| From
Roxanne Godsey
and Celia
Roberts, a librarian
in Canton, Ct.
who have located
information
on the bridal
gown from Connecticut's
Boxcar,
On
Sunday evening
March 13th,
1949,
six lovely
young
women
reported
to the
office
of Connecticut
Secretary
of State
Winifred
McDonald.
The six
had been
chosen
as finalists
from among
150 women
who each
hoped
to be
chosen
to be
awarded,
and married
in, the
satin
wedding
gown which
had arrived
in the
Connecticut
Merci
Train
boxcar
from France
in February
of that
year.
It was
to be
a gift
from the
seamstress’s
union
to the
woman
that the
Ct Merci
Train
Committee
would
choose
that night.
All
six finalists
were chosen
because of
one basic
requiremnet,
that they
have a 24
inch waist,
the measurement
that the dress
had been made
for, and because
the committee
had earlier
decided that
there would
be no alterations
made to the
dress, and
that they
would award
it to the
woman who
was the most
perfect fit
for it, and
who was engaged
to be married
in June
of that year.
At the meeting
that night,
each finalist
would be given
an opportunity
to try the
dress on and
be judged
by 3 judges
as to which
one fit into
the gown best.
At the end
of the judging,
it was annopunced
that Miss
Connie Eaccarino
of New Haven
was the winner.
But
unbeknow
to the contestants,
the Merci
Train Committee
had been
busy contacting
merchants
in the state
to donate
items that
would be
given to the
finalists.
Not only
would Miss
Eaccarino
be awarded
the dress,
but she
and her fiannce,
John H.
Farrell the
third would
also receive
a set of sterling
silver,
a wedding
band, a wedding
cake, a
going away
hat, a new
suit and shoes
for John,
and best
of all, a
honeymoon
trip to Europe
courtesy
of the Lever
Brothers
Drug Co. where
they would
meet the
women who
had made her
gown. The
other five
finalists
also were
given prizes,
including
a week at
Schroon
lake Resort
for the first
runner up
and her
groom.
From
Roxanne Godsey
(a great researcher
for Mercitrain.org)
we have received
a reply to one
of the several
letters written
to people in
the New Haven
area named Farrell.
The reply was
from one of
the Farrells
daughters, telling
us that her
mother died
of breast cancer
in 2002, but
that her father,
John Farrell,
was still living.
Roxanne Godsey
plans to follow
up and try to
obtain copies
of any wedding
pictures, or
perhaps while
they were honeymooning
in Europe.
We at Mercitrain.org
are all very
excited by this
development
and we expect
to hear more
from/about him
and his bride
soon.
If
you have any
stories or family
members who
have any contact
with the Merci
Train please
contact Roxanne
Godsey.
|