A Golden Wedding Anniversary

Mary and Charles Waning  1926

Some times you have a photo of a distant relative, but you don't have any back story with it to "flesh" them out. 

Daily Kennebec Journal

Friday, April 22, 1921

That's when a chatty, small town newspaper article can help to add some meat!

"50 YEARS WEDDED

HE PLAYS BALL

THE OTHER BOYS"

{PHOTO}

Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Waning

"Unity, Maine, April 23 – On their

golden wedding day which was

recently celebrated, Charles H.

Waning, age 71, the groom of the

event, played baseball with his

sons and grandsons while his wife,

Mary, aided in the entertainment of

their 40 guests. A picnic dinner was

served at the Waning home on that

day. Music formed a nice part of the

day’s program and the men folks of

the party indulged in athletic stunts."

"It was 50 years ago that Elijah Pease,

Esq. of Knox united in marriage

Charles H. Waning of Knox and Miss

Mary A. Berry of Stockton. The

Wanings lived in Knox for several years.

From there they moved to Stockton

where they resided for a long time.

Then 31 years ago, they came to Unity

and here they have since made their

home."

"Of the union seven children were born

two of whom died in infancy, one little girl

died at the age of three years, and the

eldest son Fred, passed away at the age of

twenty six.”

Now we know that Charles and Mary Waning were a happily (I hope anyway) long-married couple.  Together, they suffered the loss of several young children.  After fifty years of marriage, Charles was still fit enough (and fun enough) to play a game of baseball with his sons and grandsons.