Marriage Certificates: A BIG Surprise

 

left side: Veron Bryan
right side:  Alleyne Jackson

A few weeks ago I hinted at the contentious relationship between my dad and his father.

The story Dad shared is (mostly) verified by the research.

Walter Albert Coleman and Veron Bryan married on November 26, 1926. Walter was 17 years 5 months, and Veron 16 years 9 months. By today's standards, they were mere children.

Less than fifteen months later, Gleason Walter Coleman (my father) was born.

Dad claims Walter left soon after the birth. However, he returned home to Veron long enough to impregnate her one more time. When Dad was twenty months old, my Uncle Freddie was born.

According to Dad, his father was completely absent from their lives until Veron passed in 1940. At that time, her sister contacted Walter to let him know it was time to take responsibility for his children. 

Dad and Freddie were sent to Houston to live with Walter and his new wife, Alleyne. Dad referred to her with the same disdain one reads about stepmothers in classic fairy tales.

I never met Alleyne. I know she sent Mom and Dad a wedding gift (Mom has always kept detailed lists), and she even sent them a first-anniversary card (Mom kept that too). But Dad talked less about Alleyne than he did about his father.

So of course, I was left with several unanswered questions. When (and how) did Walter and Alleyne meet (interestingly, the 1930 census shows him living with her family as a lodger). How long did they date and... was there a time when he was exclusive to Veron? I do know they remained married until his death in 1964, so perhaps he was devoted to her and not a chronic philanderer.

Ancestry's BIG Reveal

While trying to locate the marriage certificate of Walter and Veron, I stumbled upon another matrimonial document:

Names: Walter Albert Coleman and Beatrice Alleyne Jackson. Sounds like a match.

Date: July 28, 1930. Consistent with the timeline.

Place: New Loredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. WHAT?!

The 2.5-page document is handwritten in Spanish. While I could pick out a few keywords, I asked two dear friends to help me translate:

#129

Marriage of Mr. Walter A. Coleman and Miss Beattrice Alleyne Jackson. 

45 pesos

In New Laredo, Tamaupilas, at 17 hours on 28 July 1930, appeared in this court before me, Miguel __ Calderon, judge of the civil state of this city. 

Mr. Walter A. Coleman and Miss Beattrice Alleyne Jackson who declared to be single Catholics and residents of this city for more than 3 years at #17 on Bravo Street. He a travel agent of 23 years old originally from Oklahoma City, a legitimate son of W.L. Coleman originally of Tennessee, and of Mrs. G.W. Cowles, 45, originally from Florida and residing in San Antonio, Texas. She (Beattrice), 21 years old, without specific profession, originally from Bowling Green, Kentucky, legitimate daughter of C.C. Jackson, 52, from the same place as his daughter, and of Mrs. Margaret Jackson, originally from Kentucky, 48 years old and with the same address and neighborhood as her daughter... and declares they wish to celebrate the matrimony and they have converted.

Both translators then state the rest of the document is filled with judicial jargon about matrimony legalities and the biographical details of several witnesses to the ceremony (more than likely paid to give testimony to the couple's claims). 

I marvel at the discrepancies in this document from other verifiable facts: 

1. Walter was definitely not single.
2. I'm fairly certain, Walter was not Catholic. A Church of Christ minister officiated the 1926 marriage certificate to Veron.
3. Walter did not reside in Mexico for the past three years. While he disappeared shortly after my Dad's birth in February 1928 and then again after my uncle's birth in October 1929... the 1930 census shows him living as a border with Alleyne's family in San Antonio.
4. Walter a travel agent?? City Directories and Census records from 1929-1940 show Walter's occupation as "bookkeeper" 

The research raises more questions than it answers.

• Why did they marry in Mexico? Perhaps Walter's divorce was not finalized and traveling out-of-country was necessary. According to Google Maps, New Loredo is a border city, a short 200-mile-drive from San Antonio. I wonder if it is the equivalent of Las Vegas to central Texans wanting to elope?
• Was Walter officially divorced? Had he even filed divorce papers?
• Did he live part-time in New Loredo between visits with Veron? While I doubt this is the case, I wonder why the information is included in the document in the first place. Was there a residency requirement? 
• Why assume the identity of a travel agent? Did that profession give legitimacy to a young "catholic" couple from Texas traveling across the border for a civil wedding ceremony?

Further research into Alleyne's side of the family reveals her father was an Evangelist/Singer for the Christian Church(!) Did he know Walter was married when he took him in as a lodger in 1930? Did he condone his young daughter marrying an adulterer? 

I wonder how much of this story my father knew? 

I tend to believe he was ignorant of these details. I think his dislike for his dad stemmed from abandonment. The man left his young wife with two innocent boys. He selfishly ignored his first family until his sister-in-law forced him to take responsibility. 

I think for a young boy growing up in the Great Depression with a mother dying from tuberculosis, my dad could only handle so much truth. And my heart aches for him...