Sallys Diaries

One of the reasons (and there are many) why I love reading diaries of those who have gone before us, is eyewitness accounts. Writers for novels, movies, TV shows, etc. do a great job making the viewer feel like they are there, in the action. But when you get an actual, genuine account, there’s nothing like it. For example, this entry is written by a soldier who is with the 887th Signal Corp. Army during World War II. He stationed in London and witnesses an intense night of bombing. Instead of going to the bomb shelters, our author decides to take to the streets to watch the action……

“ September 15, 1943. Was watching planes go over by the hundreds till it got dark, they were still going till about 9:30. I could hear them droning overhead while I was writing a few letters and all at once the sirens started to blow their alarms. The guard yelled for everybody to go to the basement to the bomb shelter, but I wanted to see the excitement so I went outside in the street. The plane circled over our billet twice and then they dropped a flare. You could’ve read a paper by the light it made. Then there were hundreds of anti-aircraft guns went off. When the first gun let go, Bob Cody, standing by me, jumped about 2 feet off the payment and said good God. The thing cracked so loud he thought it was a bomb, but by the time the flare was almost to the ground the plane dropped a blockbuster. It shook the streets when it hit. I don’t know how much damage was done, but it sure did make a noise, sounded like the world caved in, and they dropped a number of smaller ones. They caught the planes in the search light beams, but they didn’t hit them with the anti-guns, there was shrapnel fell all over the streets. The people run for the street shelters, taking blankets and things to sleep there all night. They said we were crazy to stay on the streets and I guess they were right.”

Here’s a tiny brag, just received this from Buzzsprout. We’re so excited and proud. I know we’re a tiny fish in a big pond but Jeff and I never even dreamed that we would get this. I love sharing these diaries and it makes me so happy that people are listening and I hope enjoying. Thank you to all our listeners.

When I share these photos of my collection, it is by no means to brag or boast. It’s to express my feelings of this overwhelming desire to protect and safely keep family memories that might otherwise end up in a dumpster.

I get a bit overwhelmed at the amount of work I have in order to keep up with reading, researching and cataloging them all. But I really shouldn’t call it work, it’s a blessing and something I think of almost every minute of every day.

In one of the photos of the larger safes, on the bottom, there’s a brown box. Inside the box are 7 diaries from the late 1990s. I found them listed on eBay about 10 years ago. The seller talked about how inside the diaries the woman wrote about her life of terrible family abuse. I thought these things need to be off the web and to be taken care of and I wanted to make sure to do that. Needless to say, I won the auction and when I got them home and browsed through them quickly, I found the following entry written by our author, “I hope and pray my “life here” doesn’t end up in a storage unit.” I asked the seller where he got them and sure enough, in her storage unit. Well, they aren’t there any longer, they are safe, sharing a space among other families who have gone before her and I vow to try to keep it that way.

When I was going through the Gilder archive, I found this amazing original watercolor painting that was done by Countess Edith Millicent Bronson Rucellai.

Edith was the granddaughter of the famous poet, author and editor, Richard Watson Gilder, whose archive I have just recently acquired (and am obsessed with).

The painting was created at the Gilder family home, Four Brooks farm, in 1939. The farm and home was purchased by the Gilder’s in 1899. Edith went onto Mary Count Cosmo Rucellai in Venice, Italy on June 26, 1895.

Edith was an American born aristocrat who became a notable figure in Italian society. Raised in Venice, she was part of a wealthy expatriate family who hosted artist and writers. She became quite the accomplished artist and photographer, and her painting here is titled, “The Welled Garden.” The most surreal part of this, is that I found a picture on the web of this very spot taken over 80 later. What once was, time has taken its toll. Isn’t that true for all of us.

In 1913, Louis Comfort Tiffany decided to indulge his passion for Egypt and hosted an extra extravagant costume ball for his 65th birthday, which came to be known as his “Egyptian Fete, at the Time of Cleopatra.”

