Canadian arranged marriages?

[chris_49]

Garrison Keillor relates the story of at least one arranged marriage in "Lake Woebegone Days" which is I believe based on research plus anecdote. In the case I remember the farmer from a newly-settled area (Minnesota) advertised for a bride in a newspaper in one of the big cities. The couple married despite having no language in common!

My relative Margaretta Draper (from Dunmurry, Co Antrim, 35, single) embarked on 16/3/1932 at Southampton bound for Sydney but giving her final destination as New Zealand (A***y). Australian archives finds that the ship docked at Fremantle on 21/5/1932 - it then had still to call at Melbourne before Sydney, and she would still then have to reach New Zealand. Yet the same year she married a James Crawford Stewart in New Zealand. Either an arranged marriage or a brief courtship!

I know this is right because James (60) Margaretta (58)  and McLeod Stewart (24) arrive in Southampton  from Wellington in 1953 (FindMyPast) en route for Mr R Draper of Dunmurray (her dad) and unless McLeod's age is seriously wrong he's a son of James' earlier marriage (or less likely some other relative). They sound Scottish so they could be from Northern Ireland, but I can't see how Margaretta would have known him earlier - the only one I found was a soldier from Falkirk. There are possible ship movements for him before 1932, but none relate to New Zealand. (James C Stewart is of course a very common name.)

[Greensleeves]

I have been looking through the FT in an attempt to identify an Eliza who might be the aunt, Eliza Gale.  Can't find anyone by the name of Eliza in the family at that time.  So I do suspect that Eliza Gale might have been some kind of go-between.  I think they did have marriage agencies in those days.  So maybe that was her profession and that the imported brides were instructed to refer to her as their aunt.

[mazi]

I think Mrs Gale is the clue to this, it seems reasonable to think she was a friend or neighbour of Thomas and knew he was looking for a wife to take care of his children.

So her friend or sister back home has a daughter in need of a husband, with no chance of finding one in England in 1920, as the war, regrettably, meant that there was a shortage of eligible men, so a marriage is arranged, possibly with exchange of letters and photos, and Mrs gale testifying to Thomas's excellent qualities.

I had two aunts in this situation, both unmarried, and their diaries, which I should not really have read, suggests their mum spent a bit of time trying to arrange marriages.

Quote " I would rather die than marry mr xxxx" 

Mike

[groom]

I agree, Mrs Gale is the clue, as not only is she the aunt Mabel was supposed to be going to, but would only spend a couple of days with before the marriage, but she was also a witness at the marriage. However, like GS, I can't find an Eliza (or Elizabeth) who would fit. To be an aunt to Mabel she would need to be a sister to either her father Arthur Frank John Sutton or her mother Julia Ham wouldn't she? Then she would have had to marry a Mr Gale.

It could well be that due to the shortage of men in England and the fact that Mabel was single and 35 in 1920, that she decided to take a chance with a stranger in Canada.

[groom]

Thanks NJ - I can't see one that fits there. Most on that list are born a lot later than he was, so I wonder if he would have been too old to have been called up, especially as he was a farmer.

[Millmoor]

There is an Elgin County genealogy site hosted by Genweb  which might be worth exploring.

William

[mazi]

I have to point out that every female friend of my mums was called aunt,  even fifty years down the line her bridesmaid was "aunty Jean".

Mike

[nanny jan]

I thought that might be the case but it could have been the reason for them meeting in England.

Mrs Gale does seem to be the link, have you found her on any Canadian census?

[groom]

There are several, but I don't have enough information about her to identify which one she could be. I've just looked at the marriage again and a William Gale is the other witness, so probably Eliza's husband. Address is just given as St Thomas, Elgin. Thomas Harris's address is given as Township of Yarmouth, County of Elgin. His parents were William Harris and Caroline (not known). He was 42 in 1920 and born in Herefordshire, England.