COUNTDOWN TO 150 -- Courtship by Earl Shreckegast
COUNTDOWN TO 150—Courtship
Charles Koester and Sylvia Broughten were married on July 25, 1876. How did they meet? Was it love at first sight? When were they engaged? What was their courtship like?
We know very little about their relationship until 1876 when Charles started to keep a diary. Even then, mentions of Sylvia (“Miss Broughten” or “Miss B”) were few and not very enlightening. We do have his recollections about the early days of their relationship from his diary entries later in life when he reflected about the wife he lost to consumption after only seven years of marriage.
Sylvia came to Marysville in 1871 to live with her brother, John, who, a year earlier had moved to Marysville and established a law practice. She and her sister, Lucy, who also came at that time, helped keep the house. Sylvia secured a position at District No.4 Marysville school as an assistant in the primary grades in October 1871.
We don’t know when Charles and Sylvia met, but we do know where they met. It was on a Sunday at the M. E. (Methodist) Church.
We don’t know if Sylvia’s brother, John, played the role of matchmaker, but we can assume that he crossed paths with Charles. John had an active law practice and was city attorney. Charles was Marshall County Treasurer. Both were active in the I.O.O.F. and involved with other civic activities.
We don’t know how the relationship progressed once they met. We do know that Sylvia returned to Illinois in October 1874 but came back to Marysville in August 1875. We don’t know if they corresponded during her absence.
We also don’t know why she went back to Illinois. Was it to take care of a relative? Did she lose her teaching position at District No. 4, Marysville? Did she have a “friend” in Olney whom she missed? Did she get tired of waiting for Charles to make a move? Or, since she was living at her brother’s house, did she leave because he was getting married in December?
We don’t know when Charles proposed to Sylvia and when they decided to get married. We know from his 1876 diary that he added to his two-room bachelor pad to make a proper home for his bride. He added a second story with bedrooms and a first-floor parlor. The work on Sylvia’s addition was mostly completed by January 1876.
We don’t know how much they saw each other after she returned to Marysville in Fall of 1875. First of all, because of her teaching job, Sylvia was boarding at a farmhouse in the country away from Marysville. Second, Charles was busy in the first half of 1876 because of his duties as one of Kansas’ Commissioners for the Centennial Exposition that was to be held in Philadelphia, and he had to travel to Philadelphia to prepare the Kansas House exhibits and to attend the opening ceremonies of the exposition.
Charles mentioned in his 1876 diary calling on Sylvia a half dozen times during the first six months of the year. However, he revealed little in those entries. “Called this Evening and remained 1/2 hour." (2-26-1876) Sometimes he referred to Sylvia as “Miss Broughten;” other times he referred to her as “Miss B.”
On April 18, he wrote more about their visit: “Call upon Miss Broughten this Eve: with a present of "Lace Handkerchief and Undersleeves" remain but half hour, am very busy at home."
We also know from his diary that Sylvia’s sister-in-law, Mrs. John (Alice) Broughten, and Sylvia visited Charles’ sister, Jane Schmidt. Also, true to Victorian traditions, Alice chaperoned Sylvia the couple of times that she visited with Charles outside the Broughten house.
Before setting off to Philadelphia for the Centennial on May 3, Charles went with Sylvia and Alice Broughten to St. Joseph. They purchased Sylvia’s wedding dress and other clothes for their wedding.
Charles’ plans for the wedding did not go as intended. He anticipated he would be back in Marysville from Philadelphia around the end of May. He would marry Sylvia and they would be in Philadelphia by June 10. However, construction delays and his work at the Kansas House meant that he did not return home until June 22.
The wedding date was delayed to July 25, 1876. Charles and Sylvia were married early that morning at Sylvia’s brother’s house. Charles and his new bride and four of his sister, Jane Schmidt’s, children (ages 12-17) set out for Philadelphia and the Centennial Exposition.
In his diary, Charles described the beginning of his married life with Sylvia this way: “Wake up at 4 1/2 o'clock A.M. the morning Cool, very Beautiful and Bright Sunshine, Sky clear, early "Jane" congratulates and hopes our future Life may continue so Bright, Balmy and Beautiful. Off with the Train at "9" 15 A.M. Six of us, Begin with this morn our Centennial Trip.”
Pictured above is the lace handkerchief that Charles Koester gave to “Miss Broughten” when he called on her, April 18, 1876. The handkerchief was displayed at the 2013 Sylvia’s Dinner that was held to support the Koester House Museum Foundation.
