WEDNESDAY'S WEDDING - Obering - Flemming Wedding, 1942

Mr.. and Mrs. Tom Flemming
On their Wedding Day

On November 17, 1942, Thomas Anthony Flemming (1923-1999) married Rita Grace Obering (1923-1994) at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 1327 6th Ave. S., in Birmingham, Alabama. They were both just 19 years old on the day of their wedding. Their marriage lasted fifty-one years and produced four children, two daughters and two son (all living).









Wedding Announcement - Nov. 1942
Birmingham News

Miss Rita Obering Wed
Pledges Vows With Thomas A. Flemming In Ceremony At Our Lady of Sorrows

"The marriage of Miss Rita Grace Obering, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Obering, and Thomas Anthony Flemming, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Flemming, was solemnized at 11 a.m., Tuesday, at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, the Rev. T. J. Pathe officiating.

The nuptial music was presented by Mrs. E. E. Mulvaney, vocalist, and L. E. Hart, organist.

The alter was decorated with urns of white chrysanthemums and ferns.

White Roses & Stephanotis

The bride was given in marriage by her father. She wore a costume suit of Venetian blue trimmed in dark brown fur with brown accessories. She carried a white satin prayerbook  topped with white roses and showered with stephanotis. (as left)

Miss Frances Louise York, as maid of honor, wore a sun valley gold suit with brown accessories. Her flowers were talisman roses. (see right)

Talisman Roses

 

Miss Imelda Duncan Obering, sister of the bride, was junior bridesmaid. Her dress was of blue wool embroidered in contrasting shades. She carried a bouquet of sweetheart roses.

James B. Flemming served his brother as best man. The ushers were Henry A. Obering, Jr., and William Hisey, Jr.

Johanna Hill Rose

The bride's mother's dress was of aquamarine crepe. Her corsage was of Johanna Hill roses. (see left) Mrs. J. J. Duncan, grandmother of the bride, wore black crepe. Her corsage was talisman roses.

Immediately after the ceremony, the bridal couple left for a wedding trip to New Orleans. Upon their return they will be at home in the Ponce de Leon apartments.

Out-of-town guests were Mr. and Mrs. Donald Graden, of Gary, Ind., and Mrs. J. D. Arnold, of Albany, Georgia.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Obering entertained members of the bridal party, relatives and immediate friends at an after-rehearsal party at their home.

A tiered cake embossed with white roses and topped with a miniature bride and bridegroom, which had been used on the wedding cake of the bride's mother, centered the table." [published in the Birmingham News, November 18, 1942]

Tom Flemming was the sixth of seven children born to Charles Clinton Flemming (1884-1935) and Katherine Aurelia Lambert (1885-1935). His father Charles was the third of eleven children born to my great-great-grandparents Charles Clinton Flemming (1854-1932) and Elizabeth Agnes McCaffrey (1858-1922). Charles Jr.'s older brother was Harry Clinton Flemming (1878-1955), my great-grandfather.

WEDNESDAY'S WEDDING - McCaffrey-Morris Wedding, 1902

Wedding Invitation



Charlotte Teresa McCaffrey was the tenth of thirteen children born to my great-great-grandparents, Thomas J. McCaffrey (1832-1896) and Charlotte Elizabeth McCluskey (1838-1917). She was born April 5, 1875, in Rome, Floyd County, Georgia. My great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Agnes McCaffrey Flemming (1858-1922), was her oldest sister, 17 years her senior.

On September 24, 1902, at the age of 27, Lottie, as she was called, married William Sidney Morris, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee. He was 34 at the time of their wedding. The ceremony took place at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rome.

Their Wedding Certificate lists one of their witnesses, most likely Lottie's Maid-of-Honor, as "Susan Flemming" [see below]. Susan Elizabeth Flemming (1879-1909), Susie as she was called, was Lottie's niece, the 22-year-old oldest daughter of her sister Lizzie, and the sister of my great-grandfather Harry Clinton Flemming (1878-1955).



Wedding Picture of Mr. & Mrs. Morris
September 24, 1902

McCAFFREY-MORRIS

Wedding Announcement

Interesting Wedding at Catholic Church Yesterday Morning

"The marriage of Miss Lottie Theresa McCaffrey to Mr. Wm. S. Morris, of Anniston, was solemnized at St. Mary's Catholic church yesterday morning at 7 o'clock with a nuptial mass. Rev. Father Fahy, the pastor, performed the ceremony, assisted by Rev. Father Doyle, of Anniston, Ala.

Miss McCaffrey is a lovely young woman and greatly admired by her host of friends. She is the leading spirit in St. Mary's choir where her sweet voice will be greatly missed.

Mr. Morris is a prominent young business man in Anniston, and the very suitable match calls for mutual congratulations. After the ceremony the bridal couple left for Tennessee going to Knoxville the groom's former home." [from Rome News-Tribune, Sept. 25, 1902]



Close-up of Lottie & William

Lottie and William settled in Birmingham, Alabama, and had four children: William Fahy Morris (1903-1921); Joseph Morris (1904-1904); Charlotte Elizabeth Morris (1906-1996); and George Lawrence Morris (1908-1980).

In January 1925, Lottie was admitted into St. Vincent's Hospital. After five days she was operated on for appendicitis. Two days later she died, at the age of forty-nine. She is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. William who began working for the L&N Railroad about this same time, lived for thirty more years, dying in May 1955. He is buried next to his wife.



Certificate of Marriage
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The original St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
site of the wedding of Thomas and Charlotte McCaffrey - 1853

On Monday, August 15, 1853, Thomas Joseph McCaffrey (1832-1896) and Charlotte Elizabeth McCluskey (1838-1917), my 3x-great-grandparents, were married. Next month marks the 160th anniversary of their wedding.

They were married at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas was 21 years old; Charlotte was just 15. They were married by Reverend Patrick Rafferty (1791-1863). Their witnesses for the ceremony were Henry Donahue (1830-1890) and Isabel Maddon.

The McCluskey family lived less than four blocks from the church, in the Fairmount area of the city, on Hamilton Street.

History of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
[taken from www.sfxschool.org]


Interior of Old Church
NOTE: Joseph & Charlotte took their wedding vows here

"Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was founded in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty Nine. At the time of its establishment the diocese of Philadelphia was only a little more than three decades old and included all of Pennsylvania, western New Jersey and the state of Delaware.

The new Saint Francis Xavier Church was only the seventh Catholic Church to exist within the city. The site purchased for the new church was at the southwest corner of 25th and Biddle streets -- not far from the grand front steps of today's Philadelphia Museum of Art. The erection of the new church was directed by (the first Pastor of the parish) Father Michael O'Connor. At least part of the money used to build the church was raised by a city-wide collection. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on June 10, 1839. Mass was celebrated there for the first time on Sunday, December 1, 1839.

Portrait of Rev. Patrick Rafferty
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In 1842, Father Patrick Rafferty was appointed pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish. Father Rafferty took up residence in a small house at 402 North 25th Street, very near to the church. In 1844, during the anti-Catholic unrest which afflicted the United States, two Catholic churches and the homes of thirty Catholics were destroyed by fire in Philadelphia. Because of the unrest, by order of Bishop Kenrick, on Sunday, May 12, 1844, Catholic churches in the city were closed. Various accounts of the parish history indicate, however, that in spite of that situation, Mass was celebrated by Father Rafferty in our church on that day. During the month which followed, the church was guarded day and night by militia sent by the civil authorities, and by a number of parishioners who volunteered their services.

In 1845, Father Rafferty opened Saint Francis Xavier School in the basement of the church. Father Rafferty died in March of 1863.

Father James Maginn was appointed pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish in 1863. Prior to being appointed Pastor he had served for eight years as an assistant to Father Rafferty, and for a brief period after Father Rafferty's death he served as Administrator of the parish. Almost immediately upon his appointment as pastor, Father Maginn began to make improvements to the parish property. He had erected a new rectory just south of the church; he added transepts, stained glass windows and a dome to the church. He also enlarged the galleries of the building. In spite of all the improvements, it soon became obvious that the rapidly expanding parish was outgrowing its church, and especially, its school. In the late 1860's Father Maginn had constructed a three story brick school building at the southeast corner of 24th and Green streets. He also purchased two adjoining houses which would eventually become the first Saint Francis Xavier Parish convent for the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM).

