This photograph is from the wedding of Margaret Mary Doran to Walter Sikora. Margie grew up in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey. She was born in 1921 and her parents were Bernard and Mary Doran. Walter’s parents were Bronislaw “Beny” and Julia Sikora, and he was born in Newark in 1922. I love the style of her dress and the pretty hat.

Margie’s family were Irish and Walter’s family were Polish. Both Margie and Walter were children of the Depression, going to work early. Here is a picture of Margie from the early 1940s by the family apartment on Hamilton Street in Harrison.

When this picture was taken she was working as a folder in a nearby factory. Here’s a page from the 1940 Directory for Harrison, showing her address and occupation. You can click on it to enlarge it. The names that are highlighted are her parents and siblings. In the 1944 directory she was still working as a folder at the Clark Thread Company.

After their marriage Margie and Walter lived in Newark. NJ. The photo below is from 1953, and shows Margie holding one of her nieces. Margie was my godmother and one of my favorite aunties.

Two places that I remember Walter working at were both in Newark. One was Branch Motors and the other was the Weequahic Park Racetrack. The racetrack was for harness racing, and I remember seeing the two-wheeled cart, called a sulkey, and the drivers exercising on the track. I’m not sure what his job was there, but I remember him teaching me how to feed the horses apples without getting bit. Walter’s nickname was Fiddles.

Walter and Margaret Doran Sikora are buried together at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Cemetery, in North Arlington, NJ. The Archdiocese of Newark has a link to find a burial site at their cemeteries, that I find very helpful for research. Here’s the link: http://www.rcancem.org/find-a-loved-one-search/ and simply pick one of the cemeteries and enter a surname. Good luck researching!