An out-of-the-box love story in my family? Yep. I’ve got a doozy. This one is quite bizarre, but since I can’t pick my ancestors – or their romances narratives – you’ll just have to bear with me. Here goes….My great-great-grandmother grew up in Southport, NC, and at the age of twenty she had two suitors. These two suitors, Mr. Garrett and Mr. Jelks, happened to be best friends, but they were both firm and tenacious in their love of my great-great-grandmother.
In the end, she chose Mr. Garrett, but when they got married they made Mr. Jelks an unusual (if not downright wacky) proposal: He had their blessing to court their first born daughter, and if – when she came of age – she chose to marry him, they would give him her hand.
Well, that’s exactly what happened.
Miss Elizabeth Garrett received gifts from Mr. Jelks throughout her childhood. He sent her jewelry and dresses and came by to visit frequently under the watchful eye of her parents. Once, he even gave her a small diamond ring. When she turned sixteen, he proposed and she accepted. They had two sons and by the time Elizabeth reached her mid-twenties, she was a widow. Mr. Jelks had suffered a sudden heart attack on the steps of City Hall.
Thankfully, Elizabeth was able to choose who she wanted for her next spouse. In fact, she went on to marry three additional times. I remember her as one feisty old lady who did exactly as she pleased whenever she pleased. In fact, everyone I knew yielded to her which seemed to prove that her early courtship and marriage didn’t seal her fate as a victim. (My guess is that when she said, “Jump!”, even Mr. Jelks said, “How high?)
I can’t say it’s the most beautiful love story ever told, but it certainly is one of the strangest.
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