Three
Elliott Siblings Marry on Same Day
Two of the
Spouses are Moseley Siblings
John
William Moseley: 1859-1934 (Maternal First Cousin 4x Removed)
Mary J.
Elliott: 1867-1912 (Cousin by marriage
only)
Emma Ara
Moseley: 1866-1953 (Maternal First Cousin 4x Removed)
James
Franklin Elliott: 1859-1941 (Cousin by marriage only)
William B
Elliott and Mary Rose Moore: Third Couple, Unrelated to this Tree
A cryptic
news notice caught my eye as I was researching Emma Ara Moseley. The notice
appeared in the November 11, 1884 issue of the Owensboro Messenger. It was just
two columns over from the list of newly granted marriage licenses, which
included the license issued to Emma and her future husband, James Franklin
Elliott. The one-sentence-long news item read as follows:
“Two sons
and a daughter of Mr. W. W. Elliott, of Vanover’s precinct, were married on one
day last week, and it wasn’t a very good day for marriages in that family
either.”
This was
hardly the typical news report of a marriage in the 1880s. There were no
congratulations to the happy couples and no praise for what fine young people
they were, which comprised nearly universal marriage announcement verbiage.
Instead, the little item seemed to imply the triple marriage was not a positive
event!
I puzzled
over the phrase “wasn’t a very good day for marriages in that family.” Were the
three couples married on a family member’s wedding anniversary and that
marriage had a tragic end? Did the date mark some other tragedy in the family’s
history? Did it imply that the Elliotts didn’t approve of their children’s
marriage partners? The possibilities are endless. If I had been one of those
brides or grooms, I would have been very upset upon reading this news item. It
has an insulting air to it.
So who
were the three couples? The list of marriage licenses included the names of
three Elliott family siblings: James Franklin Elliott, who married Emma Ara
Moseley; W. B. (William Buck) Elliott, who married Mary Rose Moore; and Mary
Josephine “Josie” Elliott, who married Emma Moseley’s brother John William
Moseley.
I have
been unable to find actual marriage records for the three couples. I did find
the marriage bond for W.B. Elliott and his bride, which was dated November 8. While
the news item was published on Tuesday, November 11, it said the marriages took
place on “one day last week”, so the actual wedding date seems to have been between
November 8 and 10, 1884.
I expect
the triple wedding prompted a large family gathering--not just of the extended
Elliott family, but also of the Moseley family since two of their children were
also involved in the nuptials. Emma and John William Moseley had six siblings
and large numbers of aunts, uncles and cousins, many of whom lived in Vanover
precinct where the weddings were held. The Elliott family appears to have been
equally large. Given the novelty of a triple wedding of siblings, I’m sure quite
a crowd came to the Elliott home to express their congratulations and to celebrate
with the brides and grooms.
The three
couples had long marriages that each produced several children. Despite the
pessimistic tone of the news item, I would suggest that it was actually a very
good day for marriages in the Elliott family!
Sources:
The
Owensboro Messenger, Nov. 11, 1884. Accessed on Newspapers.com.
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