Weddings
Over the years our photo gallery has grown, thanks to the generosity of relatives and friends who have shared their family pictures.
Our ancestors shared similar paths. They traveled from the old country to the new. They dealt with hardships in strange cities and homesteads. They made their way through hard and lean times. And when they could afford it, they'd bundle themselves off to the local photo studios to commemorate celebratory events, such as a marriage, a child's confirmation or graduation, or an anniversary.
Before home cameras were available and affordable this was the standard way to celebrate a rite of passage. And one of the most plentiful portrait types we have in our collection is a wedding.
Photography began -- and was accessible to many people -- about 1840, and families were anxious to document their own special events. Weddings were right at the top of desirable occasions. In the middle of the 1800s wedding portraits were not always done in wedding clothes, but in best suits and day dresses after the service. The clue to indicate that it's a wedding portrait is the familiar pose of the couple: both standing, or one seated, signs of affection, one or both displaying a wedding ring. European portraits could show the bide wearing her wedding ring on the right hand rather than the left, which was customary in those regions.
Bridal white was not common until the 1880s and even later, so look for dark fabric dresses (which could be worn after the event for special occasions) with flowers or a distinctive veil. Men wore their best suits, often with a boutonniere or a jeweled watch fob. Wedding photos were treasured and often copied, so the inscription on the cabinet card may reflect a later duplication rather than an original issue.
We have a plethora of wedding photos in our collection. It might be fun (and instructive) to explore those images for details of the happy event. And if you have any wedding photos you'd like to share, please feel free.
If you'e interested in a good article on how to date wedding photos, try this one by Jayne Shrimpton.
For more information about photos on this page, click the image to be directed to the Photo Gallery webpage.
This project is a work in progress. We have wedding photos from 1874 through the 1960s so check back for updates.
1874: Fritz Burmeister and Helena Petersen, Leck, Schleswig-Holstein
Helena Petersen was born in 1848 in Tinningstedt, the elder daughter of Peter Hansen Petersen and Elise Momsen. She was one of eleven siblings.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, front side, collection of Cathie Meyer: Fritz Burmeister and Helena Petersen, 1874; original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 31 July 2026.
Helena may possibly have had an understanding with a Matthias Tygesen in 1871 -- perhaps a non-official betrothal -- but a marriage never occurred, and their son Matthias was born in December 1871. His godparents were Peter Hansen Petersen (his grandfather) of Leckfeld, Hans Peter Petersen (his cousin) of Tinningstedfeld, Maria Sievertsen (another cousin) of Leck.
In 1874 Helena married Carl Friedrich Heinrich Burmeister of Leckfeld. The verbose marriage document is actually online here at Archion.de (subscription required). Known to the family as Fritz, the happy couple posed for a wedding portrait. Helena is wearing a light-colored day dress with dark trim and Fritz wears a dark dress suit. The bride stands, the groom is seated. I think this pose (common for the time) allows viewers to see the bride's dress in detail. Sharp-eyed viewers (see the enlargement here) can also discern a wedding band on Helena's right hand. Neither couple wears flowers. That was customary for post-services portraits.
Helena and Fritz never emigrated to the USA, unlike her parents and some of her siblings. She and Fritz raised Helena's son Matthias and ran a guest house in nearby Sillerup. This photo was probably taken in one of the photography studios in the region but has been copied by the Henry Reith studio in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Helena's youngest brother Andrew lived. Interestingly our Nebraska Petersen cousins owned a duplicate cabinet card of Helena and Fritz.
1876: Carl August Friedrich Breetzke and Johanna Emelia Louisa Genrich, Nebraska
The Breetzke family wasn't part of our Chicago clan until the early 1930s, when Walter Breetzke married our cousin Florence Mikkelsen, but Breetzke relatives had been emigrating from the area near Woltersdorf, Pomerania for a generation or two. They particularly liked Cuming County, Nebraska, probably because of the cheap (or free) land, perfect for establishing a farm.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, front side, media gallery collection of Rick Cochran: August Breetzke and Emilie Genrich, Cuming County, Nebraska, 1876, accessed 2 August 2026.
