I found something.

Something really, really cool!

AN INTACT TRAVEL JOURNAL FROM 1849!!!!!

Out of curiosity, I began to read this journal and immediately I felt as if I was right there with the writer. I was holding HIS journal and felt immediately transported into 1849! His writing so eloquent that surely he was telling me about each day.

How could I keep this to myself?

The more I read, the more visions popped into my mind. Visions of what the writer described that only an artist can see.

I could literally SEE the trails, FEEL the jostle of the Stage, and SUFFER the dust of that Iron Horse!

He was Company to those he visited. Like a friend sharing details of a visit, I felt as if I could have been right there soaking in each days events.

Except, maybe without so many mosquitos!!!

What if I could bridge the distance so others can experience this too?

Would you like to experience 1849 with me?

After discovering this magnificent journal from 1849, I realized I really, really wanted to make it available to others.

Why not into a book?

After all, it’s history!

And, I’d get to illustrate it!

I love bringing moments to life through my art! I can see it now - discovering which inns are still around and creating illustrations of how they could have looked in 1849!

I think Pen & Ink with watercolor washes would be perfect. This media evokes mystery while giving a nod to the published etchings that is in keeping with the flavor from 1849.

I also really want to share the joy of reading script.

Not everyone can.

Let that sink in.

Script is no longer a foundation skill taught even though we know how important it is for hand-eye coordination and for strengthening the mind’s ability to connect meaning to visual shapes. We encode better and stronger when we write.

I’d like this book to bridge the gap of lost knowledge so that my readers become more empowered and feel more connected to the rhythms of living that feel more grounded.

And be invited to try reading the script for themselves, and perhaps even try their own hand at it! Come, share in the unfolding of Gleanings by the way-!

….Let me share with you how this journal traveled through time and found its way into an artist's studio.

The story actually goes back to before the time the journal was written! I’ll have to tell you more about that later. (ask me about the last names in Newton NJ and how they are significant).

My Grandmother worked as head chef to the New Canaan Country Day School (it’s NCCS now). She was held in such high regard for her cooking that she was honored with the same pensions as the teachers! They were all such a close lot - the staff and teachers! They had a lot of fun too! The Frogtown Fair was always a grand affair. Well, back to my story. There must have been a home-clean-out and my Mom and Grandmother were helping. My Mom spotted some boxes being tossed away. She noticed the beautiful writing and gathered the collection up for her crafting. Once home, she went through the collection and pulled out a few examples and framed them with some vintage doilies. Then life got busy. The collection remained boxed for several more decades. During that time both my Grandmother and Mom passed away. While sorting through and doing my own cleaning I made MY own discovery!!!!

This journal is just ONE little bit of this collection!

I felt overwhelmed, and yet compelled to find a way of preserving this treasure trove filled with letters, postcards and photographs from a missionary in China during the 1930’s.

Wait! But this journal is from 1849!?

Yup.

It was boxed up with the late Dr. Henry Welles collection of his letters to and from his family while he served as a missionary in China. He was also headmaster of the NCCDS.

The vast collection included genealogy carefully recorded over hundreds of years and this journal from 1849: “Gleanings by the way”. I’ll tell you more about how everything connects later. (remind me!).

Once I held the journal and began reading, I was hooked! This is where I begin my journey of sharing.

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