Jiffy’s Totally Unexpected Family Discovery!

Jiffy and her grandfather on his horse

Had I seen these leather-bound books before? Five of them, each with “A Line A Day” embossed in gold on the cover?  I must have during at least one of the four packing/unpacking sessions of my parents’ recent downsizings. But, I don’t remember them at all.

And yet, here they are, as I refill my mother’s new, smaller bookcase with some of the items I removed two weeks ago from her previous larger bookcase.

This time I open one book to see what’s inside. There I discover my grandfather’s neat handwriting, recording each day’s activities, beginning January 1, 1927, and ending December 31, 1931. Each book encompasses five years. The last entry in the last book is August 20, 1965, written very shortly before his death. Oh, wow.

I knew my grandfather as Bumpy. Actually, I hardly knew my grandfather since he died when I was three. But I have this photo, which I treasure, the only one of just us together. And I have the stories I heard from my dad, who adored his dad, and from my grandmother, Bumbum, who adored her husband.

And now, I have him, in a way, telling me about his life as he lived it.

Oh, wow.

I’ve started reading at the beginning, January 1, 1927. Bumpy is 25 years old, a college graduate, living in the Boston area and working with his older brother, Eddie.

He faithfully records the weather each day (cold and clear, foggy and unpleasant, fine), that he typically takes the 8:09 train into work, has lunch with his brother, and works at least a half day on Saturdays. In the evenings, he plays bridge, Hearts, or Parcheesi, listens to the radio and misses my grandmother when she’s away.

Here’s what Bumpy doesn’t know: in 1929 the stock market will crash and the country will experience a devastating Depression; that he and my grandmother will have three boys; that a Second World War will envelope the world; that Queen Elizabeth II will take the throne in 1952 and celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the year his middle granddaughter will be thrilled to discover and read his journals.

I have had the great good fortune to help many of you to save and share the family photos and stories you’ve unexpectedly discovered. Now it’s my turn – oh, wow!

I’d love to hear about your totally unexpected family discovery – please share with me on our Facebook or Instagram or email me. Who or what did you find? How did you feel about it? How are you sharing what you’ve learned?