August, as he was known, was the son of Wilhelm Breetzke and Wilhelmine Köhler, and his baptism in 1852 in Woltersdorf was such an event that he had six godparents (two or three was the norm).
August emigrated to Nebraska in 1874 and married Johanna Emelia Louisa Genrich in 1876. This is their post-wedding portrait. As was typical for the time, Emilie wears a dark day dress, probably her best one, which would be useful for special occasions throughout the coming years. The dress has elaborate braiding. Emilie also wears earrings and displays her new wedding band on her right hand in the European custom.
August is seated, wearing a nicely tailored suit and deftly tied bowtie, with a prominent watch chain displayed from his vest.
The towns of Cuming and Wisner were replete with August's brothers, including William and Robert. We know how these folks are related to our Walter Breetzke of Chicago because a newspaper article celebrating Walter's marriage to Florence in 1934 refers to his uncle Robert of Nebraska, and Robert was August's younger brother.
August and Emilie had seven children. August died in 1910. His will left everything to Emilie "as long as she remains my widow," a curious way of suggesting that his wife not remarry...and as far as we know, she didn't, remaining a window until her own death in 1942.
1878: Hans Petersen and Catharina Petersen, Belle Prairie, Nebraska
Not only was this the first antique wedding photo in our collection, it's my favorite as well. Hans and Catharina were my great-grandparents. They were first cousins too, marrying at a time when first cousin marriages were perfectly legal (if not common) both in Nebraska but also in Schleswig-Holstein where they were both born.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, front side, collection of Cathie Meyer: Hans Petersen and Catharina Petersen, 1878, original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 3 August 2026.
Hans and his parents, Lorenz Petersen and Magretta Jensen Petersen, emigrated to Belle Prairie in 1872 where they established a prosperous farm. Lorenz' brother Peter Hansen Petersen, his wife Elise Momsen Petersen, and most of their children emigrated in 1878. Three weeks after they arrived in November of that year they were in Belle Prairie for their sixteen-year-old daughter's wedding to Hans.
Hans was twenty-nine. The marriage must have been planned for some time. The photo suggests that Catharina's trousseau was carefully packed for the trip. Her gown is just right for the period, probably a dark brown, green, or blue that could be adapted for formal wear after the ceremony. She wears an elaborate veil and floral cap with a string of vine blossoms around her neck, a style common in immigrant brides from Germany and Scandinavia. In her left hand Catharina holds a pair of dress gloves. She looks a little terrified -- naturally, she was just a teenager in a new land marrying a cousin whom she hadn't seen for six years.
Hans wears his best suit, jacket buttoned at the top. His boots are a little worn but polished. The hand-holding is a nice touch. He has a nice corsage at his lapel. His watch fob includes a distinctive ornament: a cameo in an angular silver frame. The cameo, interestingly, survived and has been handed down to be part of our collection of jewelry.
The original photo was probably taken at a local studio and was later copied at R.A. Mink studio in Chicago, where Hans and Catharina, plus their eleven children, later lived. The pencilled inscription "Grandma and Grandpa" was written by one of the grandchildren, of whom there were many, and we're lucky to have it. So far as we know it's the only photo of Hans, who died in 1905. Catharina kept this in her collection until her death in 1944.
1885: Friedrich Kruschke and Elizabeth Wienand, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
The Kruschke family of Eau Claire, Wisconsin have Friedrich Hermann Kruschke and Elizabeth Wienand at their helm. These two German immigrants (Friedrich was born in Köningsburg, Germany, Elizabeth from Zellin, Prussia) married at St. John's Lutheran Church in Eau Claire on November 25, 1885, which was Thanksgiving Day.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, front side, collection of aprilbc3, Kruschke Family Tree: Friedrich Hermann Kruschke and Elizabeth (Elise) Wienand, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1885, accessed 3 August 2026.
