DIARY TIMELINE (Preliminary, quick pass)
Aug. 1, 1903: Monica begins Diary in Atlantic City, NJ
Aug 25, 1903: Arrives in Baltimore, MD for an 8 day engagement beginning on Aug. 28.
Sep. 7, 1903 Birmingham, ALA
Oct. 4, 1903 St. Louis, MO, engagement until Oct. 25.
Oct. 12, 1903 Monica's "favorite day". Nettie's birthday or perhaps when they met?
Oct. 13, 1903 Mentions the late Senator Carlisle.
Oct. 27, 1903 Chicago, Ill
Nov. 1, 1903 7 year anniversary for something. Started career?
Nov. 8, 1903 Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 28, 1903 Southbend, IN
Dec. 8, 1903 Elkart, IN
Dec. 11, 1903 Monica misses "the green of the Palms". Nettie lived in Palms, CA. A neighborhood on Westside of Los Angeles, next to Culver City.
Dec. 22, 1903 Monica's Birthday
Feb. 1, 1904 Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 10, 1904 Columbus, OH
Feb. 28, 1904 Cleveland, OH
Mar. 10, 1904 Buffalo, NY
Mar. 26, 1904 Syracuse, NY
Mar. 31, 1904 Pittsburgh, PA (possibly Monica's hometown)
Apr. 3, 1904 Final entry, Easter Sunday. Mentions she was in her hometown.
Apr. 5, 1904 Book is dedicated as a gift to Nettie Bryant
Timeline for Nettie (Jenetta) A. Bryant
(info as of 28Jan09)
Born about 1880 in Iowa. Father: Joseph F Bryant, Mother: Martha J. Bryant
1904: Persumed that Nettie receives the Queen of the Air from Monica Girard. Nettie is about 24 when she receives the diary.
Mar. 13, 1905 Marriage announcement in Los Angeles Herald:
COOK-BRYANT-Edward W. Cook, 28, native of Minnesota, resident of Palms, and Nettie A. Bryant, 25, native of Iowa, resident of Palms.
Aug. 4, 1908: Dorothy M. Cook, daughter is born.
1910: Nettie (30) lives in Ballona, Los Angeles with Edward (32) who is a mail carrier and daughter Dorothy (2). Nettie's parents and brother are neighbors. (1910 census)
1910-1917: Nettie either dies or is divorced from Edward. By 1917, Edward is married to Evelyn G. (info from Draft registration). Daughter Dorothy was 2-9 yrs old and Nettie would've been 30-37 yrs. old.
1930 Edward (53), wife Evelyn (44), Dororthy (21), and bro. in. law, Wm. H. Dunn live in Los Angeles, CA. (1930 census).
June 1933: Dorothy (25) marries Charles Calhoun Dail. Dail is the Mayor of San Diego from 1955-1963. Dail, (who had polio) convinced Jonas Salk to move his research to San Diego (Salk Institute).
June 1958: Edward W. Cook dies.
1959: Evelyn Cook sells her house on Carondelet St., Los Angeles to the Bautista Family. According to the eldest Bautista daughter, Mrs. Cook was elderly (~73) at the time and the family (who lived next door) would help her out. Eventually, Evelyn wasn't able to care for herself and she sold the house to the Bautista's and moved to San Diego to live with her daughter (Dorothy), whose husband was the mayor of San Diego. Some of her possessions she left in the house – books were left in the built-in bookcases and eventually my brother-in-law, G. Bautista and my sister collected the books when the family sold the house in the 70s.
1977: Daughter, Dorothy M. Dail (Cook) dies.
2009: After so many years hidden in plain view, the diary is discovered and transcribed by L. Correa.