Past Remains: #36- Elizabeth Tyson and Charles Tilton Meeting Courtship and Marriage--in their words

Everyone loves a story, and a good love story is better. Rare it is that you have the records of your grandparents' meeting, courtship, wedding and honeymoon.
My grandmother Elizabeth C Tyson was a "project person" (lucky for me). When my grandfather was ill in the late 1980s she would bring a tape recorder to the home where he was being cared for. They'd spend the time covering his life or their life together. She gave me a copy of the tapes and digitized it.

In addition, Elizabeth had had the foresight to type out a hand written letter she'd sent to my grandfather Charles Tilton when they were engaged.
The original letter still exists, as does her typewritten version of the letter (likely done in the 1980s). The typewritten version has been scanned and I own a version in a PDF format.
I reviewed the taped interviews and transcribed them. I also retyped Elizabeth's entire letter to Charles. Anything that is in brackets is information that I have added.

Here's a transcript of their version on meeting and wedding.

Elizabeth Tyson Meets Charles Tilton (from transcript)
Transcribed from tape-recorded interviews. Elizabeth Tyson Tilton and Charles Tilton reminisce:
How We Met - State College (Penn State)
Elizabeth:
Thee wants to talk about State College, how we met? and I’ll talk a little bit about how me getting there to start with.
Daddy [her father, Chester Tyson] had to go up there to a meeting with some of his Board of Directors, friends, I was enrolled to go-- I had been accepted for the next fall, so I wanted to go up and see what it was like.
So we went up. I think that Don [her eldest brother] took over and took charge of me.
I think Don introduced me to Henrietta Hund who became my roommate the next year.
And I- uh- I don’t know where Don was, but Bob took me to dinner out at Alpha Gamma Rho [fraternity house] and in passing he introduced me to various ones of the brothers.
And- uh-he introduced me to Daddy [Charles].
and-so I’ll let daddy say a little bit about his reaction to that.
What did Thee think about this little pipsqueak from out in the country?
Charles:
Well I didn’t think anything about it. I knew Thy father was a big man at the college and they were very busy.
And you were there to be introduced to me and I did think any more of it than that.
Elizabeth:
Well, the way thee came across to me was, well I thought Thee was “okay” and of course I was kind of thrilled with being there.
But I knew that Thee was a big man on the “Collegian” [Penn State Collegian newspaper], and I thought that I really did not register with thee at all that day.
And still to this day I suspect that I didn’t..because thee didn’t bother to hang around at all… After dinner was over Thee just disappeared and then later on wherever Dad slept for the night (at Watts’?)…and Bob took me up because I slept at Mac Hall.
Well, by the time we left the fraternity it had started to rain and it had been raining a little bit but it had kind of stopped by that time, I guess.
So we went by the Collegian office and I remember that Daddy [Charles] came to the door and talked to us a little while.
I don’t remember anything about the conversation. I don’t think he was that excited about a little country girl that didn’t have that much of interest to talk about.
Charles:
I remember that, you stopping there, you and Bob, we had a conversation.
Elizabeth:
The next day we met with Dad [her father] and we went on home then. I remember one thing about going home-for some reason we couldn’t .. there were no buses running to Lewistown, that night so we had to go by the way of Altoona, and I remember about that it was Saturday night & it had been payday.
Charles: It was Tyrone, not Altoona.
Elizabeth:
I was impressed that the town was filled with drunks. They were sitting with their backs against the buildings and they were dead drunk.
Charles:
About Elizabeth, as she said, she didn’t particularly register with me, she was just another sister of a fraternity brother, not particularly impressed.
But things changed after that. Someone in the house, a friend of Bob's took her under his wing, and would often take her to the Lyceum.
And then I got jealous of another guy who seemed to have his eye on her.
But the showdown for me came when we were having a house party or some kind of party and Bart Oliver, one of the house brothers, had taken charge of her and was dancing with her.
But his idea of humor was to dance for a few steps and then just leave her standing in the middle of the floor.
I had no girl there and I just thought not the right way to treat a lady. Anytime he would leave her, I would go and dance with her, until he came and found that I had taken over.
It was little beginnings like that.
Elizabeth:
The funny thing about that was I was very naive coming from Biglerville and I did not know that that was not the right thing to do I didn’t feel hurt by it.
Charles:
I thought it was not anyway to treat a lady..
**They continue but jump ahead to their engagement, wedding and honeymoon. Courtship isn't really talked about but is explained in her letter, later in this post**