Map of second church location
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

The idea of a new church became imperative when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad decided to change the grade of its track which ran near the church at Biddle Street. Because tunneling was involved in the project, the blasting of rock was necessary. That process resulted in significant damage to both the church and the adjacent rectory. Father Maginn then purchased the land at 2321 Green Street, where he constructed a rectory (this building is now the residence of our Oratory of Saint Phillip Neri community). As soon as the rectory was completed, Father Maginn began to negotiate the purchase of property to the west of the new building. That site would be the site of our present church. Father Maginn had secured three of the four properties needed when he suddenly became ill. On July 25, 1890, Father Maginn died at the new rectory.

Immediately after the death of Father Maginn, Reverend Michael Gleeson was appointed pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish. Father Gleeson wasted no time in taking up the work of constructing a new church. The purchase of the final ground needed was completed by 1894; the ground was cleared and the digging of the new church's foundations began that same year. On October 6, 1894, the corner-stone of the new church was laid by Archbishop Ryan. On December 18, 1898, the now completed church was dedicated by Archbishop Ryan and a Pontifical Mass was celebrated by Bishop Prendergast. At just about the time of the church's dedication, Father Gleeson was afflicted with a form of paralysis that was finally to cause his death on January 25, 1904, after a long, painful illness. In March of 1904, Father Thomas F. Shannon was appointed the sixth pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish.


St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
(current church - built 1898)

It would be Father Shannon's task to rally the parish in one of its most difficult moments. On March 31, 1906, a building then located at 24th and Wallace streets caught fire and was completely destroyed. During that event the fire managed to leap to the newly opened church at Green Street and it too was severely damaged. The roof of the church was completely destroyed, and a great deal of damage was done to the interior when the roof fell. [See newspaper story of church fire below.]

Almost immediately after the fire, reconstruction of the church began. A temporary alter was erected in the school on Green Street and Mass was celebrated there until the Church reopened on April 5, 1908. The cost of the reconstruction had been one-hundred thousand dollars."

To get a complete 360 degree view - top to bottom - of the present church please go to http://www.360cities.net/image/stfrancisxavierchurchphladelphia#-155.88,-10.07,69.6 at 360cities website. It is simply awesome. The church is described here: "St. Francis Xavier is a striking asymmetric Romanesque church at 24th and Green Streets near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.  It was originally built in 1893-1898 to designs by architect Edward Durang, extended to its present size in 1906, and rebuilt in 1908 after being damaged by a fire that started in a nearby hat factory.  Unlike many Catholic churches, it did not modify its old High Altar following the liturgical reforms of Vatican II in 1962."


St. Francis Xavier - The Oratory

Fire Ruins Beautiful St. Francis' Church
[from The Philadelphia Inquirer; April 1, 1908; page 1-2]
Priests Risked Lives Saving Valuable Contents of Roman Catholic edifice That Ignited From Hat Factory Blaze

    "The beautiful interior of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis Xavier, at Twenty-fourth and Green streets was swept by a spectacular fire yesterday afternoon that originated in the hat factory of Henry Roelofs & Co. adjoining the rear of the edifice.
     When the firemen, after a hard battle of nearly three hours, finally had the flames under control, only the walls and the steeple of the church remained standing, the hat factory had been destroyed, and several residences nearby had been badly damaged. The total loss was estimated at $150,000. 

