Diary Discoveries

This episode originates with a diary written in by three individuals and because they did, Sally was able to discover a wonderful story--The House of Seven Gables.
This house in West Plains, Missouri, has a long history of occupants and use, including the birth of 167 babies! One family left most of the furniture, and over 600 books to the next occupants of the home and among the books, was this diary. 
The current occupants bought the dilapidated, nearly condemned, structure and lovingly restored it to beauty and function. 
We ask this question: Would you ever write in someone else's diary? Fortunately for us, these people did and we can now enjoy this story.

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

This episode is from the oldest diary in Sally's collection. You will hear the story of a gifted, influential woman, Margaret Middleton, who behind the scenes, was instrumental in the abolishment of slavery in England. The diary was written by her husband Charles Middleton, who used his influence and friendships for the anti slavery cause but sadly lost his dear wife, the love of his life, in 1792. He grieves for her and writes of his loss and emotions and his prayers to God to "shorten my sorrow". He was a man of great faith as was his wife. Together with other men and women of faith, they formed a group known as "The Testonites". Their main concern was the abolishment of slavery. With amazing grace and many years of effort, they were victorious.

Music heard in this episode credited to: PIXABAY.   

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

Two classic pin-up calendar pages with a hand written message on them are what Sally started with for this story. In this episode, we discuss a bit of pin-up art history and then get into the writing on the pages. Five sailors on the U.S.S. Mission Bay signed this "last will" and we'll tell you what we found out about these men. As most WW II Veterans have passed away, and Memorial Day was just weeks ago, we felt this was a form of remembrance --with a bit of a twist.

Music in this episode:  Cattle Call - Eddy Arnold.  From: Internet Archive.

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode we read and discuss the letters between Charles and Dorothy as they start their life together in 1920 -1921. He has recently been divorced in the very public "Girl In Every Town" divorce case  and Dorothy,  21 years his junior, is challenged early on by his absence and her new domestic situation.  100 letters were written between them in the course of a year. In this collection, 5 of the letters were unopened. More than half are on hotel stationary so we can track his whereabouts as he is travelling for business.  You will hear the story of their relationship as they navigate rumors, family matters, questionable judgement, and loneliness while apart from each other. We also discuss a Hollywood scandal and some fantastic performances at a state fair, and we open one of the letters-- sealed since 1921.

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

An antique tin containing 100 letters along with a 1919 newspaper article was the starting point for this episode. The article  titled "Girl In Every Town" described a divorce case in which 17 letters from various women the husband allegedly had relationships with, were introduced as evidence.  As Sally dug deeper, and as usually is the case, the story was so much more! We take you back to the 1840's, Nashville, Tennessee, to discover how it all began.

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In 1903, Mary Louise Edgar traveled from her home in Wisconsin to visit Scotland. She wrote very detailed and descriptive entries in over 200 pages of her diary. In this episode we share some of Sally's research methods to take you through the process of discovery for this diary given to her while in Oregon. The diary was written by an unknown author (no name in the diary), and has a tragic connection to a young man who went on to become one of America's most well known architects. 

Bagpipe music heard in this episode from: www.freesoundslibrary.com

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

Union soldier Gillis J. McBane is captured and taken prisoner during the brutally fought battle at Stones River in Tennessee.

We will take you to the battlefield and follow his ordeal as he is moved to the notorious Castle Thunder confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia.

Forced marches, sleepless nights, starvation, rail car trips in livestock cars, cold weather with little clothing, and all of which occurs before reaching the hell hole of Castle Thunder.

Gillis maintained a diary and wrote it all down and showed remarkable resilience throughout his captivity.

We would like to thank William Griffing and Dan Masters for their historical knowledge and help with this episode. A special thank you to Scott R Mckinley for his wonderful narration as the voice of Gillis McBane. 

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode we present some of our listeners and their responses to our invitation to share how and why they journal.  We learned some fascinating things and were sincerely moved by what these individuals shared with us.
Artworks and music, conversations with God, giving women who had no voice a place in history, connections to and honoring those who lived before us, and sharing stories of resiliance to offer hope to others; you will hear it in this episode. 
Thank You from the bottom of our hearts to: Linda, Cheryl, Lee, Marlena, and Erica. 

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

This is a wonderful Christmas story of a father's love. Go back to 1914 with us to Christmas Eve. A six year old boy is bedridden with illness, so his father, D.D. Sturgeon, a pioneer in the electrical trade, does something never seen before to cheer up his son. 
Now in modern time, millions of people do what this man did that evening. 

Christmas music:  Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Kenny G; internet archive.
Sleigh bells - www.soundeffectsplus.com

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode, as a way to remember those who have served our country, we tell a story taken from a letter written by a pilot to his family back home. He had survived a tour of combat in the Pacific and was writing from Texas. Service can take on many different shapes and sacrifices are made by all who serve no matter where they may be serving. Family members also "serve" in a way and sometimes pay a heavy price. We should always remember them.

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Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.