Friday . . . in the yard (perhaps?) . . . We know it was the 4th of July, 1902. With apologies to Chicago, who released their hit "Saturday In the Park" a good 70 years later, today I muse about the wedding of my great-grandparents, William H. Herrick and Margaret S. Shields.
I have no photographs from this day at all, and I don't know anything about their courtship. William was a 28-year-old lathe tender living in Agawam, a small town in Western Massachusetts. Margaret, 24, was born in Rutherglen, Scotland. Her family had come to the United States when she was a small child and eventually settled in Agawam. She worked as a machine operator at the time of her marriage.
Was a large wedding or a small family affair? In a church or in a back yard? Did red, white, and blue bunting hang from nearby porches? Did they have lemonade and picnic fare? I know I'm projecting my own 4th of July visions on their day, but it's fun to imagine.
One thing I do know: Margaret was expecting. Just four months after the wedding, their first son, my grandfather William James Herrick was born, followed by a brother, James Shields Herrick in 1904. Perhaps the pregnancy made the event more subdued?
I continue looking for clues on this couple. Unfortunately, their marriage lasted just 15 years. William died in the 1918 flu pandemic. My grandfather quit school and started working to support the family. And his mother never remarried.
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