[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

    The fire was replete with sensational incidents. Again and again the firemen bravely risked their lives in their efforts to subdue the flames, scaling the burning and treacherous roof of the church with lines of hose, dodging falling masses of debris and narrowly escaping being buried beneath toppling walls. Three of them were badly bruised and cut as one of the walls of the hat factory fell. They were taken to the German Hospital. They were Asst. Fire Chief Waters, Charles H. Porter, Jr., assistant foreman, and Robert McClellan, both of Engine Company No. 4, Seventh and Sansom streets. Other firemen received various minor injuries, but all refused to leave their posts while there was danger of the flames spreading eastward to the residences on Green street.
     Remarkable courage was shown by Rev. John J. Fleming, acting rector of the church aided in carrying many objects ices, vestments and other articles of value that were in the sacristy or on the altar when the church caught fire. Rev. Mr. Fleming risked his life by running into the smoke-filled edifice and bearing away from the altar the Blessed Sacrament. Many of the men parishioners of the church aided in carrying many objects of value from the burning structure until the quickly spreading flames made further efforts of that sort too hazardous.
     The fire started at the storehouse of the factory of Henry Roelofs & Company, 609-19 North Twenty-fourth street. There were fifty men at work in the factory at the time, all of whom got safely out.
     The flames spread throughout the factory with remarkable swiftness. The south wall of the two-story brick structure was but three feet from the rear of the church in which were five large stain glass windows overlooking the sacristy. These glass in these windows were shattered by heat of the flames that rose from the burning factory. The wind was blowing toward the windows and through them the flames swept into the church. In vain did the firemen try to save the church, an immense granite pile upon a high terrace.
     The wind fanned the flames and they swept along the walls of the church and up through the slate roof. From the top of nearby house the firemen poured streams of water upon the burning structure, but the wind was so strong that at one time grave fears were entertained for the safety of the immediate neighborhood....

Page 2
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

    As great tongues of flames shot through the roof of the church , above which rolled great clouds of smoke, the rays of the setting sun seemed to intensify the glare. Now and then the bells of the church steeple, probably as a result of the vibration of the walls or of water descending upon them, would peel forth melancholy notes with weird effect.
     Although the interior of the church was wrecked a large crucifix over the altar and one or two effigies of saints remained unbroken. The $6000 organ was ruined while several pains were broken in the circular stain glass window in the front of the church, which was a gift of Archbishop Ryan...."



WEDNESDAY'S WEDDING - Horst - Dilworth Wedding, June 1904

On June 29, 1904, Eliza Loy Dilworth married Charles Frederick Horst in Birmingham, Alabama. She was 19. He was 23. Here is their story.

Eliza Loy Dilworth

Eliza was born February 18, 1885, in Jamestown, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of coal mine owner John Edmond Dilworth (1858-1930) and his wife Mary Eliza Loy (1862-1933). John was born in New Jersey; Mary was born in New York City, New York. They had settled first in Damascus, Pennsylvania, where they started their family of four children. The family had relocated to Alabama by the turn of the century.

Charles was born in Mobile, Alabama, on November 15, 1880. He was the oldest son of five children born to my great-great-grandparents Charles Frederick Horst (1856-1912) and Odalie Felice Fortier (1857-1920). Charles was the older brother of my great-grandmother Pearl Alphonsine  Horst Flemming (1884-1961). Charles and Odalie had first moved from Mobile to Cincinnati, Ohio, for health reasons, and lived with his paternal aunt's family for a while. The family then settled for good in Birmingham.

By the late 1880's Birmingham was the primary site of coal mining in the state of Alabama. Walker County, located northwest of Birmingham, was second. This may have been where Eliza and Charles first met. The 1900 U.S. Census shows that Charles was living in a boarding house in the mining town of Corona in Walker County, working as a stenographer for a coal mining company. The same census shows that Eliza was also living in Corona with her parents and three siblings; her father listed his occupation as "Superintendent - Coal".


Wedding Photo of Eliza Dilworth
June 1904

This wedding picture (left) was one of several family photos that my father had, that were left by Grider Horst (1908-1995), their daughter and oldest of their two children. I searched the local papers for a write-up that would describe their wedding but found nothing. Most personal or social events, even most obituaries, weren't published in our city's newspapers in 1904, but there were some. Unfortunately, in the case of the Horst-Dilworth wedding I could find none.

Charles and Eliza settled in Birmingham, living first in the Highlands section of town, along with her brother John Fulton Dilworth (1888-1942) at 2930 Pawnee Avenue. Later they moved to the Hollywood section of Homewood, a suburb outside of the city, on the English side of Poinciana Drive. Charles continued working in coal sales, first with Grider Coal Sales Company (after which he named his daughter) and later owned his own company, C. F. Horst & Company, where he was quite successful. He and Eliza had two children - Frances Grider (b. Dec. 23, 1908) and Charles Frederick Jr. (b. Nov. 10, 1911). The Horsts were lifelong members of Highland Methodist Church.

