A teacher, a soldier, and a wedding in the Black Hills
This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by Amy Johnson Crow. The week 7 challenge is “Valentine”.
When JD and I were married, my dad presented me with his grandmother’s wedding ring. It was my “something old” to wear on my wedding day but he meant for me to keep it thereafter. The ring is Black Hills Gold, something that my great-grandfather found while stationed at Fort Meade in Sturgis, South Dakota. It is one of my favorite heirlooms from my dad’s family … it tells a story of the life these two strangers built together for the 28 years they had. All of the blessings, challenges, and heartache that come with marriage are present in the tarnish and cracked leaves on its band.
February 12, 1910
Marian Veronica Essler and Charles Edgar Jones – known hereafter as Verna and Charley – were wed on February 12, 1910, in Sturgis, South Dakota. They hadn’t known each other long. He had only arrived in 1908 with the US 4th Cavalry. Verna had arrived sometime around then with her mother, stepfather, and siblings. Charley was 22, Verna was 18.
Interestingly enough, Verna’s sister, Florence also married that day, to Charley’s friend, Guy Wilson.
I don’t know much about the few years Verna spent in Sturgis with her family. On the 1910 census, her occupation is listed as a teacher. I’ve been unable to find any records of where she was teaching or even why the family moved there, to begin with. I’ve surmised it had something to do with her step-father’s occupation as a railroad engineer – this was a time when Sturgis was trying to strengthen their rail access.
Nonetheless, this move ultimately changed Verna – and Charley’s – path.
28 years of wedded bliss … or something
Charley and Verna’s first son was born in November 1910. Tragedy struck within that first year and he died in August 1911. Charley had just been honorably discharged in July of that same year. As a soldier, he never had an opportunity to know his son.
The young couple then moved to Cairo, Illinois … not far from Charley’s hometown. Verna gave birth to three more children, my grandmother Mildred, and two sons – Donald and Douglas. Charley and Verna were together 28 years before he died in 1938.
I have a small collection of postcards that he sent to Verna – I don’t know for sure if these are from Forte Meade or other places he was stationed. He is in each of the photos and I love having these over 100 years later! He references baby Walter in each of his writings, so these are 1910-1911.
Walking around the block
Born in 1944, my dad ever had a chance to meet Charley but he grew up with Verna. Apparently, Verna had a bit of a temper and would “get after” Charley so much so that he’d have to leave the house and walk around the block to let her cool off! There are countless Charley and Verna stories floating around in my head, but that has to be my favorite.
Charley was simple. He loved his wife and family. That was apparent in his postcards to her. She loved him. I think that was apparent in all of the stories she told my dad about his Grandpa Charley.
