Esther A Shackford, the daughter of William Wallace and Pamelia Shackford was born in Paterson, New Jersey on Nov 10, 1866. We find her in the 1870 and 1880 censuses at ages 3 and 13. Once we first learned that she also went by the name Essie, we discovered many articles that describe her as the “popular elocutionist and teacher”.
We’re not sure how she met Angus MacDonald, an attache of the Post Office but one of them was considered important enough to have their upcoming wedding mentioned in the New York Herald as a Paterson Society event. However the Paterson Morning Call describes the wedding as if we were present. Additionally from the article we learn that Essie’s mother Pamelia had recently died (June 14, 1891), that they married in the Presbyterian church but she had been a teacher at the Baptist Church, that her brother Charles Edrick Shackford was best man, and her brother William Wallace Shackford attended the weeding, that her husband’s father was Alexander Macdonald and his brother Alderman John MacDonald. There is also an extensive list of attendees, some of whom may be direct family members.
Miss Essie Shackford and Mr. Angus
Macdonald United in the Bonds of Mat-
rimony – The Speer-McLaughlin Nup
tials – A Coming Marriage.
A quiet but pleasant wedding took place
last evening at the residence of Mr. Wil-
liam Wallace Shackford, 43 Ramapo
avenue, last evening, when his daughter,
Miss Essie Shackford, the well-known
elocutionist, was united in the bonds of
matrimony to Mr. Angus Macdonald, the
handsome register clerk at the post office.
The bride never looked more beautiful
than as she stood before the officiating
clergyman, Rev. Dr. Shaw of the Second
Presbyterian church, attired in a costume
of white china crepe, with silver fringe
trimmings. Miss Lizzie Rainey, the
bridesmaid, wore blue china crepe trimmed
with white ostrich feathers. Mr. Edrick
Shackford, brother of the bride, was best
man. Rev. Mr. Meeser was to have per-
formed the ceremony, but he being sick,
the knot was firmly tied by Rev. Dr.
Shaw.
On account of the recent death of the
bride’s mother, the marriage was an un-
ostentatious one, only the immediate
friends and relatives of the family being
present. The members of the bride’s class
in the Park avenue Baptist Sunday school,
which she has taught for the past eight
ears, were present and took an
active part in the festivities. Mr. and
Mrs. Macdonald were the recipients of a
large number of valuable presents, in-
cluding some beautiful pieces of silver-
ware and several handsome pieces of
household furniture. After the ceremony,
the balance of the evening was pleasantly
spent with singing, recitations and danc-
ing. The bride recited a poem, most
fitting to the occasion and held
her hearers spellbound with her
eloquence. A wedding supper was
served after which Mrs. Macdonald don-
ned her traveling costume of helitrope
broad-cloth, with sable trimmings, and in
company with her husband, was driven to
the Erie depot where they took the 11:20
train for a trip down east. They will only
be gone two days, as Mr. Macdonald has
to be back at his post on Saturday, when
the civil examinations occur.
The guests present were: Mr. Alexander
Macdonald, father of the groom; Alderman
John Macdonald, brother of the groom;
Mr. William Wallace Shackford, father of
the bride, Mr. and Mrs. William W.
Shackford, Miss Minnie Campbell, of
Jersey City; Mrs. D. D. Mills and daugh-
ter Nettie, Mrs. Lambert, of Deposit, N.
Y., Mr and Mrs John Brown and daugh-
ter, Miss Marion Phillips, Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Bustard, Miss Bentley, Mr
G. V. Brower and family, Mr. and
rs. John Denton, Mr. and rs
James M. Denton, Mr. and Mrs George
Frost, Miss Fanny Frost, Miss Mary Kane,
r. Harry Sutton, Mrs. James Donald-
son, Miss Lizzie Donaldson, Mr. Edrick
Shackford, Miss Lizzie Rainey, Miss Jen-
nie Denton, Miss Jennie Houston, Miss
Carrie Arentaen, Miss Bateson, Miss
Parker, and Mr. and Mrs. George Garrison
and son.
Unfortunately Essie died about July 24, 1892, five months after her marriage. She is buried at Laurel Grove in Passaic, New Jersey.
Note: Listing her death date as approximate because the date in the New Jersey Deaths and Burials database (Jul 27, 1892) is after the date of a newspaper article announcing her death (July 25, 1892) so is probably transcribed incorrectly.
SOURCES:
1870 United States Federal Census, New Jersey, Passaic, Paterson, population schedule, Ward 5, p. 82 (penned), Dwelling 407, Family 709, Shackford Wm; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2013).
1880 United States Federal Census, Passaic County, New Jersey, population schedule, Paterson, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 162, Page No 16, 107 Madison St, dwelling 103, family 188, Wm W Shakford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 November 2015).
Find A Grave, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 July 2014), Esther A Shackford, Find A Grave Memorial# 111568443
“MRS. ANGUS MACDONALD DEAD,” The Call (Paterson, New Jersey), 25 July 1892; digital images, Fulton History (http://fultonhistory.com : accessed 16 March 2016).
“New Jersey Births and Christenings, 1660-1980,” database, FamilySearch (http:familysearch.org : accessed 17 November 2015), Esther A Schackford
“New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 May 2013).
“PATERSON SOCIETY,” New York Herald (New York, New York), 17 January 1892; digital images, Fulton History (http://fultonhistory.com : accessed 16 March 2016).
“A Pleasant Surprise Party,” The Morning Call (Paterson, New Jersey), 12 November 1890; digital images, Fulton History (http://fultonhistory.com : accessed 13 March 2016).
“TWO FEBRUARY WEDDINGS,” The Paterson Morning Call (Paterson, New Jersey), 4 February 1892; digital images, Fulton History (http://www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 2 February 2016).
SHACKFORD Family History 