The couple had seven children. Their eldest, Martha, married Louis Jatho of our Chicago Jatho clan in 1917. Without the voluminous photo collection of the Kruschke family we wouldn't have any photos of Louis. They loved documenting family gatherings and events.
Friedrich and Elizabeth were photographed in an unknown studio in Eau Claire in their wedding finery. Elizabeth maintains the custom of wearing a dark dress suitable for later evening wear, with velveteen trim and decorative buttons, plus a distinctive pleating at the hem of the dress. Her veil is attached to a floral wreath with a cascading vine of leaves.
Friedrich wears a good suit with what looks like an orchid in his lapel, a watch chain, and nicely polished new boots. He's seated, she's standing, with her right hand shyly touching his arm. The background is fanciful and pastoral.
In 1935 the Kruschkes celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at their home at 415 Maple Street, Eau Claire and were feted in their local newspaper for this accomplishment. Over 100 guests attended the Golden Anniversary celebration with four guests who were present at their wedding all those years ago.
1889: Andrew Petersen and Karen Marie Johansen, Nebraska
Andreas (Andrew) Petersen, one of twins (his brother was Ludwig/Louis) was born in January 1867, the son of Peter Hansen Petersen and Elise Momsen. He and his siblings emigrated to Nebraska in 1878 for their sister Catharina's wedding to cousin Hans Petersen.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, front side, collection of Cathie Meyer: Andrew Petersen and Karen Marie Johansen, 1889, original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 4 August 2026.
Andrew's bride, Karen Marie Johansen, was the younger sister of two other Petersen brides in Nebraska. She was born in 1870 in Maribo, Denmark (a true Dane!) to Johann Carl Semelin and Kristin Maren Nielsen. Semelin seems to have been an occupational or location surname that her father used. She and her two sisters used the patronym Johansen when they married in the USA.
For their 1889 wedding portrait Karen Marie wore a dress of dark fabric with a white lace collar, her hair fashionably frizzed in front and fastened in a bun at the top of her head. The sleeves show a hint of puckered gathers that would become full puffs several years later. Her right hand is draped affectionately on Andrew's shoulder.
Andrew, seated, was twenty-two years old. His dark suit is fashionable for the time, with a striped cravat or tie and a jaunty watch chain decorating his ensemble. New boots, it appears.
The original photo was probably taken in the county of York, Nebraska where the marriage took place. It was later copied at the Loomis Studio on Archer Avenue in Chicago. It was around this time that Andrew and his older sister Catherine Petersen relocated to the Chicago area after their time farming in Nebraska. They left behind brothers Peter Edlef (Alfred), Peter Hansen, Louis (Andrew's twin), and Hans Peter, who remained in Nebraska.
Andrew and Karen Marie had six children, some born in Illinois, some in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where they finally settled. Andrew died in 1918 at 51 years old. Karen Marie remarried a windower, Christian Feldschau, in 1919.
1889: Albert Heinrich Gustav Riemer and Rosalia Meyer, Wisconsin
The Riemer clan emigrated from Pomerania to Jefferson County in Wisconsin during the middle 1860s and are related to our Petersen/Mikkelsen families by marriage. Albert Riemer, here pictured with his bride Rosalia Meyer, as an uncle of Adolph Riemer who married Catherine Bothilde Mikkelsen in 1908.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, media gallery, collection of Richelle Ann Kemnow: Albert Heinrich Gustav Riemer and Rosalia (Rose) Meyer, 1889, original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 4 August 2026.
The bride, Rose, was actually born in Ellington, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, residing in Watertown from 1870 onward, hence the selection of the marriage place -- usually the bride's parish.
Rose wears a closely fitted dark gown with an elaborately folded overskirt and a vest-style top with lace decorating the bodice, closed with fabric-covered buttons. There appears to be a corsage at the collar, mirroring the floral cap she wears. Behind the cap is a kind of fabric fan, giving the whole arrangement a kind of towering appearance as her filmy veil cascades down to her feet. You can just make out a flowering vine following the lines of her shoulder and dropping down next to the veil.
