Wednesday Weddings - Wedding Dresses by Nina

Wedding Dresses by Nina

My parents, Bill and Nina, were blessed with four daughters and one son. I have no doubt that with the birth of each daughter my parents were wondering how are we going to pay for all these weddings? Of course what parent wouldn't wonder about such things as their children grew up.

My Mom, Nina, over the years made most of our clothes from childhood on into our early adult years. She is a very accomplished seamstress and for a few years even did alterations for others. She made us Raggedy Ann dolls, clothes for our Barbie dolls & baby dolls, purses, school uniforms, prom dresses for my sisters and cummerbunds for their dates to match. 

However, the most important dress that she made for me and my sisters and my sister in law was our wedding dresses. Our dresses were beautiful and the latest style. If we couldn't find the exact pattern with everything we wanted then she would take elements from other patterns to make the dress of our dreams.

The first dress she made was for my sister Patty. Patty married in 1984 and her dress was absolutely gorgeous. She had a wonderful sweeping train, a very detailed bodice which took many hours of sewing little pearls to pieces of lace. Mom also made the bridesmaids dresses too. Of course when you have three other sisters who are going to be in your wedding why not! Our bridesmaid dresses were in light rainbow pastel colors and off the shoulder. We carried baskets of summer flowers and wreaths of baby's breath in our hair. 

In the photo above I have shown each of us in gorgeous wedding gowns with our Dad and thought only right that I should add a picture of my Mom being walked down the aisle by her father too (the large picture). The column on the right from top to bottom are myself, Patty, Kathy Susie and my sister in law Carolyn all wearing our dresses made by Mom. The three bottom pictures from left to right our the bridesmaid dresses we wore for Patty's wedding, Kathy's wedding and my wedding.

I had married quickly in March of 1980 and wore a simple white dress I bought at Sears. My marriage ended in divorce not long after that. However, when I remarried in July 1987 my Mom made my dress. Since it was my second wedding I didn't really want the long white dress and train. I wanted something tea or ballet length. I wanted white but not all white so the skirt of my dress was over-layed with pink roses and a scalloped hemline. It was just perfect for me and it was absolutely gorgeous. Instead of the traditional veil I wore a simple white hat with pieces of the over-lay that were hand stitched with pearls. My Mom also made my bridesmaids dresses in a light pink. It didn't end there either. I was married on the 4th of July. So my bridesmaids and I changed into dresses of red, white and blue for the reception.            

When my sister Kathy married it was in February 1991, my Mom made another spectacular dress. Kathy's dress was ivory with beautiful v-neckline. Her dress had long sleeves and the hemline was done in lace. As she had done with Patty and myself she also made the bridesmaids dresses. Our bridesmaids dresses were of red velvet and instead of carrying traditional flowers we carried mufflers with beautiful pink lilies.

When my brother Billy proposed to his wife Carolyn, they asked if Mom would also make her wedding dress. Of course my Mom agreed but she did not make the bridesmaids dresses because of the size of bridal party. They were married in November 1995. Carolyn's dress like the other three Mom had previously made was gorgeous. Carolyn's dress had a very lovely lace bodice with long sleeves that were very detailed. 

The last wedding dress Mom would make was for my youngest sister, Susie in 1999. Susie has never been a "girly girl" so I wasn't sure what her style would be. Mom and Susie found just the right style and again my Mom created another gorgeous wedding dress. Because of the size of the bridal party my Mom opted not to make the bridesmaid dresses. Susie's dress was simple with short lace sleeves. The train and hemline of her dress was also lace. There was another smaller dress Mom made for Susie's wedding. It was for our niece Kaitlyn who served as the flower girl. Her dress was made from the same materials used for Susie's dress.

Thank you Mom for giving me the most gorgeous wedding dress! I love you!

Matrilineal Monday - Mary Myrtle Behrle Rueff

I would like to introduce my maternal grandmother, Mary Myrtle Behrle Rueff.

