Not only did Loraine’s things spend the last 100+ years in an outdoor storage facility, but for whatever reason, some of her things never made it out of my garage. Until recently, when it was time to bring things inside and make it easier for me to actually look at what I have. And that’s when I found this.
Oh boy, the years have definitely taken a toll on this document – the Diploma of Graduation for my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer, from June 30, 1911. The photo actually looks better than it really is and I was anxious to somehow restore it, at least a little bit. Thankfully, I’m a member of the Random Acts of Photo Restoration on Facebook which is a group of individuals who volunteer to restore photos so I posted the photo to see what could be done.
And before long, I had a “cleaned up” version. It looks so much better – I know this wasn’t an easy task!
Today I was looking through some things and I came across an autograph book I hadn’t really paid attention to before. But it caught my eye today.
How beautiful is this? I can just imagine my grandmother taking it to school for her friends to sign.
And here’s the back.
I opened it up and saw this on the inside front cover.
Although the inside front cover isn’t dated, her friends dated their entries so I’m guessing this was a Christmas gift in 1909. I sure wish I knew why she destroyed the name of the gift giver and replaced it with ? I’m not sure if she used an eraser or just something sharp to make the name unreadable.
What struck me was that very few of those who signed the book are names I’ve ever heard before. And since I have her yearbook from just 4 years later, it’s surprising that there were only a couple of friends who graduated from Monterey High School with her.
One was her BFF, Hallie Hitchcock. I sure would love to find a descendant of Hallie’s so I could share some of the school girl memories and pictures Loraine kept.
Another one of her girlfriends was Mary Salterbach. Sometimes I see the name with a K on the end but this, in Mary’s handwriting, looks like an H to me.
And Carleton’s name seems familiar – ah yes, she kept some of Carleton’s cigarettes in her COLLECTION.
This note from Diavillis Hutchinson was one that tells me these were friends from her days at Monterey Grammar School.
And another one which stands out to me – I have a friend with the same name.
I think the handwriting is beautiful – I’m sure kids back then spent a lot of time practicing their handwriting. I still remember what a thrill it was to give up printing and begin writing in cursive!
What a beautiful school – and one which held so many memories for my grandmother. Thanks again for sharing, Grandma!
Those are wonderful keepsakes! The condition of the autograph book sure makes up for the certificate. I have a class photo from my grandmother's time at secretarial school but no actual documentation yet.
ReplyDeleteMost of my grandmother's things are in remarkably good shape, especially considering the poor conditions they were kept in. For some reason something was different with the certificate.
DeleteLoraine's book is prettier than my mother's but the messages are similar to the ones her friends wrote in the 40s. Love those little rhymes!
ReplyDeleteI remember some crazy rhymes when I was in grammar school. But I sure as heck don't have anything to prove it.
DeleteWhat clever rhymes. Do you wonder if they made up one for each of their friends, or just used the same one over and over in each book?
ReplyDeleteI wondered the exact same thing. I can't imagine coming up with something clever for each classmate.
DeleteMy mother has an old autograph book, and I have one also from when I was about 13 (1965). Back then there were a bunch of old poems like that that we used in autograph books, and my mother's book also is filled with them, so I imagine it was the same in 1911 as well. What a treasure! Try searching for those people---you never know what you'll find. After all, I found two new relatives and their families from my aunt's baby book!
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Amy. I actually already have family trees on Ancestry for Mary Salterbach (she married a classmate) and Hallie Hitchcock but haven't connected with anyone yet.
DeleteThe restoration turned out great, and I love the autograph book. And, the school... wow! That's gorgeous! What a nice collection from your grandmother's school days.
ReplyDeleteI have so much stuff from my grandmother (and her mother) - I know it must have been important to her for her to keep it all these years. Either that or she forgot she had it. ;-)
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