Weddings in a Time of War
Among my mother’s keepsakes is another wedding invitation from the years of World War II. This one is addressed not only to Mary Hannigan but also to Mrs. Hannigan, her mother. That small detail immediately paints a picture of my mother’s life in 1943. She was still living at home in Concord, New Hampshire, sharing in the life of her family and parish while the world was at war.
The invitation announces the marriage of Anita Sanders to Sergeant Harry Arakel Arslanian of the United States Army Air Forces on February 27, 1943, at St. Paul’s Church in Concord. The invitation is printed in both English and Armenian, reflecting the heritage of the bride’s family and reminding us that New England’s communities were enriched by families who had brought their traditions and faith from many parts of the world.
Like so many weddings during the war, this marriage joined a young woman with a man in military service. Across the country, thousands of couples were planning weddings around military schedules, uncertain futures, and the realities of a nation at war. Every leave was precious, and every wedding carried with it both joy and the knowledge that separation might soon follow.
This ceremony took place in St. Paul’s Church itself. Whether Sergeant Arslanian had sufficient leave to allow for a more traditional church wedding or whether circumstances were simply different, I cannot know. What both invitations reveal, however, is that life continued even during wartime. Families gathered, churches opened their doors, and young couples made lifelong commitments despite the uncertainty surrounding them.
I especially like that this invitation was addressed to both my mother and my grandmother. It reminds me that before she became Mary Watson, she was Mary Hannigan, a young woman surrounded by family, friends, and the close-knit Catholic community of Concord. She likely attended this wedding with her mother.
Today, this invitation is much more than a reminder of one wedding. It is a small window into everyday life on the home front, when communities celebrated hope during uncertainty and continued to believe that life, love, and family would endure beyond the war.
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A Wartime Marriage
This is the marriage certificate of my parents, Roger Edward Watson and Mary Elizabeth Hannigan. They were married on May 3, 1944, at Saint John the Evangelist Church in Concord, New Hampshire, while my father was home on leave during World War II. My father came from West Virginia, while my mother had grown up […]