Albert, seated, wears the standard tailored dress suit, no tie, white shirtfront, with a delicate lapel corsage and watch chain from his vest. As is customary with these poses, the bride's right hand rests on her bridegroom's shoulder. The background of this photo from an unknown studio in town seems to have actual decor (a mirror and curtains) rather than a painted backdrop more common in photos of this era.
Albert and Rose had nine children. Albert died in 1941, Rose in 1953.
1894: Christian Feldschau and Anna Katharina Brodersen, Flensburg
Although this photo was taken Central Atelier in Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, the portrait looks just like those produced at studios in the United States.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, media gallery, collection of April Ober, McKechnie-Farrell Family Tree: Christian Feldschau and Anna Katharina Brodersen, 1894, original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 4 August 2026.
Christian Wilhelm Nicolai Feldschau was born in 1869, one of the largest cities in Schleswig-Holstein. He married Anna Katharina Brodersen in 1894.
The photo was taken at the Central Atelier (Studio) in Flensburg, using a painted backdrop similar to those used at American photo studios. Anna's dress is up-to-date for the time, showing the evolution of puffy sleeves that were popular in the middle of that decade. Dark in color, it's still form-fitting with a high collar and fabric trim under the buttons. There's a small cameo at her collar, perhaps a family heirloom. Like other wedding photos in our collection, her right hand rests on Christian's shoulder. This must have been a popularly-suggested pose.
Christian, seated in a wicker chair, displays his best suit with a white tie and shirt, a watch chain just visible under his partially open jacket. These are clothing styles suitable for after the wedding ceremony and practical for formal occasions of all types.
Christian and Anna had four children, two of whom died young. The couple and their two surviving children, Henry and Margaret, emigrated to Wisconsin in 1906 and settled in Kenosha. This is where Andrew and Karen Marie Petersen lived as well, and it may be that the Feldshau and Petersen families were acquainted there.
Anna Feldschau died in 1913. A year after Andrew Petersen died in 1918, Christian and Karen Marie Petersen were married, thus making Christian a part of our family.
1895: John Schuchmann and Rosa Anna Sippel, Carlyle, Illinois
It's our first white wedding, and what a festive affair it was! John Schuchmann was part of our Schuchmann family, and tracing his line back with ours you'll reach the same ancestor, Peter Schuchmann, who was born in 1604 in the village of Hausen, Hesse-Darmstadt. John's family settled in Illinois, ours in South Carolina, but the ancestry remains the same.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, media gallery, collection of Janet Adams Turnage Turnage-Schuchmann Family Tree : John Schuchmann and Rosa Anna Sippel, 1895, original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 4 August 2026.
John Schuchmann was the son of George Augustus Schuchmann. George Augustis emigrated to Clinton County, Illinois in 1855, married Elizabeth Gerold, where they farmed and raised seven children. John, born in 1869, married Rosa Anna Sippel in 1895 at the German Evangelical Church in Carlyle. She was the church organist and much admired in the community during her short life.
Rosa wears a white dress, a stle that had become popular ever since Queen Victoria's all-white wedding in England in 1840. It was somewhat daring because it was a color that didn't lend itself readily to post-wedding occasions unless it was altered by a dressmaker (à la May Welland Archer in Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence"). But it was the fashion when Rosa was married.
The sleeves are full and open, trimmed with white lace, Rosa wears earrings and a full white veil with a floral cap. Her wedding slippers are also white. Her bouquet is small and delicate.
The bridegroom wears white-tie-and-tails, also a break from the portraits we've seen heretofore because this is not a suit that could be worn after the wedding for anything but very formal situations. John wears an elaborate corsage and grasps the bride's gloved hand. The cabinet card portrait was local from Johnson's Studio in Carlyle.
John was 26, Rosa was 18. They had four children before Rosa suffered a fatal lung embolism and died at 27 years old in 1904. A newspaper clipping at Ancestry.com (subscription required) described the funeral cortege as the longest that had ever been seen in town.
