Happy 125th anniversary to Brooklyn’s own Ed and Lucie

Audere Magazine and Chickadee Prince Books are both located in Brooklyn, a boro that inspires a certain obsessional pride among its denizens. We sometimes scan old Brooklyn papers for obscurities, and happened to note recently that, 125 years ago this month, the now long-defunct Brooklyn Times reported on a hastily scheduled wedding ceremony between a stately brunette and a military man, which was unexpectedly cut short by a telegram from DC.

MISS LUCIE ADELAIDE QUIN, daughter of Mrs. Katherine Quin, was married at high noon on Saturday to Lieutenant Edward Latimer Beach, U.S.N., of the Engineer Corps of the New York.

The marriage, which was to have been celebrated in June, was hastened by reason of the prospective departure of the “New York” on May 20 for Kiel Germany, to be present at the celebration there.

The bride, a stately brunette, was attended by Miss Jennie C. Kissam, as maid of honor, and was given away by her brother, Mr. Edward Albert. Mr. Leslie Moffett, of New York, served as best man, and the ushers were Lieutenant George v. Danforth, of the cruiser New York, and Mr. James Harold Warner, of New York City. Chaplain H.H. Clark, U.S.N., performed the ceremony, which was followed by a breakfast.

The house was prettily decorated, and there was music by a stringed orchestra.

At the last moment a telegram from Washington was received by the groom, detaching him from the New York and notifying him to report for duty on board the torpedo boat Cushing to take charge of the engineering department.

Lucie died young, twenty years later, of cancer, childless. Ed became a noted military hero and the childless author of numerous children’s books. He married a second time, late in life, and his namesake became, like him, a military hero and an author, in his case, a bestselling one.

This is what was going on in Brooklyn, 125 years ago.

Design from an image by Brandan Morgan