People who found love on line (telegraph line)

[reetpleat]

recently I was put in mind of a piece I heard on the radio with a woman who wrote a book on the telegraph in the 1800s. How it changed life for west coast business men, etc.

But she also mentioned that the operators had a lot of down time, and would chat with each other. often they became friends, and arranged camping trips etc.

And, there were even a few women who were operators, and met and married other telegraph operators via the wire.

I am sure there have also been stories about people being married via the telegraph when a minister was not available locally.

As we moved into the golden era, I imagine there were even more women employed in the business.

so, any stories you have heard on people that found love on line via the telegraph?

Please do not discuss anything modern. this is strictly for love via telegraph.

 

[Widebrim]

Hey, glad to see this thread back on. As reetpleat says, though, this is only about telegraph line romances, nothing modern.

 

[Gracie Lee]

Not quite love, but it reminded me of a funny story my Nan told me. I think it was in the 40s that my great aunt and her husband (God rest them both, so wonderful ) owned a trucking company. My Nan was the youngest sister, and my Aunt Louise hired her to help out as a secretary and dispatcher. While working the radio, she got to know several of the truckers, and one day while chatting and laughing with the crew (of course every one could hear this), one of the truckers bust out with "Mary, you gonna marry me or what?" This, of course, produced a lot more laughter, since she was the boss's baby sister. A few years later, she met and married my Pop, but she always remembers the job and the men fondly

 

[Gingerella72]

Well, Ginger Rogers in Tom, Dick and Harry used her position as a telephone switchboard operator to wrangle a meeting with a rich playboy by eavesdropping on his conversation with his girlfriend and "accidentally" disconnecting her, making him believe she'd (the girlfriend) hung up on him.

Not exactly along the same lines as a telegraph, but it makes you wonder how many telephone operators back in the day might have been having personal conversations (and possibly hooking up) with callers. [huh]

 

[reetpleat]

Great point. Telephone operators, unlike telegraph, were mostly women. I wonder how many women got married due to men they met while working. Mad Men has some scenes where the telephone gals listen in on the Italian guy.