Four marriages took place on one date in February and as an exercise in genealogy I am going to choose this group to trace.
Walter Lee Andrews (1884 - 1966) of Gridley married Eliza May Pritchett (1896 - 1980) formerly of Hoopeston in Judge Riley's chambers. He was a salesman in a Gridley grocery store and continued in that employment for at least 15 years. It was not until 1938 that we see a change in his employment to bowling alley manager. He also served as Police Chief in Gridley for 24 years and Township Assessor for 20 years. Their daughters married and lived in Bloomington and Normal as Mrs. Earl Zook and Mrs. Tom McConnell. Eliza Andrews was a mother and housewife. Walter and Eliza both had 8th grade educations.
John Joseph Burnett (1883 - 1980) and Dolly Belle Warren (1885 - 1971) lived a quieter life in DeWitt County for many years, and then in Farmer City, where Dolly's family lived. When they married John was a hand on a farm and they lived in the farmer's house. By 1930, they owned their own farm in DeWitt County. They had one son, Warren Burnett. Warren served in WWII and in 1953 he was one of many Farmer City farmers who were named as helping farmer Bradley Campbell bring in all his crops in just one day when Mr. Campbell was hospitalised with a back problem.
Ernest F Duncan (1895 - 1975) and Marie A Sloan (1896 - 1968) lived in McLean and Piatt Counties. In 1920 Ernest gave his occupation as merchant in Bellflower, but in 1930 he was a farmer in Piatt County. Ernest and Marie had five children: Ernest, Iva, Leo, Wanda and Walter.
Clarence Plue (1893 - 1963) and Bessie Kennedy/Canaday (1896 - 1977) of Leroy were married by Judge Riley on the same day. Clarence and Bessie had seven children, Delavan, Emory, Dorothy, Leslie, Anna May, Richard and Alvin. Clarence farmed all his life around Dawson Illinois. In 1930 however the family lived in Limestone, where he was a trucker. Bessie had attended Illinois State University and taught school at Bishop School northeast of Leroy before her marriage. Clarence had a sixth grade education.
None of these couples made the Pantagraph in a big way or were ever featured in a big story. Policing work in Gridley must have been pretty quiet work. There was a brawl and fatal shooting at the Canaday farm in the 50's but the Plue's weren't even there that night. The Plues were at a barn dance in their later years and along with the other older couples out danced the youngsters. Life for these couples was one of work and community and family fun.