A lot of antique and thrift stores sell old diaries and letters and photographs. I buy the ones that somehow stand out to me – maybe by the topic, or the handwriting, or an unusual face in a photograph.
It’s easy to associate the photographs and letters with the musty, stuffy antique shops, but if you get past that, the person you discover is often young, interesting, or complex. For instance, I recently found a letter written by a young woman to a friend, announcing her husband enlisted in World War II.
pasted newspaper captions
You’d think it would be sad, and it was – but the writer also had a great sense of humor, and a unique perspective. She wasn’t just a stereotype of a lonely woman, or the one-dimensional war wife. You could see by her letter that there was a lot more to her.
One of my favorite finds is an autograph album that belonged to a girl named Hattie. The first entry is from the 1850s, and the last is in 1889. Her friends autographed her book or copied sonnets.
Hattie also pasted newspaper captions about her friends and acquaintances in the album, including marriage notices, Civil War death notices, and a surprising number of accidental deaths by drowning.
I’ve collected a lot of stuff like that, but one piece stands out from the others: a Virginia high school yearbook from 1921. The yearbook is from a very large high school and it’s in excellent condition. A few friends signed by their pictures, but it’s mostly untouched.
The yearbook committee printed little summaries next to the seniors’ photographs. Like a modern yearbook, any clubs or activities the person was involved in are listed, but there’s also usually something personal, too. Some of these are truly and unintentionally funny, like, “Good luck in life, Mildred! Anyone who can cook like you is bound to catch a nice fella to marry!”
One student always draws me back, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve wondered about her. Her name is Emily V Bradshaw, and this is the entry beside her name:
“Strayed – from the vicinity of John Marshall, January 1921, our dear companion Emily. We strongly suspect a certain Richmond University student of knowing her whereabouts. Anyone receiving definite information please communicate with her large circle of friends. Athletic Association; Girls’ Literary Society”
Emily's yearbook photo
You can read the entry many ways. The word “strayed” is an odd choice. It could be a tragedy or a romance, for instance. Did Emily elope with a college boyfriend? Was she abducted or the victim of a tragic accident? Maybe she just had poor navigational skills? I don’t know. I’ve never been able to find any more information about her.
