Grandparents

[RedAngie]

Have you ever heard stories about how your grandparents met?

Paternal: The story is they were both young adults and met on the ship to the US. My grandmother was immigrating with her sister and parents, while my grandfather came with a cousin. In one telling of the story, the ship they were on arrived in New York just a few hours before the Carpathia, which brought the Titanic survivors to port.

By coincidence, both were heading to Philadelphia to live with other family who had previously immigrated. So I suppose they started dating.

Maternal: My grandfather worked at an outdoor fruit/vegetable market and my grandmother was a frequent customer.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Paternal: not a clue. And sadly, my dad has died so I can't ask. Maybe I'll try to ask an aunt/uncle.
Maternal: WWII - my grandma was a Navy nurse and my grandfather was in the army.

 

[disykat]

Paternal - They grew up next door to each other. Grandma started writing letters to him when he went off to WWI. He was injured the last day of the war and had a long recovery in France, but they married shortly after he came home.

Maternal - Neither one was getting any younger and it was pretty much a mail order arranged marriage with the pastors of their churches involved and Grandpa's mother being the instigator. Essentially a job was procured for my grandma a, 30 year old unmarried teacher, and she moved from Iowa to Nebraska to come work and meet my grandpa, the 41 year old eligible bachelor. I'm not sure, but when they needed a teacher I think my great grandma actually wrote the ministers that her minister knew in other small towns looking for candidates that would fill BOTH jobs! (This was around 1930.)

It's weird to look back and realize how much the history of the times played into both relationships.

 

[Dan Murphy]

No idea.

 

[Kitty 34]

No clue.

 

[tvguy]

Paternal. No idea how or where they met. Both died in 1921 when my dad was 10 not sure my dad ever knew. Records, if they EVER existed, don't exist now. They immigrated to the San Francisco Bay area in 1912 from Shanghai where my Grandfather was working for an International trading company. He did the same in San Mateo County until his death.
Maternal. I believe it was an arranged marriage. Both were Czechoslovakian, my Grandfather born there, my Grandmother born in South Dakota after her parents immigrated there from Czechoslovakia. My Grandfather immigrated to Canada because you could get 160 acres of land for free if you agreed to farm it. He apparently "sent" for my Grandmother and then they got married.

 

[unrequited23]

Maternal: My biological grandpa passed when my mom was 18, so I only know the story of how my nana and step-grandpa met. My biological grandpa and my step grandpa were on the same work sponsored bowling team. My step-grandpa had always thought my nana was beautiful (we think he had a little crush.) Outside of bowling, my biological grandpa and step-grandpa didn't interact, think large auto manufacturer with lots of departments. Fast forward 15 years, both original spouses have passed and my nana and step-grandpa run into each other at the grocery store.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Paternal: Don't know

Maternal: My grandmother was working as an in-home housekeeper for a lady, and her son came home for a visit. Romance ensued.

 

[E&Cmom]

No idea. 3 out of my 4 grandparents died before I was born and I only met my paternal grandfather twice before he passed away in my late teens.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I only know the story of my maternal grandparents: my grandmother-to-be was at her then boyfriend's house in 1945, on her hands and knees helping his mother to scrub the kitchen floor. She told me that she looked up when someone appeared in the kitchen doorway, and saw this big handsome sailor with blond curly hair poking out from under his sailor hat. It was my future grandfather on leave from the war coming to see his friend (my grandmother's soon to be ex-boyfriend.) My grandmother said she was covered in grime from cleaning and had her hair up in a kerchief when they were introduced. I don't know how my grandfather finagled her from the boyfriend or anything like that, though. They were married that September.

 

[SC Minnie]

Not sure about my maternal grandparents but my paternal grandparents met at work. My grandmother had to quit school after the 8th grade to go to work in the local textile mill. My grandfather was older than her and already worked there. They didn't start dating until my grandmother was older teens. They married and moved in with my grandfather's parents. My dad was born in that same house and moved back there when he and my mom divorced (grandparents had passed). My dad lived there until he died last year and not my nephew lives in the 112 yo farm house.

 

[OneOftheB's]

I have no idea about my paternal gps, but my mom's parents story is juicy.

My gmother was married and she and her (then) husband ran a boarding house. My grandfather was one of the boarders. My grandmother divorced and one of my aunts was born less than 9 months after the marriage. She is very obviously the daughter of the first husband. That aunt was raised by my grandfather and has the same last name as my mom and her younger sibling. There were two older siblings who stayed with the ex husband until the US became involved in WWII and the ex enlisted. My grandfather and his family had moved to a larger city and had a job as a riveter on planes, so did not serve.

 

[bjscheel]

My paternal grandma and grandpa lived a mile apart in the country. My grandpa moved there at age 18 in 1917. Why they waited until 1936 to marry I don't know. She had moved to town by then which made it harder- 12 miles was a long ways in that time. She mailed him a letter 3 weeks before the wedding asking which dress she should order from Sears!

 

[Southernmiss]

Paternal- grandpa broke his leg in a farming accident and grandma visited him at the hospital. They lived in the same tiny community. They were both in their 30s by then.

Maternal- blind date. We have a picture of them on what we think was their first date. He was so handsome and she was beautiful and both so young- probably 22 and 20. They're standing next to his 1939 era car. Just a classic photo of the times.

 

[tazdev3225]

I don't know how my maternal grandparents met. Now I have to ask my mom or aunt if they know. I do know my grandfather's family wasn't too fond of my grandmother, but I don't know why. I do know they eloped.

Paternal grandparents there are a couple versions but they are all very similar. My grandmother worked as a roller in a cigar factory and my grandfather was a driver, truck or horse and cart depending on the version. My grandmother would save him the rejects for his own use since he smoked cigars. My grandmother was Polish as were a lot of the workers and my grandfather liked listening to her talk to her friends in Polish. They started dating and were together until my grandfather passed away 30 years later. They only got married a couple years before he died. I think it was because my grandmother was divorced, and my great grandmother (grandfather's mother) didn't approve of her being divorced, so they waited until she died.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I literally have no idea on either side... unlikely I will ever find out.

 

[iuki]

For my 50th Wedding Anniversary, I made a cookbook and gave one to each of my children and grandchildren. At the end of the cookbook, I wrote a letter telling everyone how we met, dated, and experienced all the vows we made when we got married. I have the original copy and also keep a pdf document of the cookbook on my iPhone.

 

[wenrob]

Paternal- my grandma’s older sister was dating a coal miner from Kentucky and they introduced my grandma to his buddy Bill. He was nineteen and she was fourteen. My grandmother and her siblings were severely malnourished and so her teeth were literally falling out. Bill, my grandpa bought her some teeth. I suppose that was love. I’m not sure when they got married but my grandma, her sister and my great grandma were all pregnant at the same time so still fairly young I would think.

Maternal- they worked at a radio station. I have some glamorous black and white photos of them from that time. One where my grandma is sitting on his lap with her leg kicked up. Quite different from the people I knew. There was genuine love there.

 

[disneychrista]

Nope.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I don’t know.