25 years.

2) Hendricks line:

~Willem Hendrickson & Willemptje Thys Van Pelt, married 1697, Willem died in 1711: married 14 years.

~Johannes Willem Hendricks & Sarah Messier, married 1722, Sarah died in 1782: married 60 years!!

~Abram Hendricks & Ann Jamison, married 1771, Abram died in 1819: married 48 years! (So close!)

~Daniel Hendricks & Nancy McGuire, married 1800, Nancy died in 1823: married 23 years.

~Samuel McCormack Hendricks & Elizabeth Sarles, married 1838, Samuel died in 1856: married 18 years.

~Isaac Hendricks Jr. & Myrtle May Hyman, married before 1903, Isaac died in 1942: married about 39 years.

3) Mendenhall line: 

~Thomas Mildenhall III & Joane Strode, married 1649, they both died in 1682: married 33 years.

~John Mendenhall & Elizabeth Maris, married 1685, Elizabeth died in 1691: married only 6 years.

~John Mendenhall Jr. & Susanna Pierson, married 1709, they both died in 1765: married 56 years!!!

~Mordecai Mendenhall & Charity Grubb Beeson, married 1735, Mordecai died in 1803: married 68 years!!

~Richard Mendenhall & Jane Thornbrugh, married 1758, Richard died in 1773: married 15 years.

~Joseph Mendenhall & Deidamia Hill, married about 1793, Joseph died in 1833: married about 40 years.

~Richard Mendenhall & Sarah Pearson, married 1817, Sarah died in 1866: married 49 years! (So close!!)

~Aaron Mendenhall & Christena M. Spielman, married 1851, Aaron died in 1894: married 43 years!

~Richard Mendenhall & Margaret Frances Pierron, married 1872, Margaret died in 1923: married 51 years!!

~Marion Richard Mendenhall & Louella Ida Munn, married 1893, Marion died in 1948: married 55 years!!

~Earl Dwight Mendenhall & Edna Grace Niles, married about 1915: Edna died in 1934: married about 19 years.

~Harold Earl Mendenhall & Helen Ruth Seaver, married about 1942, Helen died in 1981: married 39 years.

4) Seaver line: 

~ Henry Seaver & Elizabeth Myers, married 1771, Elizabeth died in 1777: married only 6 years.

~Jacob Seaver & Esther Croberger, married 1799, they both died in 1854: married 55 years!!!

~Greenberry mcKilsey Seaver & Mary Douglas, married 1852, Mary died in 1862: married 10 years.

~Frank Buchanon Seaver & Harriett Olive Watson, married 1888, Harriett died in 1915: married 27 years.

~Otto Watson Seaver & Ruby Mae Henderson, married 1926, by 1930, they were divorced and Otto was remarried: married less than 4 years.

Honeymooners Found Dead

I have been researching extended branches of my tree to find distant cousins. During this search, I stumbled upon Dawna Gay Mendenhall. She was my 6th cousin, 5x removed. I had researched information about her parents before, but had nothing on her except a name and birth date. So, the past couple of days, I decided to find more about Dawna and I found a TON.

Dawna was born on 03 Feb 1935 in Mapleton, Utah, Utah. She graduated from Springville High School, attended Brigham Young University and was working in Salt Lake City when she became betrothal to Marion Henry Cluff "Mario". Mario was the son of Spencer Marion Cluff (1903-1966) and Nina Hannah Porter (1909-1979). 

Dawna and Mario married 16 Sep 1955 in Salt Lake City, had a reception on 17 Sep and then left for their honeymoon to Yosemite park and San Francisco. During their trip, they stopped in Nevada at a motel called the Verdi Motel. This was a fairly new motel- within a year of just having been built. The heaters hadn't even been used yet. The couple checked in at 5 am and it must have been chilly because they turned on the heaters and went to sleep. The young couple never woke. They were found the next day by the motel owner- Lester Mylan. 

It was discovered later that there was no inspection on the new motel and that the gas from the heater did not release to the outside air, but rather, through a cinder block back into the room! This is so completely tragic and breaks my heart that this young married couple, who are just starting their lives together basically suffocated to death in their sleep. Dawna was only 20 years old and her husband of only 3 days was 22 years old. 

Three years later on 21 May 1958, it was announced in the Daily Herald (Utah County, Utah) that the parents of the young couple accepted an out-of-court settlement form the motel owners- Lester C. and Margaret E. Mylan. It didn't disclose the amount of the settlement, but that it was "substantial". 

Dawna Gay Mendenhall 
03 Feb 1935 Mapleton, Utah, Utah
19 Sep 1955 Verdi, Washoe, Nevada

& 

Marion Henry "Mario" Cluff 
07 Dec 1932 Provo, Utah, Utah
19 Sep 1955 Verdi, Washoe, Nevada


Dawna and Mario are buried in Provo City Cemetery in Provo, Utah, Utah- Block 8, Lot 71C. 

Here are several newspaper articles I found this tragic story from-- thanks to the Provo Library!