The mild temperatures – a low of 30, a high of 43 – were a common element to February 26 2017 and the same day in 1922. But on this day in New York City 95 years ago, unlike today’s sunshine there was a bit of rain and snow. None of that dampened the spirits of Peter Leicht and his new bride, Bertha Naujoks as they gathered to take their vows.

pb-photoThe Wedding Party… L-R, top row, Edward “Feathers” Bello and his wife, Hattie Naujoks Bello  [23] (Bertha’s sister), Peter’s Scheib cousin (John?) and wife; Josef Leicht[41]  (Peter’s brother) and his wife Stella [34]; unknown cousin (probably another Scheib). Second/middle row, unknown book end couples to my grandparents Bertha Maria Naujoks [21]and Peter Leicht [26] in the middle; bottom row L-R Bertha’s father Michael Naujoks [59]; Peter’s niece Elizabeth [14] and nephews John [16], Peter [11] and George [7] (all Josef’s children by his first marriage to the late Anna Jakubowska; Bertha’s mother Elise Fuchs [47] with her second husband Charles Brierly, and Elise’s sister Hattie (Henrietta) [55], aka Tante Ietta.

Peter was very close with his nephew John, since they were relatively close in age (closer than Peter and Josef were in age as brothers!); they lived together in their Austrian home town of Rehfeld and later in nearby Muhlbach, before emigrating to the US.  Peter also went to live with his brother in New York for a year or two and help raise the children after their mother Anna passed away in 1918.

Another ‘unique’ relationship was between Michael and Elise, my great-grandparents; after they divorced sometime around 1905 (after about 7 years of marriage and she married Brierly, census records showed that he boarded with the family (his young daughters, his ex-wife, and her new husband) for several years.  I guess they made it work!