Engaged March 1926 – Elizabeth was in PA and Charles in Tarrytown, NY
Charles:
[I had been working in Warnersville on a farm, managing the bottling of milk. I got one day off a month]
I saw there was a job in Tarrytown, NY that wanted to hire a young man from a farm, send a photograph of yourself in your working clothes.
I remember there was an excursion going from New York to Reading at the time. Somehow or other I got in communication with my old hometown buddy Gene Smith and went on a vacation to New York.
I don’t know how he spent his time when I went out to Tarrytown, but I was interviewed by Mr. Harris at Rosedale Nursery in Tarrytown NY…
I accepted the job at 35 dollars a week, good money in agriculture in those days. I remember being so elated I had to work only 6 days a week!
Elizabeth:
So well, then, Thee was up in Tarrytown living and succeeding in that job when I began to get an interest in Thee again.
I had to give up college because I had trouble with infected teeth. And so I’d stayed home there and summer I was working in that office:Dad’s, Uncle Ned’s, and Uncle Will’s office. Now that I think about it, they really made work: what I did was file the subject matter of agricultural and horticultural magazines and all the literature, and especially fruit growing stuff.
So, I was working and I was lonely.
And I had no social life at home, there and I was living at home and helping with the family I was cooking, and cleaning, and washing, and whatnot.
So then we got started to writing to each other and, uh, his letters were really just a wonderful gift out of the blue and he wrote beautiful letters and it just grew and grew and grew, over the winter.
And then that next spring why we, uh, arranged to meet in New York, and I went up and stayed at the YWCA.
I remember because Thee wasn’t allowed up above the first floor.
Then we had a date. Did we go to dinner first or after the theatre?
Charles:
Well, there is a little mix up here. Before I left [the farm in Warnersville] I had to knock off writing to Anna Hooker –
Elizabeth: Oh yes—
Charles: to tell her I had become engaged--not engaged—well, I don’t know what we were…
Elizabeth:
We were just writing to each other, that was all.
Charles: Well, No…
Elizabeth: Dearie, we got engaged in New York City!
Charles: I know, but how come I told Anna Hooker...?
Elizabeth --[seeing his point ] Oh, yeah-
Charles:… what hold did Thee have on me?
Elizabeth:Nothing, I think that was not me, well, I think it was that Floral..Flora? girl that thee was dating.
Charles: No [emphatically]
Elizabeth: Well, where did she come in?
Charles: No. She had been long gone.
Elizabeth: Oh.
Charles: No, that was Anna Hooker.
And, well she had been writing---the three of us had been writing.
And, I think it was Thee and I had got some kind of understanding.
And, Thee said that Thee didn’t think I should keep on writing to Anna as long as this arrangement existed…
Elizabeth: Oh…
Charles: ..and I agreed and wrote and told her that. And she said it was very fine of me to tell her that.
In fact I think the word she used was “peachy” [emphasis] (Elizabeth chuckles) to tell her that.
Elizabeth: But I don’t think that was after we were engaged was it?...or was it?
Charles: well… it was before I left [the farm in Warnersville]
Elizabeth: Well I’m sure we were not engaged till Thee went to Tarry town. I’m sure of that!
Charles:No [agreeing]we got engaged down in New York City.
Elizabeth:
Yeah. Well, we wrote over that winter [1926] and met in New York. Did we go to the Chinese restaurant first? I think we did.
Charles: Yes, we did.
Elizabeth:
Yeah, that’s right. I mean didn’t either of us eat very much. Then we went to the Colonial Theatre, wasn’t that what it was?
Charles: I don’t remember the name of the theater
Elizabeth:
I think so, I remember we saw a movie called The Torrent. And it was written by Ibenz [she spells it out] I-B—E-N –Z . And , ah, the only thing I can remember about it was that were an awful lot of water.
Charles: Hmmm.
Elizabeth: What does Thee remember about the movie?
Charles: That’s all.
Elizabeth:
And he proposed to me right there and put his fraternity pin on me. And, uh, I guess Thee kissed me. We went to a Chinese Restaurant and we ate a lot better. That’s the way I remember it.
Charles: Yeah. Those days we went to see Indian Love Song.
Elizabeth: Oh yes! that was --- ? Oh.
Charles: “MacDonald”
Elizabeth: What was her first name?
Charles: Jeanette?
Elizabeth:
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. They sang..a song…
That’s right I think we went to the theatre and restaurant in the afternoon, then you proposed to me.
And we had tickets to that one in the evening [for that show]—and that was a lot more enjoyable and unforgettable.
Charles: That’s right.

