Birthdays and anniversaries of our ancestors.

[coombs]

I doubt they were as high key as today, but no doubt our ancestors will have marked landmark anniversaries or birthdays (providing they knew their exact age). For example I found out that 1929 would have been quite full of such events for my ancestors. Two great grandparents would have had their 10th wedding anniversary in Oct 1929, and the aforementioned great grandmother had her 40th birthday in Sep 1929. Also another set of ancestors would have had their 60th wedding anniversary in Sep 1929, and a great grandfather would have had his 50th birthday in Nov 1929.

Another set of great grandparents would have had their 10th wedding anniversary in June 1930. And one great grandfather and his 2nd wife had their 25th wedding anniversary in October 1956, their last as he became a widower in April 1957.

[Erato]

I have several newspaper articles that record birthdays or wedding anniversaries.  Here's one:

[coombs]

I have several newspaper articles that record birthdays or wedding anniversaries.  Here's one:

Interesting. At first i thought that read 21st but it was his 91st in 1911 so he was born 1820.

In regards to my ancestors who had their 60th wedding anniversary in Sep 1929, well the husband was gone by the following September so it was a great final anniversary together.

[DianaCanada]

Newspapers are a great source of family celebrations, especially towards the end of the 19th century and several decades into the 20th.

[Erato]

GGG-uncle Joshua died in 1914 just a few months shy of his 95th birthday.  As far as I know, he never did see much of the world beyond Boston.  He was a very successful and prosperous carriage maker.  Here he is at age 93:

[DianaCanada]

Great photo!

[coombs]

Excellent photo as said.

[Erato]

Here's an earlier birthday celebration.  The poem was written and printed in 1880 by the son of Oliver Dickson on the occasion of his 75th birthday.  Oliver was the husband of Sarah Mitchell, a sister of Joshua Mitchell; he was a wheelwright in Boston.  [Did he make wheels for his brother-in-law's carriages?  I don't know.]  He retired to a farm in nearby Concord where he was a prominent church deacon and where he died in 1882.

The poem is actually three pages long but this is more than enough to give the idea.

[bridgwatergirl]

I found an account of one set of my great-great-great-grandparents celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in 1909, although with a little sting in the tale in this case, since the reason I was looking at that edition was because it was around the time that g-g-g-grandfather died.

Bridgwater Mercury 17th February 1909:
DIAMOND WEDDING. – On Wednesday last an interesting event was celebrated by Mr. and Mrs. T. Gadd of Hammett-street – that day being the anniversary of their 60th year of married life, their respective ages being 82 and 81.  They have seven children, 41 grand-children, and 26 great-grand-children.  On behalf of a few friends, the Rev. F. W. Walker made the old couple a small present, which was greatly appreciated by them.  Unfortunately the health of Mr Gadd has given his relatives and friends cause for great anxiety, and we regret to say he passed away on Thursday, much sympathy being felt for Mrs. Gadd in her bereavement.