Amanuensis Monday ~ Great finds at GenealogyBank.com

Albert Munroe Wilkinson
born 7 November 1860, Danvers, Massachusetts
died 12 May 1908, Brookline, Massachusetts
I wonder if this is how he dressed up at weddings?
He's very dapper in his white tie!

I recently renewed my subscription to GenealogyBank.com and have been looking up ancestors in the Historical Newspapers collection.  To my surprise there were several news articles about my great grandfather Albert Munroe Wilkinson I hadn't seen before. 

Boston Herald, 3 June 1892

page 5

"Munroe- Mansfield

Mr. William F. Munroe of Peabody and Miss Clara B. Mansfield of Salem were wedded in the First Church at Salem last evening.  The young couple stood beneath a handsome floral arch, and Rev. George C. Cressey performed the ceremony.

The Bride was given away by her uncle, Mr. Hubbard Breed.  Miss Alice Hubbard Breed was the maid of honor, and Mr. Albert Wilkinson was the best man.

There was a reception at the home of the bride's uncle on Federal Street, and the couple left on a late train for a wedding trip.  Returning, they will reside in Peabody."

In this news clipping Albert served as best man at his cousin's wedding.  In the next, I found an announcement of his own engagement to my great grandmother... followed by a little article about their wedding reception.

Boston Journal

27 September 1894

Page 4

“Personal

The engagement of Miss Isabella Bill, daughter of Prof. C. R. Bill of Salem, and Albert M. Wilkinson of Peabody is announced.  The marriage will take place on October 18 next.”

Boston Herald

21 October 1894

Page 27

“At the wedding of Mr. Albert Munroe Wilkinson and Miss Isabell Lyons Bill, daughter of Prof. Bill of Salem, which took place on Thursday evening last in that city, among the many costly and elegant gifts, was one that was simple, elegant and decidedly unique.  It was present by the aunt of the groom, Mrs. Munroe Grout of Boston.  It consisted of a set of table spoons, seven in number, in a handsome case, marked on the inside “Genealogical.”  Following back from the name of the bridegroom, each spoon was engraved with the name, date and place of birth of an ancestor in direct line to the old days of Scotland, in the history of which the Wilkinson family claims a proud place."

The "Genealogical Spoons" mentioned above are still in my family, and my uncle in California has them in his possession.  We have often wondered where they came from, and who had them engraved.  Now, because of this little article in the social pages of the Boston Herald we now the story.  By the way, the spoons trace the Munroe family names back to William Munroe, who came to Massachusetts from Scotland as a prisoner of war in 1651, and was sold into servitude [they do not have the name WILKINSON].  Each of the seven spoons names a Munroe ancestor.  I spent several hours on GenealogyBank and other websites trying to figure out who was this aunt "Mrs. Munroe Grout".  It is an interesting story I will post on Thursday.

click here for Part 2:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/mysterious-mrs-munroe-grout.html 

for more information about Genealogy Bank see the website 

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo