Hidden Genealogical Gems – Part 2

This is part 2 in what I plan to be an ongoing series of posts on this blog highlighting a particular “genealogical gem” that I have uncovered through home and family sources, and how the item has helped me know more about my family’s history.

This week’s hidden gem is my mother’s “Bride’s Notebook.”

My mother was the quintessential “Pack Rat.” Of course, Mom would have had no idea that her daughter would eventually become a genealogist. It was just her way to save everything. How lucky for me.

My parents were married in 1947 and the Bride’s Notebook was a common keepsake for the wedding.

My mother kept meticulous notes in her Bride’s Notebook. One of the genealogical gems gleaned from this source is the first page where my mother recorded many of the details of her marriage ceremony (good for names, dates, and places).

For example:

Ceremony
Date: October 14, 1947
Time: 2:00 o’clock p.m.
Name of Minister: Rev. Loya
Fee: $25.00
Florist: Kopriver’s
Canopy: Checked
Rehearsal Date: October 13, 1947
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Cars for Wedding Party: 3 Berta, Kolcun, Steve
Music Listing: Hatala
Photographer: Carter-Di Nino
Time: 3:30 p.m.

Other wonderful details include a “Wedding Invitation List.” There were several pages of names of addresses of family members and friends who attended the ceremony and reception.

For privacy reasons, I won’t share an image of the page, but one example was: Mr. & Mrs. John Alzo (my grandparents; now long deceased and no longer at the address) 633 Hill Street Duquesne, PA.

This is sort of like a genealogical goldmine because the names and addresses and be plugged into online databases such as Ancestry.com to search in census and other records.

The facts obtained from this “genealogical gem” can be inserted into a written family history to give a very nice and detailed description of my parents’ wedding.

Here’s wishing you success for finding your own “Hidden Genealogical Gems” on your family treasure hunt!