Numerous weddings, delayed by World War I, take place in 1919

Among the many items held in the SWNGS library is a section of wedding, obituary & anniversary clippings taken from the McCook Gazette, McCook Democrat, McCook Republican and the McCook Tribune dating from 1885 through 2018. The early newspaper clippings have been transcribed and are available to research online. The McCook Gazette clippings are available at the library but a list of names is on the website, www.swngs.org, so that you may check to see if we have a certain one available. These exist because over the years one of the members has taken time to clip each article, categorize and create a book of the clippings. The last several years have been done by Joan Gerver and we are indebted to her for the hours she has volunteered for this project.

I use a lot of information out of the McCook Tribune, so this week I decided to pick out portions of notices from the 1919 McCook Republican collection. All of these are on-line and available for the general public to research.

01/03/1919: Wednesday evening, Miss Freda Hoff of McCook, and Mr. Otis Willis, of Palisade were united in marriage at the home of the bride’s sister, Mrs. Adam Baker. They will make their home in Palisade.

05/02/1919: By announcements received here today, the friends of Miss Elsie May Johnson, learn of her marriage on Thursday, April 24, 1919, at the home of her parents, in North Platte, to Mr. John Addison Stryker. Mrs. Stryker formerly taught several terms in the McCook public schools and is a beautiful and accomplished young lady and has many friends in this city. They will be at home after June first, 940 Lincoln Way, Kearney, Nebraska.

05/9/1919: Mr. Elazo Huntwork and Miss Mae Sides were married at McCook yesterday, May 7, 1919, by Judge Colfer. Mr. and Mrs. Huntwork will go to housekeeping on the Barker place, which the groom has been farming for some time.

06/13/1919: Monday evening, June 9, 1919, Miss Cleo Rector and Mr. Everly N. Berry were united in marriage at the Congregational parsonage, Rev. C. A. Boughton, officiating. The bride is one of the most successful teachers of the county and for several terms has been teaching the kindergarten grades. The groom is a graduate, registered pharmacist, and for the past year has been employed in McConnell’s drug store, where his bride has been bookkeeping during the same time.

11/18/1919: A quiet wedding took place at the Methodist parsonage on Wednesday evening, November 12, 1919, at which time Dr. Chas. Wayne Ray, using the impressive ring ceremony, united in marriage Miss Blanche E. Hawkins and Mr. Charles M. Austin, both of whom are from the families of prominent farmers living about ten miles south of this city. After a short trip to visit friends and relatives in Wyoming, the young couple will make their home south of town, where the groom owns a fine farm.

12/27/1919: Christmas Day at 2:30 p.m., Miss Ethel Rishel and Mr. Phillip E. Bush were united in marriage at the home of the bride’s mother, Mrs. Enos Rishel, 902 East 5th street, Dr. C.W. Ray, pastor of the Methodist church officiated. Mrs. Rishel served a splendid wedding dinner to a number of relatives and friends immediately after the ceremony.

To end, many of the young people getting married had delayed the ceremony until the end of World War I. Many who had planned to marry lost their intended to either the war or influenza, (Spanish Flu). World-wide there were 20 million casualties from the war, approximately 500 million infected by the flu, and 20 million deaths from the flu, from which some 675,000 Americans died.

SWNGS library is open Tuesday and Thursday from 1-4 PM, weather permitting. Check our Facebook page for announcements. We are located at 110 West C, Suite M-3, and there is an elevator for those needing assistance.