Beyond the Names: Wedding Bells for the Allisons and Haywards

Part Four of the Four Part Series on the Merchants: Allisons and Haywards

Norma Grace Hayward looking beautiful
in her spectacular gown

When I was very young, I used to travel with my parents and brothers to see my grand-parents Joseph and Norma Allison at their house in Rothesay, New Brunswick. We were always guaranteed a pleasant visit, with lots of space to play out of doors, some lovely dog companions, and the company of my delightful grand-parents. I loved them and have the fondest childhood memories of our visits. Later, when I went to university at Mount Allison, I stayed with my grand-parents during holidays and long weekends. Norma would pick me up at the train station, and I would spend a quiet time studying and visiting, and eating lots of pie and ice-cream.

With memories like these, I could never have imagined that Norma and Joseph Allison were the centre of attention at the largest social event of the year 1935 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Joseph Ringen Allison

Joseph Ringen Allison, second child of Walter Cushing Allison and his only son, was named after a long line of Allisons, as far back as the 17^th century. His middle name was his birth mother’s maiden name: Hattie Belle Ringen died shortly after giving birth to Joseph.

Norma Grace Hayward was one of four daughters of William Henry Hayward and his wife Alice Pearl McDiarmid.

I would imagine that, coming from two of the more illustrious families in Saint John, they must have known one another at society functions, even if in a peripheral way. Romance didn’t bloom for them though until they met while boarding at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.

When Norma and Joseph attended Mount Allison, it would have likely been in the late 20s or early 30s (an inquiry at the school didn’t turn up any records yet). At that time, Mount Allison still had a Ladies College (a finishing school of sorts). The school was founded by a not very distant relation, Charles Frederick Allison, so it would have stood to reason that my grand-father would have attended there as a matter of family tradition.

While Mount Allison is widely known as the first educational institution in Canada to grant a degree to a woman (in 1875 to Grace Annie Lockhart), the Ladies College started as more of a finishing school, and in the early 1900s was expanding its womens’ studies to include more “household sciences” in order to prepare women for their domestic roles. When Norma attended, she was almost certainly there for the purposes of inter-mingling with other members of the well-to-do of Maritime society, and learning what it took to be a proper lady (my mother tells me that Norma never talked about anything she learned at the college, so academic pursuits were likely not her focus, and she was not granted a degree of any kind).

There were two other aspects to Mount Allison: the College, which could grant degrees, and the Boys’ Academy, which closed in 1953. Degree granting areas of study by 1920 included Arts, Theology and Engineering. It is pretty clear, though, that my grand-father Joseph was not the studious type. As an Allison, it was likely expected that he would spend some time at Mount Allison University mingling with others of his age and class. Whatever time he spent there, he did not receive any academic accreditation that anyone in the family or at the University itself could find.

The one thing that Norma and Joseph did achieve during their time at Mount A was to meet and fall in love. They planned their wedding for the 1^st of June 1935, and it would be the social event of the year!

Centenary United

The wedding took place in the Centenary United Church in Saint John: a spectacular Gothic church built in 1879. It was reported that the wedding would bring together “two of the oldest and most widely known of Saint John’s mercantile establishments.” Joseph and Norma were also, apparently, popular members of the “younger social set” of Saint John. There is no doubt then, that with history and popularity on their side, the wedding would attract significant attention. Two pages of the city’s newspaper were dedicated to a detailed report on the wedding – everything from the décor to the dresses. Here is a snapshot of the day my grand-parents wed “in fashionable Saturday afternoon nuptials.”

The bridesmaids

The pews were adorned with white chiffon ribbons, and the church decorated with the blossoms of cherry and apple, with tall snapdragons contrasted with ferns. Leading British fashion designer of the early 1900s Edward Henry Molyneaux was responsible for the design of Norma’s ivory satin dress with a long widening train. The veil was of ivory tulle caught at the sides with knots of orange blossoms. Norma held a bouquet of roses and lilies of the valley. The bridesmaids, sisters Margaret and Ruth Hayward, and friend Mavis Peat were similarly dressed in classical style with Lanvin gowns (as I know next to nothing about fashion, I will reproduce the descriptions of these gowns and other attire in full as a supplement to this blog).

Joseph was accompanied by his groomsman Reginald Arnold of Truro. His ushers were James V. Russell (his brother in law), William Hayward (brother of the bride), and friends Pat McAvity and Clifford Sancton.

While Norma, accompanied by her father, made her way down the long aisle, Lohengrin’s bridal chorus was played by Mrs. T.J. Gunn, church organist. During the signing of the wedding register, Miss Virginia Spangler sang “very sweetly” the song "Because", a 1902 composition by Guy d’Hardelot with lyrics by Edward Teschemacher.

Bride and groom as reported in the newspaper

The reception was held at the Haywards, where guests were met with decorations of sweet peas and snapdragons. It was a traditional affair with toasts by local men of importance, a tasteful celebration and a farewell to the newly married couple as they left on a tour of some American cities, starting in Boston and New York. Even the bride’s travelling attire was reported on by the newspaper, Norma being dressed in an “ensemble of beige imported French wool and linen tweed” (again, a full description will be transcribed for those who would appreciate this).

When they returned, the newly married couple would reside on Duke Street and Joseph would resume his work as a buyer for Manchester, Robertson and Allison. They would have four children, and twelve grand-children, and they would know them all. Many of us enjoyed long stays with Norma and Joseph, their dogs and their comfortable life in Rothesay.