There is no family tree link for this post, since the couple listed in this wedding certificate are not related to our family. This was a find in an antique shop many years ago, at least 20 or likely more, and possibly in Florissant, Missouri. (These days, where antiques are found generally tells little of their origin, however, as online sellers, big antique dealers, and family scattered far and wide contributes to a lack of provenance for an item. No so back then for many items.) Anyway, the item begged to be given a home where it would be appreciated. After it was brought home, though, it did not feel right to frame ‘bought ancestors’ and I did not ever want it mixed with the real articles that belong to our family. So it has been only appreciated rarely during the intervening years, but it is time, now, to share it.
According to the above marriage certificate, censuses, and The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, William Wheeler (#15667, page 906-7) married Nellie Call. He was the only child of Edward Wheeler (#15666) and his first wife, Achsah Munger. (William’s second wife was Hattie Herrick.) William was born in October of 1864 in Ohio.
Nellie Alberta Call most likely was born in March of 1868 in New London, Huron, Ohio, to Charles Call and Mary Ellen Daniels (1835-1921). Her father may have been from Canada per some sources- maybe the origin of her middle name?
Various family trees and other records have two different dates for their marriage, but this record most probably shows why they differ. The 8 November 1889 date is when the marriage license was issued. The actual ceremony to unite the couple occurred on 13 November 1889. The two were combined beautifully in the single certificate.
Tomorrow: The Call-Wheeler family.
Notes, Sources, and References:
- The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America. Compiled by the American College of Genealogy under the direction of Albert Gallatin Wheeler, Jr, Volume 2, pp906-7. https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalency02whee#page/906/mode/2up/search/call
- Marriage License/Certificate owned by author.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
So happy that my stories are helping to get the family history discussion going before it is too late! I will contact you privately so we can arrange for me to send you the certificate.I appreciate your offer of payment, but we have had others contact us with family treasures, so this is genealogical karma to just pass it on. ;D
This is our family!! My Aunt Sylvia found this and shared it with all of us. William and Nellie are my great-great grandfather and grandmother. My great grandmother is Willie Nell Wheeler and Nellie moved in with them after the accident. My grandmother, Chrystal Neil Morris, has always shared such fond memories of growing up with her grandmother living with them. Nellie loved playing cards and board games with her granddaughters and it’s something that my grandmother now does with all of us. My grandmother grew up being told that her grandfather had been electrocuted, so the fire was new information for all of us. Thank you for looking into this and finding out these things about our family! We are so grateful!
Hi Meredith! So glad you found the blog and post about your family, and thank you for the kind comments. William Wheeler was quite a brave man, and a hero for sure. I am so glad that I could help the family learn more about him and Nellie. It is interesting that in so many families, a small story often morphs into a much bigger story over the years. But in your family, it was the opposite: a big, heroic action by William did result in electrocution, sadly, but the story has a much bigger impact than just the family. The family did suffer though, and maybe that was why the whole story was not told- it may have been too painful to remember.
I love this wedding certificate, but it really belongs in your family. Is there someone who would be interested in preserving it? Please let me know.
You’re so kind! And yes! We would LOVE to be able to preserve it and would like to purchase it from you and pay for the shipping. Would you be able to email me at [ ] and we could discuss the details? Thank you for your commitment to heritage and history. Your find has caused a lot of excitement in our family and has started some more great discussions with our grandparents about their families. 🙂