COUNTDOWN TO 150 --Charles & Sylvia Marry by Earl Shreckengast
“Wake up at 4 ½ o’clock A.M. the morning Cool very Beautiful and Bright Sunshine. Sky clear, early; (Sister) “Jane” (Schmidt) Congratulates and hopes our future Life may continue so Bright, Balmy and Beautiful.” Thus begins Charles Koester’s diary entry for Tuesday, July 25, 1876, the day 150 years ago that he married Sylvia Broughten.
Sylvia Broughten, a teacher in local schools, came to Marysville in 1871 to live with her brother, John Broughten, a local lawyer. She met Charles after church. She and Charles were married at John’s home by Probate Judge William McCurdy. The ceremony was early in the morning because they had a 9:15 a.m. train to catch to begin their honeymoon trip which was to include the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
Charles had a busy week leading up to the July 25th wedding. He made a five-day round trip by train to Topeka with stops in St. Joe, Atchison, and Leavenworth. He picked up a complimentary train ticket for Sylvia to travel to the Centennial, conducted some business related to his duties as one of the managers on the Kansas State Board of Centennial Managers, shopped for clothing and other goods, and inquired about “marbles” (gravestones) for his parents’ graves. He even worked in the office writing insurance policies until midnight the night before the wedding.
Charles found time to spend with his fiancée the weekend before their Tuesday marriage. He called “for a moment at Miss B:” on Saturday night. On Sunday, after working at the office until 5 P.M., “I call on Miss Broughten and remain until nearly “8” P.M. thence home.”
Their wedding was delayed because of Charles’ duties with the Centennial Exposition. As one of the six members of the Kansas State Board of Centennial Managers, he was responsible for assembling and organizing the displays at the Kansas and Colorado Building. He went to Philadelphia on May 4th to help with the set-up, but its construction, as with many other buildings, was behind schedule and the installation of the exhibits was also delayed. Instead of arriving back in Marysville in early June, he returned on June 22.
Their “Centennial Trip,” as Charles called it, was not a typical honeymoon. Four of Charles’ nieces and nephews accompanied them. Sister Jane Schmidt’s oldest children, Francis (age 17), Jenny (16), Ludowine (Ludo) (14), and Charley (12) traveled with them. While in Philadelphia, Charles attended to his duties at Kansas House most days although they found time for sightseeing, shopping, dining out, and attending concerts and plays.
Their travels included stops in Cincinnati to visit Charles’ mother’s Muth relatives and Washington D.C. to see major sites such as the Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian, Mount Vernon, and Arlington. After Philadelphia, they headed to New York City and finally to the emerging honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls.
The photograph above of newlyweds Sylvia and Charles was taken in Philadelphia on August 17, 1876. “We go to F. Gutekunst “Gallery” and have our Photo: taken sit 4 times, then return home.” The next morning, “Go to “Gutekunst” and inspect our Photos’; they are real good. I give order and pay for same.”
