Old School: The Happy Couple

By Carol McEwen,

My parents, Charlie and LaVaughn Edwards, were married on March 22, 1930. Mother was a shy, inexperienced 20-year-old, while Dad, at 30 and previously married, seemed a man of the world to her.

They kept their wedding secret, since Mother was teaching, and marriage meant immediate dismissal. The “cover story” from the people in charge was that she shouldn’t be holding a job that a man could use to support a family, so they sneaked off to a nearby town to tie the knot, with my grandmother as their only witness.

They met when Dad was a boarder in my widowed grandmother’s house. The attraction was instant and they became a couple early on. Shown is a picture of the two of them one Easter, as she smiles shyly, displaying the flowers he gave her.

After my grandmother sent out a formal wedding announcement, Mother, Dad and my grandmother moved into their new home. Another picture shows the newlyweds on its front steps, with Mother modeling her wedding dress. They paid cash to Scheid Furniture for the house’s contents, at a total cost of $654, according to the receipt, dated May 10, 1930.

Since school was out, they honeymooned in Washington D.C. A picture shows the three of them in front of the U.S. Capitol. Yep, they took her mother along on their honeymoon. Everyone looks pretty solemn, if not downright glum, and I see that Mom is clutching the hand of her mother and not her husband. 

In many ways, the couple was well-matched, even with the age difference. They were both frugal due to childhoods of varying degrees of poverty, terrifically hard-workers, and politically in sync. However, there were differences, some helpful and others not so much. Mom was the detail person, keeping the books for the business, filing taxes, and keeping all the balls in the air at home. Self-confident and brash, Dad, was the “big picture” guy, and a salesman at heart. He provided a livelihood for our family, starting with nothing but guts and determination.

The same differences which provided financial success caused them marital problems, however. Mother specialized in patience and calmness, while Dad had neither, plus a temper like Mt. Vesuvius. He was a risk-taker and she was the cautious one. In short, he was the jack-rabbit and she was the tortoise.

Despite their temperamental differences or maybe because of the “balancing act” they provided, the two stayed married for 41 years, sharing love and mutual respect, even if not the smoothest of marital rides.