Let's add a dash of confusion to researching family history...because it's always straight-forward, right?
So Neil Brown Jr. married Dorothy Gillespie. Both of them were born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The wedding announcement was published in the Hazleton Plain Speaker on June 8, 1943. All of that is good. It's just a couple of things in the article were a bit surprising.
"Brown-Gillespie
Miss Dorothy Gillespie, daughter of Frank Gillespie, of 644 North Wyoming street, and Neil Brown, Jr., of Baltimore, Maryland, son of Mrs. Neil Brown, were married Thursday, June 3, at 11 a.m., at the Baltimore Cathedral by Rev. G. L. Hopkins.
The bride wore a poudre blue sheet dress with white accessories and a corsage of talisman roses. The matron of honor, Mrs. Michael Bognet, of this city, sister of the bride, wore a beige street dress with white accessories and a corsage of talisman roses.
Francis McKinley was the best man.
Following the ceremony, a dinner was held at the Hotel Stafford.
After a brief honeymoon the couple will reside at 3416 Mayfield avenue, Bel Air Road, Baltimore, Maryland.
Out-of-town guests included: Frank Gillespie, Mrs. Michael Bognet and Mrs. Clyde Barth, of Hazleton; Mrs. Neil Brown and family of Newark, New Jersey; William Sweeney, of Baltimore, formerly of Hazleton, and Mrs. Wilson Miller, of Norristown.
The bride is a graduate of the Hazleton Senior High Schoo and was employed as a telephone operator at Oliver United Filters, of this city. The groom is employed at the Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyards at Baltimore."
First this isn't Neil Brown Jr getting married. It's Neil Brown III. Neil being in Baltimore is definitely news, but not overly shocking. I mean people go where work is. It didn't happen so often in my family in the 1940s, but that's cool. I'll keep an eye open for other records in case they pop up with Baltimore. Neil and Dorothy end up back in Hazleton though so it's reasonably short lived. As for Newark, New Jersey being mentioned as where Mrs Neil Brown is from, that's not true. Bridget Brown, Neil Jr's wife, was born in Freeland, Pennsylvania and moved to Newark, Delaware in about 1943 after living almost her entire life in Hazleton. I mean I'd assume it was New Jersey if Delaware hadn't been in Bridget's obituary. And I did have to look to see if there was a Newark, Delaware (there is).
So a lot just isn't quite right in the wedding announcement. Luckily I knew most of it and new this was the couple I was looking for. It's good to remember that newspaper articles are only as good as the person submitting the information.
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