Norfolk Pair Observes 56th Anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. I. Nightingale Located Here in 1895

Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Nightingale, 307 Indiana avenue, who were married Jan. 6, 1886, at Collins Center, Minn., as a blizzard started to roar, yesterday celebrated their fifty-sixth wedding anniversary in a quiet manner, the main event being a dinner party in their honor at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Gordon Butterfield, and family, Norfolk.

The wedding took place on a Wednesday evening and because of the blizzard the minister had to stay at home until the following Saturday. Several other wedding guests became snowbound at the home.  The Nightingales started their married life on a farm near Hector, Minn. Later they farmed near Boone Lake, Minn. Mr. Nightingale believes no man ever worked harder than he did on those Minnesota farms.

Came Here in 1895  They came to Norfolk in the fall of 1895, and have resided here since that time, with the exception of a year spent at North Platte. Their first home was near Third street and Madison avenue, where a garage building now is located. They recall Norfolk had a serious flood the spring after they arrived here, and the water came up to within an inch or two of the floor in their home.  After locating in Norfolk, Mr. Nightingale became a traveling salesman for a harvester company. He later went into the real estate and insurance business, and is still engaged in the real estate business.

Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale are the parents of five daughters and four sons, one of whom, Earl, a World War veteran, is dead. The others are: Mrs. Olive Clark, Chadron; Mrs. James Wamsley, northwest of Norfolk; Fay, Springfield, Mo.; Ralph, Dorsey; Mrs. Hugh Raymond, near Neligh; Mrs. Ole Lilledahl, Chicago; Mrs. Gordon Butterfield, Norfolk, and Harold, Denver.  They have twenty-one grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Born in Wisconsin  Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale first knew each other as youngsters in Wisconsin. He was born June 2, 1859, at Fond du Lac, and she, the former Lillian Bush, on March 27, 1868. At the time of their marriage, he was 26 and his bride 17. They attended a country school together, and later their families moved to Minnesota and lived about thirty miles apart. Their romance began when he started visiting at the Bush home. Although his health is not the best, Mr. Nightingale is able to be about and carry on his business affairs. Mrs. Nightingale, who has never known what it is to be “real sick,” is in excellent health. The secret of good health is “never worry,” she said, pointing to her hair in which there are only a few grey hairs. Source: The Norfolk Daily News, Wednesday, January 7, 1942, page ___