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Friday, August 2, 2013

The Wedding of Minnie Davis and Arthur Herbert Scott

Here is another  beautifully described family wedding, from the "Aylmer Express" newspaper, April 21, 1892, p. 4a.

"Wedding  Bells:  It is a long time since society in Aylmer has been so stirred over the marriage of one of its daughters, as has been the case with the ceremony performed on Thursday last in the Baptist church.  The bride was Miss Minnie Davis, only daughter of A.J. Davis, Esq., and the groom Mr. Arthur Scott, of Montreal.  The church was beautifully decorated with flowers massive and beautiful arches being placed about half way down each of the centre aisles, and the altar being a mass of flowers.  Promptly at 12:30 the groom, accompanied by Mr. Elliot of Toronto, entered the church, and a few minutes later the  bride arrived leaning on the arm of her father, and passed up the aisle while the sweet strains of the wedding march pealed forth from the organ under the masterly hand of Prof. Vogt, of Toronto. She was accompanied by Miss L. Wood of Delhi, her bridesmaid, and Miss Blossom Scott, sister of the groom, who acted as an attendant.  The bride was dressed in a very handsome cream duchess silk gown, with a court train of great length.  The gown was trimmed with chiffon, and very elaborate cream real "Old Spanish" lace.  The veil was of silk Brussels, caught up with orange blossoms, and she carried a bouquet of natural roses, looking very charming and beautiful.  The bridesmaid was dressed in a pale heliotrope china silk gown trimmed in chiffon of the same shade, a bonnet of flowers and chiffon, making altogether a charming effect;  Little Blossom Scott her attendant, wore a cream dress, sailor hat, and looked very pretty.  She carried a handsome bouquet which was much admired.  The ceremony was performed by the Rev. A. T. Sowerby pastor of the church and Messrs. Beecher Bingham, J.J. Nairn of Aylmer, and J. Charlton and Geo. Mabee, of Toronto filled the position of ushers.

After the ceremony the guests drove over to the beautiful home of Mr. A.J. Davis just north of town, where a reception and dinner was given, the dinner being brought from London and served by waiters from that city.  It was the most elegant affair of the kind ever given in this section.  The bride received a much more than usual large number of presents, and they were very costly and elegant, and testified to the very high position which she holds in the hearts of her friends.  The happy couple will spend a few weeks visiting the principle American cities and then settle down in Montreal.  It is safe to say that no young lady in Aylmer stands higher in the estimation of all classes of society than did Miss Minnie, and deservedly so, as she was kind and considerate to all, and to know her was to more than respect her.  May she and Mr. Scott pass through life as joyously as their wedding day passed off, is the sincere wish of THE EXPRESS."  

Their wedding record identifies Howard Elliot as the "Mr. Elliot of Toronto" who was best man.  Yet another example of how close the Scott and Elliot families are through multiple generations.  Miss L. Wood was Lazell Wood.  Heliotrope, for those like me who didn't know, is a shade of purple.


Arthur was 24 and Minnie was 21 when they married.  The wedding sounds like a very celebratory affair, and I'm glad they had that.  This couple were to experience tragedy in their lives, as their son Howard Elliot Scott was to die in September 1916 at the Battle of Fleurs-Courcelette.  The death of his son apparently affected Arthur so deeply that he lost his business.  Their daughter Edythe (or Norton, as she was called) was my husband's grandmother.

Minnie died before Arthur, and he remarried in June of 1927.   His new bride was Kathleen Evangeline Fortier.  She was catholic (they married at L'Ascension Catholic church in Westmount) and they required a special dispensation to wed because of their different faiths.   Arthur died on June 12, 1939, at the age of 74, leaving Kathleen a widow.

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