Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Wedding Wednesday - Dugan-Quirk Wedding

I've blogged about Bessie Quirk and Dennis Dugan before, but it wasn't until I started talking to one of Dennis' descendants and going through my Dugan files that I realized I had never shared the newspaper clipping for their wedding. There's some good information there including where Dennis was originally from, Bessie's relocation to Bethlehem with her husband, and where Dennis was working.

The newspaper was the local Hazleton paper. The date is the beginning of October 1917 and in October 1917 The Daily Standard was replaced by the Standard-Sentinel. There was also The Plain Speaker at that time. Which one it was will most likely remain a mystery since the papers from this time period are not included in the Hazleton Public Library's holdings. I only have a copy because it was glued to the inside of an old family album.

I may not have any cousins through their line, but they will always hold a place in my heart.

"Oct 2 1917 (handwritten)

Dugan-Quirk.

Miss Bessie Quirk, of Jeanesville, and Dennis Dugan, of Bethlehem were united in marriage in St. Gabriel's church, this city, at 9:15 o'clock yesterday morning by Rev. Father Fagan.  The young couple were attended by Miss Mary Quirk, a sister of the bride, ad (sic) John Dugan, a brother of the groom. Miss Mary Lynch, of this city, played the wedding march, and Prof. Peter McKernan, of St. Gabriel's church choir, rendered several solos during the ceremony.

A dinner was tendered the wedding party and a number of guests at the home of the bride, after which the newly married couple departed on a honeymoon trip of the East. Upon their return they will reside in Bethlehem.

The bride is one of this region's accomplished young women, and is a graduate of the Hazle township high school. For the past several years she has been postmistress at Jeanesville. The groom is a former resident of Beaver Brook. Since locating in Bethlehem he has won several promotions in the plant of the Bethlehem Steel Co., where he now fills a responsible position."