Diary Discoveries

In Mary DeForest Denny's 1921 diary, she wrote of a journey to France with a good friend, artist Clara Greenleaf Perry. It was a trip filled with experiences: dining, sight seeing, French language lessons, conversations with fellow artists, and most importantly, a visit to the Chateau of Lafayette--the "Hero of two worlds"-- America and France. In this episode you will get to hear some of Mary's entries (mostly to do with the time spent at the Chateau) and the important work being done there to care for children. Many of whom were orphaned during WW 1. We also tell you a bit about the Marquis de Lafayette and finally, an interview with Stephanie Dray, the best selling author of a novel entitled "The Women of Chateau Lafayette". Interestingly, this historical fiction novel mentions several of the women our diary's author was friends with and visited while she and Clara were on this trip--a first for Sally in her years of research! Send a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode you will hear stories from three diary's. The first is about a woman who explored the Mighty Mississippi River year after year and shared her knowledge by publishing her own guide books. Next, a diary where the author experienced a premonition that sadly came true. Her diary has a gap of almost three years to when she recorded the life altering event. Lastly, we read entries from a drug fueled trip through Mexico in the 1990's. There are several funny quotes, a few weird encounters, and some introspective thoughts written by this young man-- who may have been high when he wrote them! Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode, we share three stories from three diaries. In the first, you will hear about a young school teacher who wrote out her idea of "The Basic Needs Of Every Life". She beat Abraham Maslow and his "Hierarchy of Needs" by twenty years, as her ideas and his are very similar. Next, we visit the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair. We share diary entries by a 21 year old man, who had a unique job at the fair. His very first entry mentioned "danger from fire" and was written months before a tragic fire that killed 12 Firefighters in full view of fair goers. The final diary for this episode was written by a soldier in the Spanish American War of 1898. He transcribed two newspaper articles in his diary regarding a "dastard" who comitted a crime "worse than cold blooded murder". Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

The 1859 gold rush to Colorado is on! "Pike's Peak or bust!" was the saying of many a fortune hunter who headed out west, but what about those left behind? In this episode, passages from a newly married woman's diary are read, and we discuss some aspects of the gold rush itself. Mira missed her husband Ziba dearly and she wrote down her deepest thoughts. Imagine today having to wait months to learn about a loved one's situation, or possibly hearing nothing at all until they returned. There were physical and emotional hardships on both ends during a time when many people died separated from each other. Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

"Holy Jumpers", an Immigrant girl named Olga, and a shootout between a "revenue posse" and a moonshining family in the hills of Kentucky, all of which have a connection to Effie Waller Smith, the teacher and poet from our last episode. Sally's favorite Diary was written by Olga, and in this episode we explore the connective threads from Effie to Olga in the Metropolitan Holiness Church and then Effie's connection to the shootout. You will hear a "colorfully" written newspaper article read by us with a little "extra" added because this article simply demanded more from us-- for you! Fiddle music by Charlie Smith, from Arkansas. Recorded on the street in Salida, Co Shotgun, rifle, and pistol sound effects from: Free Sounds Library www.freesoundslibrary.com and Sound Effects + www.soundeffectsplus.com Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

Two women born the same year-1879, both given the same first name, both poets, and living only 150 miles apart. One was a black woman, the other, a white woman. Both eventually were known as Effie Smith. What are the odds? In this episode, we uncover the fact that one writer's work has been credited to the other. Sally aquired a 1906 diary and two journal like composition books filled with short stories, essays, and poems. The author's name was not in any of the three manuscripts but when Sally read the diary and used the clues within, she discovered the author's name; Effie Smith! But which Effie? Listen and you will find out. We would like to thank writer/poet Leatha Kendrick for her scholarly work on this subject and the time she gave us in our interview. Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

This is the amazing story of the most serendipitous experince Sally has had in her years of collecting and researching vintage diaries! It is an almost unbelievable occurance that began in 1938, originating with a diary written by a twelve year old girl. Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode, we share from a 1940's dream journal. The author kept a record of about a month's worth of her dreams. From strange creatures playing ball to an Italian hurdy gurdy man with an inflated cow like bagpipe organ, she is all over the place! And aren't we all when we dream? We also share some significant dreams each of us have had including a beautifully described dream of Sally's which you may need tissue for your eyes while listening. dream sound effect from: License: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). http://www.freesoundslibrary.com Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this final part of Alexander's diary, he has arrived in Boston after his first voyage as a ship's surgeon. He is in America for the first time and has much to write about as he compares Boston to his hometown Glasgow. He tours the city with an expat veterinarian, samples the beer and rye whiskey, and meets an influential law professor at Harvard. Then after returning to Scotland he takes a voyage to Iceland. His story is an amazing adventure and he has "the sight of a lifetime". He writes many pages describing the grandeur before him, his climb of a volcano, the hospitable Icelandic people, and a close encounter with a whale! This mans writing lured us into recording four episodes rather than just the one we had planned. We hope you have been enjoying his story as much as we have. Music in this episode: "The Sea is Calling" by Musictown. Courtesy of Pixabay. Train Bells courtesy of Soundeffectsplus.com Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode, Alexander is going to sea! Fifteen years following the "Fenwick Escapade" his boyhood wish is becoming a reality. His medical training and time at school has finished. You will hear about his last days in training, the wonderful send off he was given, and his beautifully written thoughts regarding Nurse McGee. He transitions to life aboard a ship as the only medical authority on board and the immense responsibility he felt. All activities at sea are new to him so he writes about most of it giving us a great idea of what a voyage in 1888 would be like. He fills the pages with descriptions of patients, crew members, passengers, and shipboard duties. All written wonderfully by this young man of 26. Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

In this episode, Alexander is writing down the current events in his life as a student at the University of Glasgow. He has a rich social life with many entries describing events at a country estate named Geilsland. He writes of his friendships with men but it is the women in his life that consume many pages of his diary. He has some strong opinions regarding women and as a young man, he is pondering, reasoning, and refining his thoughts. It is wonderful writing especially from a man not yet twenty years old. One of our favorite entries you will hear is an amazing train of thought where Alexander considers his own future and reasons out his place in the world. Music in this episode courtesy of: Pixabay Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

Alexander Watson Dunlop began writing his diary in 1881. He was studying to become a physician at the University of Glasgow but before writing the current events of his life, he recalls a story of adventure from his boyhood that he entitled "The Fenwick Escapade". (Imagine two Scottish eleven year old boys as the cast of the movie "Stand By Me" and you will get a glimpse into this story) His writing is introspective, descriptive, and very well done, making it interesting reading. We have enjoyed this diary from its initial pages and hope you will too. Music in this episode: "The Sea is Calling" by Musictown. Courtesy of Pixabay. Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.