Fearless Females: Day 4: Marriage

Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

For the marriage installment, I'll be featuring my Great Grandmother, Antonina Nowak Smyczynski, 1878 - 1965.  In the pictures that I've seen of her, she seems like a happy woman.  My dad would have known her, I'll have to ask him about her. 

This is the Marriage Certificate of Peter (Piotr) Smyczynski and Anna (Antonina or Antoinette) Nowak.  These were my mother's grandparents on her father's side.  They were married in Philadelphia, PA on August 4th, 1895.  She had only been in this country for 5 years when she married Peter.  They went on to have 6 children, one of whom was my grandfather, Zigmunt, or James, or Sigmund, or Sonny Boy.  These people went by many names.  I had always been under the impression that my Polish family would be easy to research, since their names were pretty unique as compared to the Robinsons.  Boy was I wrong, their names got butchered over and over.  In the end, the Smyczynskis used the name Smith to fit in and get work.  I am lucky that my Mom had saved a lot of this stuff.  The original is falling apart, since it's been folded for about 115 years.


Anna and Peter's Wedding Picture, 1895



Peter and Anna in 1932 with my Grandfather, James (or Sigmund or Zigmunt).



Anna, circa 1958, at my Mom's bridal shower.

She is about 80 years old here.

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Anna, circa 1959, at my Mom's baby shower.