There were 300 guests and all had to get their costumes approved before the night of the party. The party started at 10:00 PM and lasted until who knows when! There was a stage performance where actress Hedwig Reicher, played Cleopatra, showing her in her palace waiting for Mark Antony.

The two photos you see above showing Cleopatra and another young woman, Miss Dorothea Gilder, are original and they were among the items from the Gilder family estate that I just purchased shared in one of my previous postings. So far what I’ve learned about Richard Watson Gilder and Helena De Kay Gilder is they were actually known as, “The original American power couple.” The other photos of the party were taken from a website titled, “Half Pudding, Half Sauce.” and they have an incredible article written about this party and some fantastic photos, so check it out -- link in bio!

Another snippet from Sally's Diaries Private Collection - see translation:

"Jax – Le Puy. Fair, cool, slight showers. Clara and I left 9-30 and walked to Fix (?) statue through Chastel Neuelle and the most wonderful wood of fir trees. Took us one hour. Took 11-20 train to Le Puy arriving there about 12-10. Hotel Terminus for lunch and bought Petit Beurre (a classic French butter cookie), fruit, egg cups, books, etc. Climbed to St. Michel and visited the Chapel and walked about the city. Took 4.05 train back to Fix where Mme and Mons Le Verrier met us to carry our supplies. Eve (evening) Mons Le V. read aloud.”

For those of you who wish to read a diary in its entirety, I just finished a three part series on my Sally’s Diaries Private Collection website. It’s titled, “The Château Lafayette, and the Women it Captivated.” It’s all about one woman’s adventures as she travels to France in 1921.

You’ll be able to share in her story while she sails across the Atlantic to experience Paris during the great Roaring Twenties; all the while being surrounded by a colony of artist friends and visiting some of the most iconic places Paris has to offer. But the most important aspect of this trip is her time spent at the Château Lafayette. It’s at this time in history that the Château has been purchased by a group of wealthy Americans and turned into a home for orphan children. And Mary is right in the mix of these exciting events...link in bio ☺️

My daughter, Cass, met me for my birthday weekend at the in Henderson Nevada. This was the sunrise from our room, a birthday sunrise.

The other thing I got for my birthday is this school journal that my daughter found for me. It’s from the 1920s and all the photos you see here are original drawings.

Anxious to find out more about “Virginia”, the original owner of this wonderful little journal. 📒

I’m so happy to share here a newly release book titled, “Our Diaries, Ourselves. How Diarists Chronicle Their Lives and Document Our World.” It was written by author Betsy Rubiner. She is a Chicago-based author, a journalist, and a long time, diarist. Her reporting and essays have appeared in publications, including the New York Times, The Guardian. the Washington Post, Time, and the Des Moines Register.

Iwas so blessed to have been interviewed by Betsy and included in her book, and soon we hope to interview her and share her thoughts on our Diary Discoveries podcast. I can’t wait to learn all about her journey when writing this book and what it was like to immerse herself into the lives of those who have gone before us, using their own personal diaries.

Brucklay Castle and the Fordyce family of Aberdeen, Scotland. 🏰

I have about 50 handwritten letters dated from the early 1800s. They belonged to Captain Dr. Arthur Dingwall Fordyce (that name sounds like it could be a character in the Jane Austen novel.) The castle, built by James Brucklay in the early 1600’s, ended up being a 100 room mansion. The Fordyce family owned the castle for many years, starting in the 1700s. One of sons who lived there was Arthur Dingwall Fordyce, born in 1814. His father was a wealthy merchant. At just 29 years old, he decided to continue in his father's footsteps and traveled to Calcutta, India. He was there just under a year when he contracted Cholera and died in 1845. He is buried in Calcutta, and I actually found his gravestone.

I’ve only just begun to read these letters and as you can see there are several “cross hatch” letters that are quite challenging. Nothing better than to get immersed in the life of a Scottish family and the castle they lived in!