I found this treasure in my grandparents' wedding album

This week I was organizing some boxes in the basement when I came across my grandparents' wedding album. I had seen photos of their wedding day many times, but I hadn't seen the album in years and since I've been longing to find a picture of my great-grandmother, Mary (Harvey) Reese Gaul when she was young, I thought I'd check to see if there were any photos of her in there. I assumed I had seen all these pictures before and it was a long shot, so imagine my surprise when I came across this treasure!

This photo was taken on Sept. 6, 1952, in Carthage, New York. It shows my grandparents with their parents! Three sets of my ancestors in one picture! That's a huge payday for a family history lover like myself! It's customary today to take this photo of the bride and groom with their parents, but in my experience, it's rare to find in old family photos. I was so happy to see this, I've already matted, framed and hung it on my wall!

Of course I wanted to see this in color, so I had it colorized and this is the result!

William H. Dickinson & Mary (Decker) Dickinson, Margaret (Dickinson) Reese & Lloyd N. Reese, Mary (Harvey) Reese Gaul & John L. Reese (Sept. 6, 1952 in Carthage, New York)

Amazing! Seeing them all was bittersweet - both heartwarming and heartbreaking, since they're all gone now, but I was super excited to see this close-up of my great-grandmother, who I only knew in old age and had never seen any photos of her so young.

Mary Esther (Harvey) Reese Gaul (1910-1988) at the age of 42 in 1952

Celebrate your heritage!

Proud Descendant of a Soldier of the American Revolution Mug with Color Inside

Mary Esther Harvey was born March 16, 1910, in Newark Valley, Tioga, New York. She was a daughter of Newman Harvey and Gertrude Shirley. A video containing footage of Newman Harvey in the late 1950s can be found on YouTube. Her ancestors came to America during the Great Puritan Migration and she was a devoted Christian and traditional mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She married first to Lloyd John "Johnny" Reese, on April 18, 1930, in Ithaca, Tompkins, New York. He is standing by her side in the photo above. She married second to William Gaul, before 1960 and she died Sept. 22, 1988, in Cortland, New York. She was beloved by many, including myself, as they all were. May they rest in peace.

At least 8 of Mary's great-great grandfathers fought in the American Revolution, including Benjamin Stanton, Job Shirley, Datus Ensign, Datus Ensign Jr, Nathan Wood, Samuel Wood, Ezra Rood, Nathaniel Hall, and probably others who we have not identified yet. She was a real Daughter of the American Revolution, although it doesn't appear she ever applied for membership.

If you're related to Mary, connect your branches or check your relationship from here Wikitree profile.

You can learn more about the Harvey family here, the Reese family here, the Dickinson family here, and the Decker family here.