Tag: marriages

My 17th week in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” family history blogging challenge.

My 17th “ancestor” is my Flanagan uncle, whose first and middle name, and biographical facts, are being withheld for privacy reasons. The real focus of this post is the following photo. However since the challenge is supposed to be tied to an ancestor or relation, I’m assigning my uncle to that role.

My Uncle’s 1970s wedding. My grandparents, Michael John Flanagan and Elsie Charlotte Hayes are in the middle. I’m in the front row center, wearing the pink dress and a scowl face.

This post came to mind because I shared this photo on Facebook today for Throwback Thursday. It is one of the only photos I have of my Mom’s entire family, and it is one of my very favorite family history photos. Because it is so awesome and so funny — the epitome of 1970s fashion. Check out the tuxes that my grandpa Michael John FLANAGAN (1927 – 1997) and uncle (the groom) are sporting. How about those disco era dresses my uncle’s sisters are wearing (Saturday Night Fever, anyone…)? Except for the dress and hat my flower child aunt in back is wearing. And while you can’t see it in this photo, most of the men are in leisure suits (my poor cousin on my left got stuck in a little boy’s leisure suit!). Ironically, my grandmother, Elsie Charlotte HAYES (1926 – 1992), is wearing the most normal looking dress…and she had hideous fashion taste, usually choosing polyester pants.

It must have been a long hot ceremony (probably a traditional Catholic one, out of respect for the bride’s family), because all of us kids are scowling, as are many of the grown ups.

The parents of the groom, my grandparents Elsie and Mike.

My uncle and his sisters, as children, at their home in Santa Fe Springs, California.

The groom, as a baby.

My uncle whisking Jeff and me away from our wedding reception on his speed boat. We held our reception at Canyon Lake, California, where my folks live, and I wanted a memorable exit. Uncle had a change of clothes stashed in the boat, and when it came time to make our departure, he took us across the lake to my parents’ house where Jeff and I could change and head off to the airport. We had a blast as boaters, water skiers, and beach goers on the lake this gorgeous day cheered us on. My nephew surprised us with the “Just Married” sign.

Rosie Salas and her three surviving children, 1940s.

My second week in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

This week’s ancestor is my grandmother Rosie Salas (b. ca. 1923). I don’t know if Rosie is alive or dead. I haven’t seen her since the funeral of my grandfather Benjamin Robledo (1919-1990). Rosie and Ben divorced when my father was very young, and neither parent raised my father. He and his younger brother were raised by their grandmother Maria Nieto (1887-1974), and their bachelor uncle Alfred Robledo.

Rosie has always been one of my brickwalls because my father and his extended family lost touch with her decades ago. My father knew practically nothing about his mother’s youth and family. He remembers her telling him that she was born in Nogales, Arizona. That’s it. That’s the only lead I have had to work with for the 15 years I have been researching my family history.

Until last year.

In May 2013, during one of my regular searches on FamilySearch for records cross-indexing my father’s ancestral surnames, I came across what must have been a somewhat recently added record and image…the marriage certificate and license for Rosie Salas and my grandfather.

October 24, 1942 marriage license for Ben Robledo and Rosie Salas.

Benjamin and Rosie were married on 24 October 1942 in (of all places) Anaheim, California (practically my backyard!). Both listed this as their first marriage. Ben, age 23, worked as a welder and Rosie, age 19, worked as a waitress. Both lived in Los Angeles, so I can’t figure out why they chose to marry in Orange County instead of closer to their homes.

But, best of all…this marriage certificate finally provided my first clues into Rosie’s family history! Rosie indicates she was born in Arizona, and she lists the names of her parents. Rosie claims her father, Steven Salas, and her mother, Victoria Jimenez, were both born in New Mexico. These are my first solid leads to investigate and confirm for this side of my father’s ancestry.

Dad was thrilled when I shared this information with him.