Family sends her to California 1926 & Away from Charles
Elizabeth:
That next fall, in November, I couldn’t go back to school because of this tooth trouble.
I had them out, I had four of them out by that time. They were killed by having them straightened. I wasn’t well enough to go back to college.
So, Ethel Wright wanted to go out to California to live with cousin Gladys Griest.

I don’t know how it evolved ... But she and I would talk about it I said I’d like to go too, so she said, well why don’t you? So that’s how it turned out.

By about the middle of November she and I left from Adams County and we – maybe somebody took me to Harrisburg on the train.

When we got to Chicago it was a cold blustery wintery day.
I was going to take a two hour or three hour bus trip out along the shore but the weather was so bad. And then there it was 15 of November!
So we decided not to try that. So we went to Marshall Fields and spent 3 or four hours there and ate in their beautiful restaurant.
And as I recall it we went to a different station so our trunks had to get to another line. So we got on what they call the Southern Pacific.
And that was a very interesting trip and something I had never forgotten..it went through country.

For one thing on that train trip I had never seen Ohio and Indiana and Illinois and it was so flat I was really disappointed.
I didn’t realize there was an area as flat as that.
Their fields were laid out in squares and along the edge of the field there as an area as long as a ditch irritation ditch.
Our train swung southwest and went across … it stopped at Albuquerque and I was fascinated with Albuquerque, they had the adobe, Indian houses.
And at that time of year, they had strings of red pepper hanging at the door.
And we pulled in to Albuquerque and we had breakfast up at the counter at Harvey’s there and then we walked around and we were there for an hour.
The Indians were crouched along the corners of the adobe houses along the way there and they had turquoise jewelry and beautiful rugs.
Ever since I wished I had bought a rug there—ever since I have craved one and wanted one but one has never come into my hands.
Then we went on to Los Angles and we spent the winter there with …cousin Gladys. She was a widow.
And Ethel Griest –the grandchild of my grandmother’s oldest brother, Hiram Griest- went to work in a stationary store and worked there till she retired [owned by a relative].
They celebrated Hiram’s 90th birthday and they gave him a great big bible ,and I was a little girl, I think I was the youngest one mother took along. Gladys lived with Hiram Griest and never married.

The Griests took me to Catalina and up and down the coast. I had an interesting time.

I stayed there till February I got real homesick.
I did cashiering in Broadway’s department store but after Christmas they kind of laid people off or made it so people would quit.

~Note: Elizabeth had decided to return East in January and was home by February 1927 ~

Wedding and Honeymoon May 27, 1927
Elizabeth:
[while in California] I was having some pressure from Tarrytown [where Charles was living and working at the time] I have to admit, or maybe it was from me.

He [Charles] wanted to come out and get married out there, but my family didn’t want him to do that, but they had accepted the fact we were going to get married.

At that time they were having their own financial problems and couldn’t afford a wedding.
To that extent I guess I was strong willed and I insisted we get married that summer.

We got ready for the wedding.
I made my own wedding dress, veil, cake, cookies.
I made everything, and Mother and the family cleaned the place up we had a lovely lovely wedding

Charles:
I came over from New York.
I had not been rehearsed. But I was told I would know what to do when the time came.
So we all gathered in the living room. I remember the living room had been newly-papered.
We walked to the corner of the room and the family and friends sat all facing us.

After a period of silence, I noticed my father-in-law was looking somewhat distraught.
I realized I should say things at that point: so I said them and Elizabeth said hers.

All I remember about the reception was that people I knew swam into my vision and swam out. [Anna Black ran the reception… ]

We got ready to leave, we left in a top-heavy Buick and it began to rain… someone in the family had lent us a car.

