History of John Smith Griffin
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Marriage - 1932

I didn't have more than a couple of dollars and so I borrowed $20 from Alton Larsen who lived at the house. I also made arrangements to borrow Gordy Nickelson's Ford and the next morning I met her at the station. She seemed really happy to see me and I suggested that we be married that same afternoon. She consented although she told me later that she had not planned on it until the next day. I got a room at the Ambassador hotel and after she changed her clothes I picked her up and we set out to be married.

Having no money and not expecting her, I had not purchased a wedding ring. I had previously decided to be married in Christ's Church in Alexandria, Virginia. None of the members of our church had authority to perform marriages and as I had planned to be married later in the temple I decided that it would be nice to be married in the Church where George Washington attended and where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech. Knowing that this was an Episcopal church and that their wedding ceremony required a ring , I told Dorothy that she would have to go into Woolworth's and buy a wedding ring while I drove around the block. She thought I was kidding but went in and bought the ring. The smallest one she could get was still too large and she was no doubt embarrassed when the wife of the minister looked at it and said how beautiful it was.

We drove out to Alexandria and went to the minister's home. He invited us in and suggested that he perform the ceremony ther in his home. I did not object so with his wife as one witness and his maid as the other, we were married. We drove back to Washington and went up to a "Childs" restaurant near the Station to have dinner. Looking back now I am quite embarrassed that I did not know a nicer place to take her to dinner. After dinner I took her to the hotel and then had to report for work. I was still working the night shift from 4 to midnight.

DATE    (FILE ) SUBJECT
------- ------- ---------------------------------
June 24: (9093) Marriage Certificate
June 25: (1100) Ambassidor Hotel bill for wedding night
June 25: (5014) Wedding Card from friends
August 30, 1934: (9086) Temple Sealing Certificate
Jun-Oct 1932: (1201) John and Dorothy's Apartment

I had not asked for leave that night as I knew that the "Bureau" frowned on giving leave for any purpose, especially to employees who had not been there very long. It was hard to go to work on your wedding night and the more I thought about it the more I thought I was crazy. Finally when 8 p.m. arrived and we were dismissed for dinner I went to the supervisor, a fellow named Coffey, and told him that I had been married that afternoon and would like to have the rest of the evening off. His answer was "J---- C----- Griffin, are you crazy?".- Anyway he gave me the rest of the evening off and I went back to the hotel where I found Dorothy waiting.

Before receiving her letter telling me that she was not coming back I had rented a little one room apartment on the third floor of a row house on Columbia Road between 13th and 14th. We had to share a bath with another couple who also had an apartment on the same floor. I had paid the rent for June and so the next day we moved into our apartment. Although it was furnished comfortably it was certainly nothing fancy but was within our means at $37.50 per month. We were not long finding that two could not live as cheaply as one and it was hard to make ends meet.

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