Charles and Eliza Horst - Still in Love (ca. 1935)
At Home on Their Front Porch Swing - Pawnee Avenue

Charles retired in 1945 and he and his wife, along with daughter Grider, moved to Tampa, Florida. After 56-years of marriage, Eliza passed away on September 17, 1960. She had been visiting her son and his wife in Birmingham when she died. She was 75 years old. Eliza was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.


Day after Eliza's Funeral
September 18, 1960 - Elmwood Cemetery

On September 2, 1964, Charles died at his home in Tampa. He was eighty-three. He was buried next to his beloved wife in Elmwood. Charles died at age 72, on April 29, 1984. His wife Kathryn Olsafski (b. December 30, 1917) died June 2, 1999, at the age of 81. Having returned to Birmingham after the death of her father, Grider passed away on April 1, 1995. She was eighty-six. No grandchildren were born. Charles, wife Kathryn, and his sister Grider are buried at Elmwood Cemetery, next to their parents.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY - O'Donnell-Huber Wedding (1904)

St. Paul's Catholic Church
early postcard

One hundred-and-nine years ago this coming Monday, on February 11th, my great-grandparents were married at a small ceremony at St. Paul's Catholic Church (now Cathedral) in Birmingham, Alabama. They were married early on a Thursday morning with a few family and friends present. They would go on to make their home in Birmingham and have four children together - my grandfather John Huber (born May 6, 1905); Charles Patrick (born October 18, 1906); Edward Joseph Kennedy (born January 18, 1908); and Barbara Lena (born November 7, 1909).  But first came their wedding day.

John Martin O'Donnell was born November 7, 1865, in Jericho, Henry County, Kentucky to my great-great-grandparents Patrick O'Donnell (1823-1911) and Bridget Kennedy (1838-1883), both immigrants from Ireland. After earning an engineering degree at nearby Eminence College Johnny, as he was called, eventually began working for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. His name appears in the 1893 Louisville (Ky.) City Directory, where he was boarding at '1134 8th'.  His occupation is listed as a 'Leveler' with the City Engineers Department. [A leveler is part of a civil engineering survey team necessary in the preliminary work of building a railroad, roads, etc.]  Within the next few years his job at L&N RR would transfer him to Alabama. It was here that he met his future wife.

Mary Bertha Huber was born August 8, 1883, in Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky. Her parents were my great-great-grandparents Phillip Huber (1847-1901), an immigrant from Germany, and Barbara F. Brunett (1852-1896). Mayme, as she was known, worked as a school teacher in her hometown of Bowling Green. Later she moved with her father, brother and two sisters, to Alabama. She taught school in Calera, Shelby County, outside of Birmingham. It was here in Calera, according to family lore, that the two met while living in the same boarding house.

Johnny and Mayme were married on Thursday, February 11, 1904. He was 38 years old; she was 30. The story of their wedding appeared on page 6 of the Birmingham Age-Herald newspaper, on February 13th.

"O'DONNELL-HUBER
     At St. Paul's Church, on Thursday morning at 7:45, Miss Mayme B. Huber of this city, and Mr. J.M. O'Donnell were married. The Reverend Father O'Reilly officiating in his usual impressive manner.

     Miss Minnie Huber, sister of the bride, and Mr. Thomas Barret were the attendants. The bride was becomingly attired in a blue traveling suit with hat to match, and carried a white prayer book. The bridesmaid was also in blue. The wedding was a quiet one, only a few intimate friends being present. The bride is a sister of Mr. Charles T. Huber and is an attractive and brilliant young lady who has for several years been a successful teacher in the public schools of Alabama. The groom is a popular employe (sic) in the Louisville and Nashville civil engineering department.


from Birmingham Age-Herald, page 6
February 13, 1904

     Immediately after the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. O'Donnell left for New Orleans."
 

