The Washington herald., 1914-11-22
ElOpen1ents and
EarlyWeddings
the Rule in the
Large Family of
the Late Mayor
of Ne1L York;
And Only One
Divorce. II ~ Il

ana Dy CROOK, Dy 1alr DuI never
by ordinary means four young
ladies and two young gentlemen-chil-
dren Of the late Mayor Gaynor, Of New
York City-have all found and welded
their matrimonial partners within the
last six years. The last Of the mar
riageable Gaynor girls welded the man
of her choice only last month.
Six children married within six years
is 100 per cent matrimonial average of
which any family can well be proud.
And yet the credit of the marriages does
not go to the Gaynor family itself nor
to the heads of the family, but to the
individual, married members.
Whenever a Gaynor girl saw the man
she was sure she loved she married him
without awaiting the announcement of
engagement, wedding or anything else.
At least one of the two married boys fol-
lowed the same course.
No less than three of the Gaynor chill
dren eloped and sought and received
their parents forgiveness afterwards.
Only one of the elopers contracted a
marriage that proved unfortunate. And
only one-Helen Deborah. who furnished
the last Gaynor wedding-went through
The usual engagement and wedding in
the usual way engagements and weddings
are gone through.
All the others entered the field of
matrimony in surprising and startling
ways. Two of the girls were married at
the young age of nineteen. Marion this
spring broke the family record by marry
ing at the surprising age OF sixteen.
Still another interesting feature of
the Gaynor weddings is that all the chill
dren except the unfortunate Rufus mar
red money. No less than three multi
millionaires have been brought into the
Gaynor family by the three Gaynor girls.
Edith Augusta Gaynor eloped. That
was in 1910. 1t was Harry Kermit Vim
gut who induced her to do 1t. And so
far as anyone knows neither one for one
single minute has regretted it.
There was no other reason for my
elopement," she says, than my dread
of a public function. Because Of my
fathers position at that time as mayor
of New York my Wedding necessarily
would have been an elaborate ceremony.
I hate elaborate ceremonies. My hus-
band himself hates them so much that
he has made extensive researches and
proved to his own satisfaction, at least,
that an elaborate wedding never turns
out to be a success.
when We got back to New York,
after our sudden wedding trip, the first
thing we did was to call up father. He
was just wonderful about it The first
thing he said was, Whatever you do, my
girl, is perfectly all right; and then he
further reassured me by saying that he
felt that something like that was bound
TO happen sooner or later.
People never quite knew my father
There couldn't have been a better father
in the whole world. There was one thing
about father, he was always very nice
when anything unusual happened. He
was kindness itself. And mother was
just the same. She was perfect dear.
''It was two or three years before we
were married that l met my husband at
the Country Club at Saint James Both
Of our families were members of the club
and both Mr.. Vingut and were fond of
riding and driving and other outdoor
sports. 1 suppose that is how we came
to know each other so well-being fond
Of the same things.
Although l had never been formally
presented to society 1 had gone about a
great deal at Saint James and of course
Mr.. Vingut and 1 frequently met at the
Hunt Club.
I'VE didn't go abroad that summer be-
cause l was too poor sailor. Anyhow
don't think there is finer place in the
world than Long Island"
For two months before they were mar
ried Miss Gaynor had received devoted at
tention from Mr.. Vingut. Mrs. Halstead,
a lifelong friend of Edith Gaynor, made
it possible for the pair to meet often at
her house and was their chaperon on
many little outings. Miss Gaynor was
nineteen at the time and Vingut's age
was exactly twice that of his bride.
Vingut Is Of English-French descent