You just never know...

I don't always start my day with the plan to make a cool discovery or even to have a productive day.  And sometimes a productive day doesn't mean spending 12 hours in front of your computer, for example I sometimes get distracted with FaceBook, Pinterest, Google+...well you get the point.  OK, most of the time I get distracted.  But like I said you don't have to spend hours in front of the computer to feel productive.

Today, I was checking my email, like I do a few hundred times a day.  And I noticed that my newsletter from the New England Historic Genealogical Society was in.  Yay! I always look forward to this particular newsletter every week for two reasons:
1.  They have a cool survey that I love to participate in.
2.  They have a Spotlight, for different archives throughout the US.

Today their spotlight was on Brainerd, Crow Wing, Minnesota, USA's website for the City of Brainerd.  On this new section of the site, they have a place where you could look at a selection of historic newspapers.

Right away my ears perked up and I thought "WELL I wonder...." and I immediately went over there.  I double checked the date I was looking for and went searching.  Sure enough, there was a little (and by little I mean tiny) blurb in the "Brainerd Dispatch" about my Great Grandparents Ralph & Nina (Coen) Adamson's marriage.  Well I'll be darned.  While it didn't give me much additional information, it did give me something.  I didn't know specifically where they were married.  And the little blurb answered that question. :)

Brainerd Dispatch 5 Apr 1901 Page 5

Excerpt of the marriage announcement

Brainerd Dispatch
5 Apr 1901

"There was a quiet wedding at the Deerwood hotel on Wednesday evening, Mr. Ralph Adamson and Vina (Nina) Cohen (Coen) were united in marriage, Justice Rathvon officiating."

Transcribed by Melinda Wahl (7 Nov 2013)
Brainerd Dispatch

Just in case you are having a hard time reading it.

They were married in Deerwood, MN in the local hotel.  I did not know that.  Add that to the list of places I want to visit!

A few years ago, I spent a whole day calling different court houses throughout the neighboring counties for Todd County, MN looking for this marriage record.  Well, I was looking for a few other records in regards to the Coen family too.  But I was so excited when the lady on the other end of the phone said she did have a record of Ralph Adamson and Nina Coen getting married.  I promptly sent off the required fee and she mailed me a beautiful copy of their record.  I hadn't previously known when they were married, just had an "about" date.

Now, I have two sources for their marriage date and place.  That is always a good thing.  And have a more specific place where they got married, the local hotel.  Now to find out more about that hotel.  I wonder if it's still standing....