Three sisters, three weddings at the Orcutt home in Omaha. The house no longer exists, and the people have long since passed, but the photo albums and newspaper articles have preserved the memories of their special celebrations.
The first two weddings took place during a period of mourning. When Edith, my great-grandmother, married Alfred James Beaton, her marriage was quiet due to her mother’s death. The second daughter, Anna Ri, wed Louis Jaques five years later. Although the guestlist was limited, with only immediate friends and family present due to her father’s passing, it was noted as one of the prettiest of the season. Finally, on February 7, 1906, Clinton and Anna’s last and youngest daughter (Dutton) Orcutt married her beau, Arthur Raymond Keeline. It was also held at the Orcutt home. Because her engagement took place during the mourning period for her father, she had to forego the parties and celebrations that would have taken place.[1] However, her wedding occurred after the mandatory year of mourning.
Jane Clare Orcutt, my maternal grandmother’s favorite aunt, was born on September 23, 1884, in Durant, Iowa. I have written about Jane’s early life and her debut in previous blogs. She was a favorite amongst her peers, a pretty, petite, blue-eyed brunette with a gentle personality. Shortly after her debut, Jane met Arthur Keeline, a son of one of the oldest families of Council Bluffs, Iowa.[2] The young couple was an attractive and popular pair in Omaha society.
Arthur Keeline, a handsome man with blue eyes and light brown hair, was of average height at 5’7″.[3] He was born March 28, 1880, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and came from a wealthy family of cattle and sheep ranchers who owned the Keeline Ranch in Gillette, Wyoming. Educated in the East, Arthur attended Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, and then studied for one year at Harvard, 1900-1901.[4]
When he returned to Council Bluffs, Arthur regularly attended social events in Omaha, where he met Jane Orcutt. On October 7, 1905, Edith and Alfred Beaton announced the young couple’s engagement.
“An engagement of more than passing interest is that of Miss Jane Orcutt, daughter of the late Clinton D.Orcutt, and Mr. Arthur Keeline of Council Bluffs, which was announced yesterday by Miss Orcutt’s sister and brother Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Beaton. The wedding is not to take place until next spring. Both young people are immensely popular socially. Mr. Keeline being of one of the oldest families of Council Bluffs. Miss Orcutt was introduced two years ago, and until the death of her father withdrew her family from society last winter was in demand to an extent that few of even the debutantes enjoyed.”[5]
A wedding announcement appeared in the Omaha Examiner on January 20, 1906, in the Omaha World-Herald on January 29th, and in the Omaha Daily Bee on January 14th, 21st, and February 4th.
“A wedding of interest to society will be that of Miss Orcutt, and Mr. Arthur Keeline of Council Bluffs, which will be solemnized at the residence of the bride, 550 South twenty-sixth street, Wednesday evening, February 7th, at 8 o’clock. the ceremony will be performed by Rev. Father Stritch [from Creighton University.]”[6]
“The marriage of Miss Jane Orcutt, daughter of the late Clinton D. Orcutt, to Arthur Keeline of Council Bluffs, will take place Wednesday evening at the home of the bride and her sister, Mrs. A.J. Beaton, on South Twenty-sixth street, and will be among the conspicuous functions of the week, although not the largest. The family having been in mourning, Miss Orcutt has declined all prenuptial entertainment, and the many things that would otherwise have been given in her honor have been postponed until after her return from the wedding trip, which will include a three months’ trip to California and Honolulu.”[7]
On February 7th, the day they married, the Evening World-Herald published that 22-year-old Jane Orcutt and 25-year-old Arthur Keeline had received a marriage license.[8]
The Wedding
Splashed across the Society sections of the Sunday, February 11th Omaha Daily News and the Omaha World-Herald, the headline proclaimed the “Last of the Three Popular Omaha Sisters Marries.”[9]
“With the wedding of Miss Jane Orcutt, youngest daughter of the late Clinton D. Orcutt, was the last marriage at the Orcutt home, Miss Jane being the youngest of the three Orcutt girls, all of whom have been immensely popular in Omaha society.
The eldest and youngest Misses Orcutt both chose Omaha men and will reside here. The second daughter, Miss Anna Ri, whose wedding was one of the prettiest of last season’s afffairs, is now the wife of Louis Jaques of Chicago.
When Miss Orcutt became the wife of A.J. Beaton, the wedding was a quiet one, owing to the death of her mother.