1895: Matthias Petersen and Esther Luise Möller, Karlum, Schleswig-Holstein
This distinguished couple belongs to our Petersen clan of Schleswig-Holstein, and their post-wedding attire looks just right for the era. Matthias Petersen was the son of Helena Marie Petersen, the lady at the beginning of our wedding photo exploration. On December 27, 1895 he married Esther (sometimes spelled Ester), daughter of Hans Hansen Möller and his wife Botilla Petersen in the nearby village of Weesby.
“Digital reproduction of a photograph, front side, collection of Mario Petersen: Esther Luise Möller and Matthias Petersen, Karlum, Schleswig-Holstein, 1895, original photograph shared by the owner, accessed 4 August 2026.
The parish where the marriage took place was Karlum, also close by. Some of our Petersen families were still living in the region where their cousin Matthias and his bride were married and may have attended the services.
Esther's dress is as practical as it is elegant, a dark fabric suitable for post-wedding fancy attire. It includes little cap sleeves and decorative lace and braid trim on the bodice, where a small (presumably gold) brooch is pinned to her collar. Her hair is coiled on her head, and she wears a chain that may include a watch in a pocket near her hip. You can see clearly her new wedding band on her right hand, European style.
Matthias has a stylish suit with a vest and dark tie. The couple pose in a local photography studio with a painted background and a table with a tasseled, embroidered cloth, Matthias offers his arm to his bride and she grasps it affectionately.
Matthias and Esther settled in the nearby village of Dithmarchen and had seven children together. They celebrated their anniversaries with family and relatives througout their fifty years of marriage.
1895: Ernst Lehrmann and Mary Anna Kaufmann, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cudahy was a small suburb of Milwaukee in the late 1900s. Ernst Lehrmann, born in Leipzig, Saxony, married Mary Anna Kaufmann, who had been born in Berlin. Their marriage was one of the first performed in Cudahy.
“Citation: Digital scan of a photograph, collection of Patrick Lehrmann, marriage of Ernst Otto Lehrmann and Mary Anna Kaufmann, 25 November 1897, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, accessed 5 August 2026.
Unlike some of our other wedding photos, Mary Anna is shown seated. She's wearing a formal gown with cap sleeves, which replaced the "leg-o-mutton" fashion of just a few years earlier. There's a distinctive plaid design on the bodice of her dress, echoed at the wrists, a white lace colar and white sash, and a full skirt. Her hair is arranged in a coil at the top of her head.
Ernst wears his best suit, cut a little long in the sleeves, with a black tie and white shirt with a starched collar. Just visible on his vest is a clasp to which a chain is attached, probably with a pocket watch at its end.
Ernst and Mary Anna had six children in Cudahy. One of them, Arthur Frank, married Margaret (Marge) Petersen in 1930.
1899: Martha Gaul and Herman Edward Zick, Stevensville, Michigan
The Gaul family of Berrien County, Michigan may not have known that they had cousins in Chicago, but they did. The Gaul surname was once spelled Gohl and these ancestors lived in Trzebiatkow, Kreis Bütow, Pomerania.
Our common ancestor was Johann Christian Gohl, born in 1767, who was married to Maria Elisabeth Grulich. One of their daughters, Dorothea Elisabeth, married Paul Kramp. The Berrien County Gauls were descended from Dorothea's brother August Gotthilff.
“Citation: Digital scan of a photograph, media gallery, collection of Thomas Owen, marriage of Martha Gaul and Herman Edward Zick, 20 JUne 1899, Berrien County, Michigan, accessed 5 August 2026.
Leo Frederick Gaul, Johann Christian's grandson, emigrated from Trzebiatkow in 1881 and settled in Berrien County, where he was a farmer. He and his wife Augusta Wilhelmine Kaufmann had four daughters and a son. Martha Gaul was the eldest child, born in 1882, so in this wedding portrait she was just shy of seventeen years old.