I wish there was a picture of the two on their wedding day - especially one of her. You can almost picture it, with the description in the newspaper article. Mayme, dressed in a "blue traveling suit", carrying a "white prayer book" standing next to her younger sister Philomena (1875-1937), better known as Minnie, who's also wearing blue. A few family and friends, who also got up early to be at the church by 7:45. And standing in front of the alter, the beloved parish priest in his vestments.

Johnny and Mayme O'Donnell were married only nine short years. Mayme died on March 30, 1913, in her home, after contracting tuberculosis. She was 39 years old. [Read more about John and Mayme in earlier blog posts for more information on their life.]

Happy Anniversary!

Statue of Father Patrick O'Reilly
by Guiseppe Morietti
In front of St. Vincent's Hospital
Birmingham, Alabama

[SIDEBAR - The following information on Father Patrick O'Reilly, the officiant at Johnny & Mayme's wedding, is worth noting. It is found in Rising Road: A True Tale of Love, Race and Religion in America, published in 2010, by Sharon Davies - the story of Father James Coyle and his murder. Father Coyle was Father O'Reilly's successor at St. Paul's Church.

"Confidence aside, some of the parishioners of St. Paul's probably thought Father Coyle, at age thirty-one, too young to handle the job Bishop Edward Allen of Mobile had sent him to do in Birmingham in 1904. The bishop had placed on the young priest's shoulders the inevitable task of replacing Father Patrick O'Reilly, the handsome and hugely popular former pastor of St. Paul's. Two months before, Father O'Reilly had suffered a grievous head injury while serving as Chaplain of the Alabama National Guard. During a routine review of the troops at the state fairgrounds, something had frightened his horse and it threw him. The summer-warmed ground was far from its hardest, but he landed badly, and the force of the impact cracked his skull. Horrified onlookers rushed the priest's broken body to St. Vincent's Hospital, which, ironically, O'Reilly had founded himself four years before. He had first proposed to build a hospital in Birmingham following one of the city's annual summer bouts with typhoid fever.... Following a particularly distressing episode of typhoid one summer, Father O'Reilly had sent a letter to the sisters of the Daughters of Charity at St. Vincent de Paul in Maryland asking that they come to Birmingham to run a hospital.... Shortly after the hospital opened its doors, Father O'Reilly announced he would build an orphanage as well, and his reputation in the city as a doer of good was cemented.

St. Vincent's Hospital about 1910
early postcard - Birmingham, Alabama
[CLICK TO ENLARGE FOR DETAILS]

     A squadron of doctors and nuns at St. Vincent's Hospital ministered tirelessly over their beloved founder, doing all they could to save him, as word spread among the city's Catholics that Father O'Reilly was hurt and in need of their prayers. Perhaps the chorus of supplications that answered that call slowed his exit; for he hovered between life and death for nearly a week. But finally on July 28, 1904, he died, at the age of forty-nine." (pages 29-30)]

WEDDING WEDNESDAY - Thompson-Flemming Wedding 1912



Imo Flemming Thompson
(1886-1919)

Imo Flemming is my great-great-aunt. I never knew her but just to see this picture that she posed for in the early 1900's makes me think she must have been quite a woman. She was born Elizabeth Imogene Flemming on September 28, 1886 in Rome, Georgia. Her parents were my 3x-great-grandparents Charles Clinton Flemming (1854-1932) and Elizabeth Agnes McCaffrey (1858-1922), and a younger sister to my great-great-grandfather Harry Clinton Flemming (1878-1955). 
She was much loved among her family - she served as maid-of-honor in the wedding of both her sister Susie (1879-1908) and Charles (1884-1935), and possibly more. She was also best friends with her sister-in-law Pearl Horst (1884-1961), wife of Harry and my great-grandmother.

In early December 1912 the engagement of Charlie and Lizzie's sixth child was announced in the local Birmingham newspaper:

Darrell Robert Thompson, her husband-to-be, was born in Anniston, Alabama, on January 25, 1890, the oldest son of Robert Durrell Thompson (1863-1944) and Mary Eldon Rose (1868-1934). At the time of their engagement Darrell was a Clerk with Southern Railway.

In the Social Section of The Birmingham Age, the Rehearsal Dinner the evening before the wedding was described in some detail:

Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Fleming Buffet Supper Hosts

"The members of the party who are to attend Miss Imo Flemming and Mr. Thompson this morning at their wedding enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Fleming last evening after the rehearsal, at a buffet supper. Ferns, poinsettia and other decorations appropriate to the Christmas and New Year season were employed to brighten the surroundings and a tempting supper was served from the dining room." (December 31, 1912)

[click to enlarge]

Thompson-Flemming Wedding This Morning

   "Tuesday morning at 8:30 o'clock at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Flemming, on St. Charles street, the marriage of their daughter, Miss Imo Elizabeth Flemming to Mr. D. I. Thompson of Anniston was solemnized impressively, but with quiet simplicity. Father J. E. Coyle of St. Paul's church administered the solemn nuptial vow.
   Christmas greens with an interlude of red in holly berries and poinsettas made the home a very attractive setting for the wedding. The improvised alter of palms, ferns and smilax which was built in the living room had poinsetta flowers woven into the green bank. Numerous candles on the altar furnished the only illumination for the room.
   The music for the wedding was played by Miss Abbie Murphy, and just before the ceremony she rendered a beautiful nuptial song. The bridal party entered to the notes of the Lohengrin wedding march.
   Mrs. James Bennet Thomas, a bride of the late summer, served her sister as matron of honor. She wore a handsome coat suit of tan cloth with hat, shoes and gloves of the same shade. Her flowers were Richmand roses.
   Miss Flemming descended the stairway with her father, Mr. C. C. Flemming, Sr. She was gowned in her traveling suit of dark blue serge and a small velvet hat of a similar color which was trimmed with one graceful plume, curling over the side brim. She held a shower bouquet of lillies of the valley and brides roses.
     Mr. Thompson, attended by his best man, Mr. James Bennet Thomas, joined his bride at the altar. The beautiful marriage ceremony of the Catholic church was performed by the Rev. Father Coyle.
     Mr. and Mrs. Thompson left on an early train for Washington, New York and other points in the North. At the end of two weeks they will go to Anniston, where they are to make their home."  (December 31, 1912)



Possibly the Wedding Picture of
Imo and Darrell Thompson
(Note the small hat with a plume
that she has set on his head)

After their wedding, the couple was transferred at least twice from their home in Anniston, first to Charlotte, North Carolina - where he registered for the WWI Draft in 1917. At this time he was the Chief Clerk with Southern Railroad. Sometime after this  Darrell and Imo moved to Baltimore, Maryland. It was here, on January 26, 1919, that Imo died. They had just celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary.

Why she died at the young age of 32 isn't known. Family stories say she died in childbirth. But this was also the end of the worldwide Flu Pandemic that started in the fall of 1918. This flu strain killed mostly young adults, with healthy immune systems. Only two months earlier, Imo's youngest brother Tom (1896-1918) had died from complications from this same flu. What is know is that her body was taken back by train to Birmingham, where she was buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

Her husband remarried in 1921. He and his wife Margauritte had a daughter Marion in 1924 in Georgia. By 1930 they had moved once again to Indianapolis, Indiana. Nothing further is known of Darrell and his new family.

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY'S PHOTO - Honeymoon at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky 1929

At the Entrance to Mammoth Cave 1929
Susie & Huber back row, 2nd and 3rd from right

On Thursday morning, June 27, 1929, John Huber O'Donnell (1905-1964) and Susan Elizabeth Flemming (1909-1999) were married at St. Paul's Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 25 at the time; she was 19. Huber and Susie are my grandparents.

Flemming-O'Donnell Announcement
Birmingham Age-Herald
June 28, 1929

The Birmingham Age-Herald announced their wedding the following day.

Susan Flemming Is Married To Mr. O'Donnell

"In the Presence of a large assemblage of friends and relatives, the marriage of Miss Susan Elizabeth Flemming, attractive daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Flemming, to J. Huber O'Donnell was solemnized Thursday morning at 9 o'clock in St. Paul's Church, with Father William A. Kerrigan officiating.

The church was decorated with a profusion of palms, ferns and smilax. Floor baskets held large clusters of Shasta daisies and yellow snapdragons. Against this background were placed seven branched candlesticks, in which burned cathedral candles.

