This post was published on 18 September 2019, but I subsequently received information so that I can update this post. I will bold my additions. My amazing blogger buddy, José at Enhanced News Archive went all the way to the Kalamazoo Public Library to find the answer to the question I posed in my original post: is there an announcement in the newspaper about the wedding of Alice and Clarence. I wanted to see where they were married and thought the info might have been published. I searched in Genealogy Bank for the article in the Kalamazoo Gazette, but I could find nothing. If you read the original post, skip to the next bolded passage.
On 12 September 1923, Grandpa’s cousin Alice Leeuwenhoek married Clarence Dewey Moerdyk in Kalamazoo. They are the last couple listed on the following (cropped) image.
Clarence was 25 and Alice 26. He held a job as a foreman, and she had no employment. I found that interesting since the family thinks of her as an accomplished seamstress. In fact, I discovered a jottings ad from 14 May 1922 about Alice’s trade. She advertises her hemstitching and picoting, which is an embroidery loop edging used as ornamentation.
Right under Alice’s ad is one for the family’s Ramona Park dancing.
Their fathers are listed: Peter Moerdyk and Lambertus (Uncle Lou) Leeuwenhoek.
Their mothers were Cora Stevens and Jennie (Aunt Jen) DeKorn.
The couple was married by Benjamin Laman, Minister of the Gospel. Mr. Laman had become the 4th pastor of Bethany Reformed Church on 7 June 1923, just three months before Alice’s wedding. I tried to find a society page mention to discover if they were married in someone’s home, but neglected to find anything. In the search, I found articles about both their parents’ weddings though!
José found the article the old-fashioned way! By searching the microfiche of the newspaper at the Kalamazoo Public Library! So much for the accuracy of the cataloging skills at Genealogy Bank. It’s a reminder that there is NOTHING like primary sources in genealogy or family research. I will post the article itself and at the end of this post I will post the full front page of the newspaper from that date: 12 September 1923.
Look at this great info. First of all, now I know where Alice and Clarence were married: in Reverend Laman’s (sic in the article) home. I have to wonder if this was a parsonage owned by the church. Then we can see that they honeymooned in Chicago and were going to live temporarily with her parents, Lou and Jennie Leeuwenhoek, at 110 Balch Street. So they didn’t have a lot of extra cash would be my guess. Another great piece of information is that Alice’s dress was tan. I can see that the dress below definitely could be tan, but I’m not sure that it is crepe de chine. Is it?
I wrote about the church here: Bethany Reformed Church, circa 1918
and about Alice’s marriage here: Aunt Jen and Uncle Lou’s SIL Clarence Moerdyk
When I wrote these posts I did not know that I had in my possession the wedding portrait of Alice and Clarence. In my opinion, it’s a stunning photograph, mainly because of Alice’s sense of style and model’s grace.
I really love Alice’s hat!!!
The portrait is in a cardboard folder.
I hate to take it out of the folder, but I would bet that the cardboard is not acid-free. I think I will keep the parts separate, in 2 different acid-free sleeves, and then tape them together.
I’m sure Alice would love that we admired her dress and hat all these years later.
Here is the full front page of the Kalamazoo Gazette from 12 September 1923:
The Family Kalamazoo 