Anna Black had offered us their cabin in Pine Grove, so that’s where we went. After we got a little ways down the road, we had a flat tire.
I hadn’t changed my clothes after the wedding. As I was changing the tire the wedding guests were starting to drive by as I was changing the tire –
Elizabeth: It was drizzling too.
Charles:
Finally one of the friends of the family stopped and gave me a hand. Elizabeth got a little homesick the third day.
We got visited by various brothers.
We’d walked up the road and walk down the road, and see the family.[June & Stanley?]
That was the end of our honeymoon.

Early Marriage: Tarrytown, then Back to PA
Elizabeth:
So thee worked in Tarrytown for a month after we got married—and did they move the nursery?
Charles: No, it was on Sawmill River Parkway.
Elizabeth:
But the cost of a one-bedroom apartment was frightfully high! So, then Thee watched the magazines again and got a job down at...
Charles:
No, my mother. ..was eager to go back to Pennsylvania and,
Thee was eager to go back-
Elizabeth: OH!
Charles:
--and I saw that Howard [in Tarrytown] was going to open a nursery. Then my mother wrote and told me that she had opened a drawer and found an old want ad I had cut out a long time before where a Park Valley Nursery
{something] at Evergreen Nursery were advertising for a salesman.
Elizabeth: Probably ornamental and evergreen-
Charles: --they were ornamental--
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Charles:
So I wrote to them and applied for the job [in PA] and they told me to come on over and apply for the job.
And there… I sold my brand new Model T Ford for 50 dollars. Much to my mother’s disgust.
So in the end I took the train back from Pennsylvania [to Tarrytown]
Elizabeth:
And we stayed with my folks for a month, up there in Flora Dale..[changing mind] No. it wasn’t Flora Dale.
Charles: No, we stayed with them...

They had gotten hitched, but what about the coursthip? The answer is in this letter Elizabeth wrote to Charles before she went to California.
She talks about her family & her early years.
But, the gold mine is their off-again, on-again courtship from her point of view.
She saved the original and had the foresight to type it up (probably in the 1980s).
I copied Elizabeth's letter that she sent to Charles in Oct 1926. Most of the letter is in the 3rd person.