Martha wears a dress that's only slightly out of date, if the puffy sleeves are any indication. It might have been cut down from her mother's wardrobe. The neck and bodice are decorated with an alternating pattern of white and black stripes, she wears a floral corsage, and a chain at her collar drapes toward the left shoulder where a watch is probably pinned.
Herman stands next to his bride, holding her hand. His suit looks very new, and he also has a floral corsage and watch chain, plus a nice touch in his left hand, a book that may very well be a communion bible. The studio background is spare, a painted backdrop displaying an ornamented candelabra.
Martha and Herman had five children and made their home in Stevensville. Herman died in 1937, Martha in 1949.
1900: Louis Peter Petersen and Anna Majoros, Chicago, Illinois
Louis originally Ludwig) Peter Petersen was the oldest child of my great-grandparents, Catherine and Hans Petersen. Born in 1880 in Fremont, Nebraska, he moved to Illinois and Wisconsin with his family as they sought their livelihood. Hans was a laborer and farmer, working to support the family of eleven children.
“Citation: Citation: Digital reproduction of a photocopy of a lost photograph, collection of Cathie Meyer: Louis Peter Petersen and Anna Majoros, 1900, photocopy shared by the owner, digitally restored by Bruce Dumes, accessed 5 August 2026.
It may have been in Brookfield, Wisconsin where Louis met Anna Majoros, who was born in 1883 either in Austria or Bohemia to Albert Majoros and maria Scholka. Their marriage record has not been located. Their first child, Henry Albert, was born in Wisconsin, the rest of their ten children in Illinois.
Louis and Anna pose in a rather unusual shadowy portrait, probably just after their wedding. The original photo is lost but a photocopy of the original exists without any studio information.
Anna wears a dark dress with a ruffled white colar and a hint of slightly puffed sleeves. A brooch of some sort is fastened to Anna's collar and her hair is piled on top of her head.
Louis wears a dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie with a contemporary-looking sideswept hairstyle. No jewelry appears present, but there may have been a watch chain or similar item out of the camera's range.
Interestingly Anna's younger sister Agnes Majoros, born in 1898, married another Petersen brother, George Christian, in 1917.
1902: Johann Georg Schuchmann and Ida Baumgartner, Iowa
We've noted our connection to Schuchmann families in South Carolina and Illinois, but this branch went straight to Iowa where they farmed at Strawberry Point in Cass County, Iowa. We can trace them back to the same ancestors, to Peter Schuchmann and even earlier from Hausen, Hesse-Darmstadt. It's unclear whether they knew about these family connections. Free farmland in the American midwest was incentive enough.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, collection of fenchelr/OWF 2 Family Tree: Johann Georg Schuchmann and Ida Baumgartner, 1902, accessed 5 August 2026.
Johann Georg (or John George) Schuchmann was actually born in Iowa in 1871, the son of German immigrantds Johann Georg Schuchmann and Marie Elisabethe Rosenhaeuser, and farmed with his father, later on his own, at Strawberry Point. Ida Baumgartner was born in Iowa as well, the daughter of Friedrich Baumgartner and Katherine Elisabethe Johanna Weege. The bridegroom in this portrait was thirty-one years old, the bride just eighteen.
Ida embraced the newly-popular white wedding look, with wide sleeves trimmed with lace, a pleated part of the skirt, and a voluminous veil capped with flowers. In a nod to German custom she wears a flowered vine across her shoulders, plus a small bouquet of blossoms and leaves.
Johann Georg, seated, wears a good suit, white shirtfront and tie, and a small corsage. The studio backdrop is painted and Johann Georg perches on a small padded wire seat. No signs of affection are visible in this portrait. They're a very formal couple.
The couple had nine children, some of whom were interviewed by family members and recalled their own grandfather (the senior Johann Georg) as a man constantly worried about the prosperity of the farm but who had the perspicacity to leave the family a thousand-dollar life insurance policy when he died in 1904. Johann Georg Junior died in 1931, Ida in 1955.
