Celebrating Long Marriages in Old Newspapers

It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. While reading through old newspapers, it’s fun to find announcements celebrating 50, 60, 70 year wedding anniversaries. Some offer secrets to their lasting relationship and pictures of the happy couple, while others contain an abundance of genealogical information as families came together to celebrate these long-lasting unions.

This Valentine’s Day, we take a look at a few of them below:

After 72 years of marriage, Joseph Henry and his wife Frances’s love is still burning strong. They shared that the secret to their marriage is that they have always stayed together. The couple were married in 1900. Even after 72 years of marriage, they still hold hands. Frances tells the reporter, “We’re happy. We’ve been around a good long time, and if the Lord sees fit to call us, we’re ready to go.”

Observer-Reporter, March 7, 1972 / MyHeritage SuperSearch

On April 26, 1956, a Kentucky couple, Mr. and Mrs. Felix Grundy Greenwell, celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Greenwell still called his wife “the best woman in the world.” When asked if they had been happily married, Mrs. Greenwell replied, “mostly.” The couple had 17 children, 48 grandchildren, between 75-80 great grandchildren, and a great great grandchild!

Toledo Blade, April 26, 1956 / MyHeritage SuperSearch

In March 1898, Charles and Susan Simmons celebrated their 50th anniversary with a party of about 150 guests. A retired fireman, Charles has been spending him time farming on “one of the pretties farms in the town.” His wife was just 15 years old when they married. Together they had six living children and eight grandchildren.

The Boston Globe, March 3, 1898 / MyHeritage SuperSearch

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Crosby marked their 70th wedding anniversary with a party at their home. Mr. Crosby was born on February 24, 1838 and Mrs. Crosby was born June 1, 1844. They were married on September 19, 1863 in Lake George, N.S. Mrs. Crosby is said to prefer the phonograph to the radio and still does all the housework. Mr. Crosby “putters” around the garden and credits his outdoor work for his long life. In addition to their four sons and two daughters, the Crosbys have 40 grandchildren and 40 great grandchildren.

The Boston Herald, September 17, 1933 / MyHeritage SuperSearch

In celebration of their golden anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence J. Yates planned to renew their marriage vows. Although, duplicating their original wedding ceremony would be nearly impossible since the Pittsburgh hotel where they originally married was torn down, and Yates’ wedding dress was passed on to her daughter. However, present at the renewal ceremony would be Mrs. Elsie Hough, who was maid of honor 50 years before. She would be the only person from the original wedding party to take part in the celebration. The vow renewal would take place at the home of their daughter, while the reception will be held at the home of their son.

The Pittsburg Press, September 5, 1946 / MyHeritage SuperSearch

The family of Adrianus Denbroeder and Elizabeth Eude gathered on the evening of March 2, 1903 to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of the couple. They married in Holland on March 2, 1853 and had come to America in 1855. Denbroeder established a successful tailoring business and could be found at this store everyday, never missing a day on account of sickness. The couple have 8 living children, with two having passed several years before, and 13 grandchildren.

The Boston Globe, March 3, 1903 / MyHeritage SuperSearch

What are the longest marriages in your family tree? Have you found articles about them in old newspapers? Share their stories below!