June 26, 1934

     On this date, 80 years ago, Mary Agnes Donovan married Charles Anthony Madigan.  There is no one left to recall the day.  There is not much that remains of the memory.  There is a photograph of the bridal party, one picture only.  Sad to say, I know so little.  Maid of Honor was Helen Cecelia Donovan, sister of the bride, and best man was Frank Madigan, brother of the groom.  The bride wore a dress borrowed from Frank's wife, Mary Doherty Madigan, which  was returned shortly after the wedding.  Frank was the younger brother and his wife was 5 years younger than the bride;  perhaps they were married shortly before and perhaps the dress was worn at their wedding; there is no longer any way to tell.   The picture shows a pretty dress, mid length, which would have been full-length on the owner.  Probably the ceremony was conducted at St. Augustine's in Lansingburgh; that sounds familiar, as if my mother told me.  I don't know who the guests were, other than the wedding party.  I'm thinking maybe just a private taking of the vows, but of course with a Catholic priest. I would have thought Agnes, younger sister, might have been there, but probably not their mother, because she didn't travel after her son died in a construction accident in Troy.  The other 3 parents were all deceased by then.  I think the picture was taken by Lloyd's of Troy, probably the major expenditure, because there was no money, the wedding being right on the heels of the Great Depression. 
      My mother said that she told people, when they inquired where they went on their honeymoon, that they went to Niagara Falls. That was the trendy spot for honeymoons back then.   But they didn't; they went to their new home.  I'm not sure where that was, but I think it might have been in the building which once stood at the entrance to the Valley Falls Mill site.  I know so little, and can't believe I never learned more about their early days.  I hope that the day was beautiful and that they were happy to be together.