ONCE UPON A TIME
Once upon a time there was a
young, newly engaged couple who were planning to marry and go on a honeymoon.
For her wedding on the 16th of June in 1909, the bride
wore a beautiful gown.
Once married, they prepared
to take off on their honeymoon.
The bride appeared in a
handsome ‘Going Away’ suit carrying her luggage.
And the happy couple boarded
a large boat to carry them to their honeymoon destination. Unfortunately, we do not know where that
destination was.
They took pictures of themselves
on the boat.
Looking exactly like the
love birds they were, the bride and groom, having arrived at their honeymoon
destination, apparently posed for a photograph.
They had 3 daughters. Daughter
#1 was born in 1910 in Toronto, Canada.
Daughter #2 was born in 1912, also in Toronto. Daughter #3 was born in 1925 in Chicago!
Sometime around 1925, for
reasons unknown, the bride and groom decided to move to southern California
– driving there themselves. At some
point along the way they stopped in Chicago for a time. They were expecting the birth of a third
child in July of that year. I’ve
wondered if the trip was planned with the stop in Chicago in mind so the third
child would be born in the United States?
Whatever, they did spend some time in Chicago before continuing on to
California.
The trip from Chicago to
California would have taken them 2 to 4 weeks depending on several things:
Road Conditions: Long before Route 66 was fully designated (in 1926) or paved, motorists
relied on named auto trails like the National Old Trails Road. Large stretches
through the Midwest, plains, and Southwest were unpaved dirt, gravel, or sand.
Rain turned these roads into impassable mud, halting trips for days.
Vehicle Speeds: Average driving speeds in 1925 were quite slow—often 20 to 30 miles per
hour on good sections, and much less over mountain passes or desert terrain.
Infrastructure and Mechanical Issues: Gas stations, motels, and repair shops were sparse
in remote areas. Flat tires, broken springs from potholes, and engine
overheating required frequent roadside repairs.
Can you imagine traveling under those
conditions with 2 teenage girls and a baby?
The bride and groom were brave souls! But then I think of all the pioneers who made
such trips without a car. Braver still.
This may have been the car they traveled in? It’s obviously packed for a trip of some kind, but perhaps they were just going camping this time? Whichever, it would have been a good car, perhaps even a new car as the groom was a successful new car salesman. J
At any rate, they finally
reached California and bought themselves a lovely home on Tremaine Street in
Los Angeles. I’m assuming the two girls
on the sidewalk are the two older daughters.
And, they lived happily ever
after.
The End
Cast of Characters
The Bride………………. Lilian Ross
Pringle
The Groom…………..Henry Edgar
Brasier
Daughter #1..Virginia
Rossmore Brasier
Daughter
#2…...Phyllis Elizabeth Brasier
Daughter #3........Margaret Anne Brasier
Lilian and Henry were my
husband’s maternal grandmother & grandfather.
Virginia was my husband’s mother
:->
La Nightingail
Oh I loved this story-telling format! And of course your usual well photographed descriptions to go with it...but there is that honeymoon to where that remains unsolved. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteI echo Barbara''comment - I loved the way you related the story of Lillian and Henry, even with the list of characters at the end, I am intrigued - does the Brasier surname stem from France?
ReplyDeleteNicely done! A lovely way to tell a family story. I liked your analysis of their 1925 trip as I often think about how people traveled in the olden days and how long it might have taken. Your automobile example is a decade later, I think, as cars in 1925 sat up higher like a carriage and had spoked wheels. Still it would certainly be an adventure almost as rugged at pioneers on the Oregon trail.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar modern story from my little family. Several years ago my son and his then significant other, now wife, drove from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon where she was entering a Phd program. They carefully planned a route, mostly interstate, but had absolutely no idea where they might live when they got there. Somehow they lucked out finding an inexpensive and convenient apartment. Then 7 years later, now married, they drove from Portland to Burlington, VT for a new academic job—in February at --40 degrees, dodging blizzards, and with an unhappy black cat! Surviving two trips like that makes me very proud.