Miss Anna Ri’s wedding was a comparatively quiet one, only immediate friends and relatives being present. Although not a large affair, it was noticeably pretty, a feature of it being the altar, before which the ceremony was performed. This altar was brought from a nearby church and was beautifully decorated.
The Orcutt home for Miss Jane’s wedding to Arthur Keeline was a veritable bower of floral beauty, with the room being lined with palms concealing the walls, and to this was added hundreds of American Beauty roses, lilies of the valley, violets, and Japanese cherry blossoms.”[10]
Photo #1 – The Bride – Jane Clare Orcutt
“The cathedral chimes sounded the approach of the bridal party and the procession came slowly down the broad stairway to the strains of the ‘Lohengrin’ march, played by a stringed orchestra. Gowned in white satin, chiffon, and lace trimmings, with a veil that fell to the floor, and, carrying a shower bouquet of orchids and lilies of the valley, the bride was as lovely as a fairy princess.[11]
“The bannisters were wound with smilax and the newel posts were surmounted by baskets of showering red roses. From these ropes of white chiffon were stretched across the hall to the drawing room.”[12]
Photo #2 – The Bride and Groom at the Altar – Jane Orcutt and Arthur Keeline
“Cut flowers and greens were combined in a decorative scheme at once simple and beautiful in the trimming of the spacious rooms, making the wedding one of the most beautiful home functions of the year. The large drawing room was a bower of ferns and white roses, and before the east windows an altar was improvised beneath a canopy of white illusion covered with plumosus fern and from which was suspended a large white floral wedding bell. Candles in brass holders burned at the back and on either side stood a tall cluster of American Beauty roses.”
Photos #3 and #4 – Maids of Honor and Bridesmaids
“The groom, with Mr. Odin Mackay as a groomsman, came first, and directly after Miss Blanche Kinsler as maid of honor, gowned in white and carrying American Beauty roses. Then came the bridesmaids, Misses Margaret Wood and Faith Potter, Mary Lee McShane and Bessie Brady, Edna Keeline and Marie Coffman, walking two and two, all gowned alike in white organdie and Val. lace, with girdles of rose red and carrying showers of American Beauty roses. Short white tulle veils held to place a the left side with princess jeweled tips of rose red completed their costumes. Miss Ella May Brown, as maid of honor, came next. Her gown was of iridescent gauze shaded from the rose red to silver, and she carried a shower of American Beauty roses.”[14]
Photo #5 – The Bride at the Altar
“The bride came last with her brother-in-law, Mr. A.J. Beaton. Her gown was of soft white chiffon satin, made princess and inset with panels of duchess and point lace that extended up into the bodice and down the skirt. The yoke and bolero were of rose point lace. The wedding veil of tulle hung to the carpet and was held to place by a wreath of orange blossoms and jeweled butterfly. Her only ornament was a necklace pendant in the form of a bunch of grapes, the front made of shaded pearls combined with diamonds.”[15]
Photos #6 and #7 – The gifts
The Keelines received silver, crystal, stemware, china, vases, a glass dome-covered clock, pictures, books, and even a pair of shoes decorated with large satin bows. On the right-hand side of photo #6 is a donkey painting by Frances Miller Mumaugh. This was a gift to my great-grandmother, Edith (Orcutt) Beaton, who took art classes from Frances Mumaugh, which I wrote about here. My mother still has the painting in her home.
Examining the photos of the gifts closely, I can see pictures of various friends and family hanging on the walls. I recognize two images (photo #7) because my grandmother, Anna Jane (Beaton) Hyde, preserved the photos. She also inherited the silver tea set, which is still in the family.
The Reception
Unfortunately, the photographer did not take any pictures of the reception area, but the description conjures up delightful images.
