How James and Agnes Met and Married

James (my grandfather) had an office in the office warehouse where Agnes worked, in Seattle, WA. He was employed with Schwabacher & Frey Paper Co. This is where they first met. Agnes was smitten with James from the start, and they began to talk on a regular basis. He would visit the office daily to check his mail and messages, and often he would share his life and business with her. James was in his mid to late 20s and Agnes in her early 20s when they met. Agnes recalls an important time in their early relationship, before they began to date, when James came in to the office one afternoon. He collected his messages, and began to talk with Agnes, and had a wonderful conversation. She noticed that he read one of his messages, seemed to be in thought about it, and tore it up and threw it into the trash. She was very curious about the contents, and after he left, went through the trash to discover its message. It was from a woman friend of James, letting him know that she would be in town soon and would like to meet. James didn’t want to see her anymore.
James soon asked Agnes to go for a cup of coffee with him, but when she mentioned this to her parents, they were adamantly opposed to this. They felt that a “salesman” was too worldly a person for her to be dating. She was very disappointed with their opinion, and began meeting with James for coffee without informing her parents, and going on an occasional “secret” date.” Of the many things that they liked about each other, one that attracted them to each other was that they both loved to laugh, and had great senses of humor.
Within months, James asked Agnes to marry him. She said, “Yes”, but her parents forbade it. James gave her an engagement ring, but she dared not wear it in front of her parents. Agnes recalled going to bed at night, taking the ring out of its hiding place, and putting it on, and admiring at it in the moonlight. They finally ended up talking to another pastor, from University Presbyterian Church in Seattle (Agnes had been attending the Swedish Tabernacle), and he agreed to marry them without Agnes’ parents’ consent. So they married on June 5, 1925.
This caused an estrangement from Agnes’ parents, Hans and Jorgine Morck. As Thanksgiving 1925 approached, Agnes’ brother, Harold, approached Hans and Jorgine, and implored them to reconcile with Agnes and James, and accept their marriage. They agreed, and that year spent Thanksgiving together. It only took a short time for them to grow to love James. Agnes and James were married 49 years before James’ death in 1974.