**You can read the courtship below if you jump ahead to Part C. Part A & Part B are about the Tyson family.**

Dearest Oct 11, 1926 Home
I narrate ---
Part A -[About her paternal grandparents:]
Once upon a time there was man by the name of Edwin Comly Tyson who married Marie Cook. After a time they were blessing with a son, Isaac John. Then again came Charles Julian. After due time Charles Julian married Maria Griest. They moved to Gettysburg, and two months later, came the 3rd of July 1886 [she meant 1863]. They fled to New Oxford [PA]. Marie [his wife, Maria] was not well and Charles wheeled her most of the way in a wheelbarrow. After the battle they returned and Charles continued his photograph business taking pictures of many noteworthy people, among them Lincoln. Soon after this Edwin Comly [Tyson] was born. At this time Charles J. was tending a small garden which he was hugely interested in. He wished to enlarge it, so he moved further out to the outskirts of the town. Then after about fifteen years, he wished to give up his photographic business, so he sold out to his partner, W.H. Tipton (who is now in business there) Charles J, with Maria and young Edwin came to a place, all wilderness, till they discovered an old home (Mapleton) and bought the place. They built up all the farm buildings, and the lower house.   Then one day another son was born, Chester Julian. They planted trees and had lots of black servants etc. The farm was composed of the very smallest part of the present home farm. They then sent Edwin to West Chester where he met Mary W. Hauxhurst and married her. She had three sisters, Caroline, Florence and Bertha Charity.   The youngest [sister] being but four years of age. Things progressed apace. Chester became much interested in Florence [Hauxhurst]. But became engaged to Bertha when she was 16. When he had to stop school on account of his eyes, he married Bertha who was then 19. The family did not wish them to marry so very young, because Chester had nary a cent, nor any prospects, except that he was going blind.
Part B-[About her parents, her siblings & growing up:]
    But-they succeeded. They lived with the family for a few year, then they were blessed with a son, named Donald Charles, then the house was begun. The family moved into the new home and a son, named Robert William was born. They lived happily for a year and a month, then another baby arrived. They had hoped very much for a girl, and their hopes were realized.
A baby girl, who was exceedingly pretty arrived. She weighed 4 pounds and was the tiniest baby you ever saw. They named her Elizabeth Charity for Chester’s favorite Aunt, and his wife Bertha Charity. She grew and got prettier, as babies do, frequently. At two she was the worry of Don & Bob’s life. She made life miserable for them.
During this year a number of events took place. First in February the barn burned. In May Margaret Janet was born. In July a run away horse came tearing up the road and jumped over Elizabeth, who had her face all bandaged up for tonsillitis. In August the family, except the new baby, were out riding, and the horses ran away, all were thrown out, but none were hurt.
     Then things progressed for a year and a half more, then Frederic was born. Elizabeth had to help care for him. The first one she did. Then Robert acquired the naughty habit of running away. Elizabeth was a toady. She liked to do just what the boys did. They went down to their Uncle Amos’ corn field, with corn about two feet high, and how that corn did snap when one rolled in it! And, at last a nice big patch was layed flat. The boys were severely punished. Elizabeth was so small that she was not expected to know better. Then the next July Edwin Phillip was born. That fall Elizabeth at the age of five started to school. She played with the rest of the boys so much, that her mother finally kept her home the rest of that year, in despair. The next year she had appendicitis when school started, thus missing six weeks of school. Then in March of that year, Stanley was born, a poor weak baby, with terrible stomach trouble.   Mother was not well, and seven year old Elizabeth was very busy, helping take care of the boys. Phil was a terrible mischief [Edwin Phillip]. Stan lived on egg white and water for four months. We had a trained nurse. Things went on, apace.
Elizabeth fell on a piece of coal, and cut a long cut in her knee, which she bravely watched the Doctor put five stitches in. A few years later, Chester Julian, Jr was born. By this time Bertha was leaning quite heavily upon her eldest girl, Elizabeth, who was fast learning the business of keeping house, and tending babies, the latter experience of which she will never forget. A few years later, Ralph Watts was born. He had eczema terribly on his face, and he was a very fretful baby. At six months Bertha gave him up as a bad job, and very wearying, and gave him to the custody of Elizabeth, who raised him till he was six years. Hence the reason why she is so fond of him. She has had the experience with child that she would wish on no one.   Two years later Paul was born. He was fat and healthy and unnamed till six months of age, expect Dix. Bertha and Chester began at this stage to take trips away from home for periods at a time, leaving 12 year old Elizabeth here alone with the children. Two years later she started to George School [Quaker co-ed boarding school, NE of Phlly]. And she had some of the nicest time of her life there. Two years later Alan Hauxhurst was born, while Elizabeth was at G.S. [George School]. The next years Bertha persuaded 17 year old Elizabeth to stay home and help, because another little one was expected. She did, going to Biglerville High School for two classes, English and French, in the morning. Staying at home in the afternoons. On the 9th of December Norman Eugene was born. Donald and Elizabeth named him. He was given his name on Christmas day, as a present. After Xmas, Elizabeth began going to High School all the day. She finished a junior, at the end of that year, she had never been a sophomore, consequently the next year she had to take extra work to graduate.
Part C -[Their Meeting and Courtship begin here:]
At the end of the year, for being such a help and giving up G.S. (George School) because of her mother; she was given a trip to State College, to see Bob and see the college that she was to attend.