The nuptial music was arranged by Mrs. O.W. Colgan and opened with a group of songs, presented by O.L. Horst, uncle of the bride. The wedding march was played by Mrs. Colgan.

The maid of honor, Miss O'Dolly (sic) Flemming, sister of the bride, entered first. She was lovely in a charming costume of orchid, with small hat and shoes to match. Her corsage was of lavender and pink sweet peas, tied with orchid tulle.

The bridesmaids, Miss Mary Agnes Flemming, Miss Margaret Cole and Miss Catherine Flemming, were gowned in two-piece ensembles in pastel shades. Miss Mary Agnes Flemming wearing yellow, Miss Cole, flesh, and Miss Catherine Flemming, green. Each wore a corsage of pink and lavender sweet peas, tied with ribbon to match their frocks.

The bride entered with her father Harry Clinton Flemming, Sr. She was lovely in an imported frock of aquamarine blue, with hat and shoes of a slightly deeper shade. Her flowers were white rosebuds and valley lilies in an effective corsage.

Charles O'Donnell served as best man. The groomsmen, Charles Moultis, Richard King and Jimmy Campbell, and the ushers, Anthony Montalbano and H.C. Flemming, Jr., completed the bridal group.

Immediately after this ceremony, the bridal party and parents of the bride and groom were entertained at a breakfast at the Tutwiler, with Mr. and Mrs. James B. Flemming as hosts.

Later in the day, Mr. and Mrs. O'Donnell left for a wedding trip through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. After a two weeks' trip they will be at home in Birmingham.

The bride is a popular member of the younger set. She was graduated from "The Convent" and since that time has traveled extensively in the United States.

The groom is connected with the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company. "

On their honeymoon they also visited Mammoth Cave, located north of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The photograph above was taken of their group waiting for their tour to begin.

Entrance to Mammoth Cave
ca. 1930

Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave, with over 390 miles explored. It has long been a popular tourist location and was a frequent honeymoon destination in the mid- to late- 1800's and the early 1900's. It was given the name "Mammoth" because of its enormous size - even before they knew exactly how big it really was. The cave became a part of the National Park Service in 1941 and a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Mammoth Cave Brochure
ca. 1930

The history of Mammoth Cave and human inhabitants span 6,000 years; remains of Native Americans buried intentionally and those who died in the cave have helped to date the first visitors. Legend has it that the first European to visit the cave was in 1797. The cave's saltpeter reserves became important during the War of 1812 with the British blockade of the United States' ports. The cave's ownership changed hands during this time and soon it was being mined for calcium nitrate. In 1839 a Louisville physician bought the cave to use as a tuberculosis hospital because of its constant air temperatures and its natural preservative qualities. Unfortunately this experiment was a failure and the doctor too would eventually die from this widespread and incurable disease.

Throughout the 19th century the cave earned national and international renown. With the opening in 1859 of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, tourists could be transported from the railroad stop, by stagecoach to the cave entrance. By 1886 the Mammoth Cave Railroad would provide service for the tens of thousands of tourists each year who came to see the cave. In 1906 tourists were also brought to the cave by steamboat after the construction of a lock and dam of the Green River in Brownsville. In the early 1920's new entrances were blasted open, creating new competition for the owners.

Visitors depart by Carriage from the Mammoth Cave Hotel (back)
Vintage Postcard ca. 1910

Motor Age magazine (December 1916) reported the total destruction of the Mammoth Cave Hotel which burned to the ground that month. The building, with its original structure dating from 1811, was visited by royalty and the famous, as well as thousands of ordinary tourists. "Many held a sentimental attachment to the primitive old structure because of memories associated with visitors to the cave. For many of the older persons Mammoth Caves was the scene of the bridal trip as it was a favorite center for honeymoons in earlier days when long trips were not so easily made. Countless numbers of antebellum bridal couples were its guests."

Bridal Altar at Mammoth Cave
Vintage Postcard 1908

Weddings were regularly held at the cave's "Bridal Altar", a natural formation of three stalactites, symbolizing the bride, the groom and the clergyman.