Myrtle was born on 2 May 1913 to Dr. Raymond A Behrle and Pauline "Lena" Orth Behrle in Louisville, Kentucky. Her paternal grandparents, John and Mary Jane Hermann Behrle were first generation German-Americans. Her maternal grandfather, Conrad Orth was also a first generation German-American and her maternal grandmother, Katherine "Kate" Wilkie Orth was born in Germany and arrived in America in the late 1870's. Myrtle married my grandfather, George Kenneth Rueff on 26 September 1936 in Louisville. My grandfather was also of German descent. This first set of pictures are of my grandmother on the left age 6 and on the right as a young woman about 1935-1936.

When I see my grandmother in this second set of pictures several words come to mind such as beautiful, sexy and free. She looks almost wanton in the picture on the left as she gives that kiss to my grandfather! In the picture on the right she looks stunning as she rides on a boat with her hair down and blowing in the wind. The grandmother I knew and the memories I have of her are different from the woman I see in these pictures. Oh how I wish I could have known this Myrtle!

The Myrtle I knew was loving, funny and over protective of her grandchildren. She took us to Wishes Drug Store on Whipps Mill Road for a treat or two, she would take us mushroom picking at a local farm and made coca-cola floats for us. When it came time to play outside we never allowed to go past the Seng's yard on one side and the Cox's yard on the other. In this last picture is the Myrtle I knew, the one who never wore anything but "pedal pushers" (aka crop pants) and tops and tennis shoes. The way I will always remember her.

In the summer of 1976, my Mom was going home to Louisville for a high school reunion and I went with her. My cousin Becky was there too and my Uncle Kenny & Aunt Barbara and their family too. I would go with aunt and uncle to Memphis, Tennessee to visit with them as well. Little did I know that this would be my last visit with my grandmother.

Late in the summer and early fall of 1977, Myrtle would be diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. She died on her 41st wedding anniversary. 

I love you, Myrtle!

A Little About Me...

Hello,

I want to tell you a little about me. Somewhere deep inside my heart and soul I started preparing for my role of "family historian" at an early age. 

I feel as though genealogy has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I know it started as a result of listening to the adults of our family talking while visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins but of course we were suppose to be asleep. I also know that it comes from wanting to know about my "biological family". Yes, I am adopted and that is for now a story will be told at a much later date. However, more importantly I am the daughter of Bill & Nina and the oldest of their five children. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother and grandmother. Their family history is my family history because it is all I have ever known and it will always be that way.

One thing I remember doing as a kid was to read the obituaries in our local paper. I would wonder why someone had died so young. I would wonder what kind of life the "old" people had lived. To this day I still read the obituaries especially now that we live in South Carolina where my children's paternal grandmother's family ties run very, very deep.

I love cemeteries. We spent a year living in Ohio while my Dad was training with NCR when I was eleven years old. I found an old, fenced in cemetery behind a Hardee's near our apartment. I would go and read each grave marker and wonder what had happened to them. There are some very small church cemeteries near where we live that I fully intend to explore soon.

Over the years I have found myself as the "caretaker" of certain family members. Those who outlived their children, the ones who never married or the ones who married but never had children. I want to be sure that they are not forgotten in the story of my family. I will tell their stories here at some point in the future.

Take care,

Dawn

Hello,

My name is Dawn. I am new to blogging but not genealogy. I want to share what I know with my family and hopefully leave something remarkable for future generations. I also hope to meet others who are researching the same families that I am so that we may share information and learn from one another.

My maternal lines run deep in Louisville, Kentucky! The people and families I have been working on for years now are the descendants of William Rueff (c.1792-aft 7 June 1860) and the allied families of these descendants. 

My paternal lines also run deep and not just in Kentucky but also Pennsylvania, North Carolina, England, and a Caribbean Island or two. My paternal grandfather, William Elmer Williams line is driving me crazy but his wife, Peggy Scott Rich's lines have been documented very well and goes back to the 14th century.

And a very special thank you to Thomas MacEntee for suggesting the name of my blog!

Take care!