That was a full weekend. On Saturday night she went on a hike to a picnic supper (F. U.) at the reservoir. Then the next day she went to the meeting at F.U. and Bob came for her, after dinner there. She went along to AGR [Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house].
   It was raining. He placed his sister on the bend at the foot of the stairs, as each D.B. arrived on the scene, he introduced her. There are but three who are now remembered, Bart Oliver, Charles Tilton, and Bob McColmont, who was already known.
She thought Charles Tilton was wonderful, but then she could not expect a Junior in college to be interested in a big gawky youngster like she, but he was wonderful. I supposed he made enough of an impression to be remembered. He payed some attention to her. That night she stayed till nine o’clock and then Bob took her home. On the way in town they passed a window, within which was seated Charles T. Bob called him out and he talked to them. Again making a more lasting impression.
    That summer Elizabeth spent at the seashore working. This is not so very important, altho interesting.
    The next fall she entered Penn State, a co-ed. Things went on apace. She hoped that that nice Tilton fellow would pay some attention to her, but he never did. So, after a while she became interested in men of this, that and the other house [fraternity house; Charles was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho], and her interest in Charles T. was forgotten, as tho it had never existed. Then along came November Houseparty. Elizabeth was not asked. Of course she was not such a hot dancer, but then, and right then she began to realize what it was that the college men liked.
So, she undertook to develop it. It attracted Charles T but he didn’t have IT himself, so he was an interesting pastime for Elizabeth, but he was not the type she was after. Nevertheless, she was interested in him, and many an enjoyable time did she have with him. But, he was being his own dear self, while Elizabeth was TRYING to assume the Collegiate superficiality.
There are several events during that year that she will never forget, a certain eve in May! That night she never slept a wink, because there was pinned on her pajamas, a pin. The next day she returned it, because she was trying to measure Charles by the standards of some of her flighty co-ed sisters, and he was just not a fourflusher. So he lost that night.
Then soon after came finals and commencement. When finals were over, and seven notebooks handed in and a dress finished she was to go to Houseparty. The weather was hot, and four of the girls had to sleep in two beds, up under the eaves. And that houseparty on the whole was misery. The next to the last day, her family were going home, and they wanted her too, so she did. She was all done up. She also was suffering with tooth trouble. She was so tired she was ill for several weeks afterward. She wrote to Charles , but he was peeved, and never wrote, for a long , long time, which hurt. She of course did not realize that Charles was hurt too, because she left early. She is not sorry for that. But neither understood.
    The next year she was living with a fast crowd who were not used to REAL men. Lively dally men who were terrible (altho Elizabeth did not think so at the time) They attracted her some, but not much. She fell desperately in love with Bill Mellor of FU a Freshman, about the end of this affair Charles came up, to see Elizabeth.
She treated him terribly, because of the mental condition and because of Bill Mellor. But the next weekend she gave Bill the gate. There were none who suited her after that. She corresponded occasionally with Charles, only because he wrote to her.
    The next summer she went to L.P.C. she spent one night in Phila. where she had a ? lovely? , time letting a man kiss her.
The next day she spent with Charles T and he took her to a wonderful show, Rose Marie, that she will never forget. The rest of the summer she wrote to him occasionally, when she thought about it, only because she hates to owe a letter. On the way home she would not call or write to him, because of the lack of interest.
Then after she got home she had an “affair de coeur” with Herb Fisher of AZ which was soon over. Then again she was off men. Then she had an operation on her teeth and the winter progressed. She began to really answer Charles’ letters for some[thing] to do. And they became more and more interesting. At Christmastime he sent her a lovely little plaque, which she treasures.
    Then he expressed desires to see her. So they met at Harrisburg, she deciding to be her very {nicest} He apparently doing likewise. And they had a wonderful time. She was just a little mean then. But, has never been since.
Then a few weeks later, there came a dream (early-morning dream) and then a wonderful trip to N.Y. that she will never forget one detail of. And---they were to be man and wife. And from that day to this she has lived a life of pleasure in loving Charles, and in discovering what love is, and what a really wonderful man he is.
   She is the most fortunate girl living, and she realizes it. Such character, build, appearance, temperament, soul, understanding, love and heart are not commonly found in one man. Dearest—thee is {the} perfect ideal of my life. I live but for thee, and I shall marry thee, if thee will marry me. Our day is before us.
    What, I really did start out to say was, “Happy Birthday!”   I wish I could be with thee on the 10th. But I shall next year. Thee see!   I was thinking about thee all day. I hope dearest that thee is as happy in love as thy wife is. I am joyously happy, and have been every single day since March 5th.
    I sent thee a box of Marg’s [her sister, Margaret] candy. I am afraid it is not very good. She made if for Phil to give to his girl, on her birthday and there was some left over.
    I have given thee [another present?] I believe thee & mother will enjoy.
    I am so very thankful dearest for having thee, thee can never realize how I do feel, altho I think thee now comes pretty near to understanding.
    There was something that happened that last day to thee, while we were there together, coupled with something that thee had told me, that gave me that same feeling of reverence toward thee, that thee says thee feels towards me.
It is a new feeling I never experienced before.
    Dearest, I love thee, and I hope thee has a very happy birthday.
    from thy wife who loves thee and the ground thee walks on, says goodnight with happy tears in her eyes.
    ~Elizabeth
[END OF LETTER]