1903: Henry William Trabant and Louise Rosina Nolting, Indiana
The Trabant clan is part of our Pomeranian ancestry with Klein Massowitz their home village, and wonder of wonders a member of the clan emigrated to Indiana in the 19th century. Ours didn't emigrate but some of their descendants did. What's the connection?
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, collection of mascotpro/Davis Family Tree: Henry William Trabant and Louise Rosina Nolting, Knox County, Indiana, accessed 6 August 2026.
The Indiana Trabant clan has Paul Ferdinand Trabant, born in 1805, as their ancestor while we have his brother, Carl Wilhelm Trabant (1802-1870). Their father was Michael Trabant, born in 1765. DNA testing confirms our connection to the Indiana family too so that supplements documentary evidence.
Henry William Trabant was born in Freelandville near Vincennes in Knox County in 1877, the son of Frederick M. Trabant and Pauline Diekmann. In 1903 Henry married Louise Rosina Nolting, also an Indiana native born to german immigrant parents.
It's a white wedding with the bride in a stylish gown trimmed with lace, braid work, and ribbon flounces at the hem. The veil cascades from a flowered headdress and Louise cradles a bouquet of roses.
Henry wears a rose in the lapel of his dark suit. His tie and shirt are white, a dark vest matches the suit, and his shoes are polished and stylish. Henry is seated on an elaborately carved wooden stool next to his standing bride, whose pose shows off the details of her dress.
Louise and Henry had six children. Louise died in 1926, Henry in 1961.
1904: Ernest Otto Frank Ledebuhr and Bertha Elwine Laske, Chicago
Here's a prime example of how one family can get an identification wrong without knowing how or why.
My guess is that the Ledebuhr family of Chicago passed down an erroneous memory of this couple being "Grandpa and Grandma Ledebuhr," the unknown parents of Ernest, who was born in Germany in 1875, possibly in the region of a town called Swinemünde (now Świnoujście in Poland), a place he visited in 1930.
“Citation: Digital reproduction of a photograph, collection of hrledebuhr/Ledebuhr Family Tree: Ernest Otto Frank Ledebuhr and Bertha Elwine Caroline Laske, April 1904, Chicago, Illinois, accessed 6 August 2026.
Ernest arrived in the USA in 1901, according to census records, and he and Bertha Laske took out a marriage license in Chicago in 1904, according to the Chicago Tribune for Saturday, Apr 23, 1904, page 9. From other photos in this series we can see that the clothing styles this couple wears correspond to wedding finery from the first few years of the twentieth century. It's unlikely that this couple represents Ernest's parents, who apparently didn't emigrate and wouldn't be wearing theses fashions in a German marriage from the 1870s.
So assuming we're comfortable with this identification, let's look at what Ernest and Bertha are wearing. Bertha is in white, seated in a carved high-backed wooden chair. Her gown reflects the styles of 1900-1906: lots of tulle and lace, a pleated bodice with a fabric rosette at her waist, and several overskirts with the popular ruffled hem. She wears a wreath of roses with a delicate embroidered lace veil. She has a beautiful bouquet of roses and clearly displays her wedding band on her left hand, American-fashion.
Ernest wears a new suit with a high collar popular in the early 1900s and a white tie. The suit jacket, buttoned at the top, shows off his watch chain and fob ornament at his vest, and he wears a single rose in his lapel.
Ernest and Bertha married at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chicago, where the records list them both as twenty-eight years old. There are four witnesses, including an Otto Laske (Bertha's brother, it appears) but no Ledebuhrs.
Why is this image in our collection? Ernest's and Bertha's son, Fred Otto Rudolph Ledebuhr, married one of our Gohr relatives, Valeira Gohr, in 1931 in Chicago. Valeira was the great-niece of William Gohr, my great-grandfather.
Latest updates
August 6, 2026: The weddings page is updated regularly with scans of family photos (some colorized for modern viewing) shared with us over the years. Have fun exploring!
If you have specific questions, find out more by contacting us.