“The wedding guests were received informally after the ceremony. The den had been transformed iinto a bower of wild cherry blossoms, adjoining which was a grotto of orange bows and rocks, over which a waterfall played. The punch was served here from a bowl sunk in a rustic well, studded with small colorful lights. The windows and doorways of the rear parlor were outlined with American Beauty roses and asparagus fern, and the color scheme or red extended to the dining room, where smart red bows combined with American Beauties in the decoration. In the center of the table, a little electric fountain splashed into a bed of lilies of the valley.”[16]
“The refreshments, the dainties of French pastries, candies, salads and creams, were served in the dining room and den, which were decorated to resemble grottoes with electrical fountains and dense foliage and floral arrangements. The flowers, which were the most beautiful that have been seen in Omaha this season, were furnished by J.F. Wilcox of Council Bluffs.”[17]
“The guests numbered 300. Those assisting were the members of the Orcutt, Keeline, and Beaton families. A number of out-of-town folk were present.”[17]
The Honeymoon
“Immediately after the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. Keeline departed for their wedding trip, which will include a two months’ visit to California and Honolulu. They will be at home upon their return, but have made no definite plans regarding their residence. Mrs. Keeline is one of the most generally popular young women in the fashionable set, and three seasons in society have only served to increase her popularity. Mr. Keeline, who is associated with his father in extensive cattle interests in Wyoming, was reared in Council Bluffs, where his family is one of the oldest and best known, and he has been equally prominent in society there and in Omaha.”[18]
Hopefully, the Keelines had already departed California for Honolulu by April 18, 1906 – the day of the Great San Francisco earthquake.
The Bridal Gown has a History
Twenty-nine years after Jane Orcutt wore her bridal gown, her niece, Anna Jane (Beaton) Hyde, wore the ivory satin gown for her Omaha wedding on June 25, 1935, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. The groom, my grandfather, was John Frederick Hyde, a descendant of Benjamin and Joshua Hyde, Revolutionary War ancestors.
My sister now has the wedding gown, but it has dramatically deteriorated. I don’t know if it is possible to preserve the gown at this point.
COMING NEXT:
Over this last year, I have written several articles about the three Orcutt sisters, Edith, Anna Ri, and Jane Clare, but have yet to focus on their father, Clinton Delos Orcutt. My grandmother often pondered how he managed to amass his wealth. She didn’t know. After researching the matter for several years, I discovered the story of my 2x great-grandfather. I think my grandmother would be pleased. His is the tale of a farmer’s son who, through hard work, determination, and common sense, accrued enough money to live comfortably, and dedicated himself to helping the less fortunate. Stay tuned for Clinton Orcutt’s biography.
© 2023 copyright – Kendra Hopp Schmidt. All rights reserved
ENDNOTES
[1] “Weddings and Engagements,” The Omaha Daily Bee, Omaha, Nebraska, p.6, February 4, 1906, online archives, (https: newspapers.com: accessed 19 February 2021.)
[3] “U.S., Passport Applications, 1795-1925”, database, Ancestry.com (http:www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 January 2023), entry for Arthur Keeline, 30 December 1907, Washington D.C., citing NARA Roll#51; Volume #; Roll 0051-Certificates 43952-44651.
[4]“U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 January 2023), entry for Arthur Keeline, Harvard College; the Year 1904, p.218.
[5] “Weddings and Engagements,” The Omaha Daily Bee, Omaha, Nebraska, p.2, October 8, 1905, online archives, (https:chroniclingamerica.loc.gov: accessed 29 June 2012.)
[6] “Mostly about People,” The Examiner, Omaha, Nebraska, January 20, 1906, p.6, online archives, (https://newspapers.com: accessed 3 February 2023.)
[7] “Weddings and Engagements,” The Omaha Daily Bee, Omaha, Nebraska, p.6, February 4, 1906, online archives, (https: newspapers.com: accessed 19 February 2021.)
[8] “Connubial Ventures,” Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska, p.3, February 7, 1906, online archives, (https:newspapers.com: accessed 4 February 2023.
[9] “Society,” The Omaha Daily News,” February 11, 1907, p.18, online archives, (https:newspapers.com: accessed 2 February 2023.).
[10] “Society,” The Omaha Daily News,” February 11, 1907, p.18, online archives, (https:newspapers.com: accessed 2 February 2023.).
[11] “Keeline-Orcutt Nuptials,” Morning World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska, February 8, 1906, p.5, online archives, (https:genealogybank.com: accessed 10 October 2021.)
[13] Ibid
[14] Ibid
[15] Ibid
[16] Ibid
[17] “Keeline-Orcutt Nuptials,” Morning World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska, February 8, 1906, p.5, online archives, (https:genealogybank.com: accessed 10 October 2021.)
[18]“Hymeneal Keeline-Orcutt,” The Omaha Daily Bee, Omaha, Nebraska, p.5, February 8, 1906, online archives, (https:chroniclingamerica.loc.gov: accessed 29 June 2012.)
trekthrutime 
Looking forward to reading about how the ladies’ father managed to become so affluent.
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I’m grateful for all the records that have enabled me to research his history.
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