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PODCAST

Diary Discoveries

Sally Ivey and Jeff Richards

If you were to read an old diary, what could you discover? Secrets? Mystery? Romance? Travel and adventure? Inspiration? Since 1987, Historian Sally Ivey has collected and researched original diaries, journals, and letters from around the world. In this podcast Sally will share unique and captivating stories selected from her extensive collection. Stories forgotten over time but now shared here. Welcome to Diary Discoveries.

history personal journals

All Episodes

48:00

#65 Diary Sampler 3 - Mississippi Guide, Premonition,...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/12/16

In this episode you will hear stories from three diary's. The first is about a woman who explored the Mighty Mississippi River year after year and shared her knowledge by publishing her own guide books. Next, a diary where the author experienced a premonition that sadly came true. Her diary has a gap of almost three years to when she recorded the life altering event. Lastly, we read entries from a drug fueled trip through Mexico in the 1990's. There are several funny quotes, a few weird encou...

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61:39

#64 Diary Sampler 2 - Basic Needs, Chair Pusher,...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/10/24

In this episode, we share three stories from three diaries. In the first, you will hear about a young school teacher who wrote out her idea of "The Basic Needs Of Every Life". She beat Abraham Maslow and his "Hierarchy of Needs" by twenty years, as her ideas and his are very similar. Next, we visit the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair. We share diary entries by a 21 year old man, who had a unique job at the fair. His very first entry mentioned "danger from fire" and was written months before a ...

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39:18

#63 The 1859 Gold Rush and A Lonely Heart

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/08/19

The 1859 gold rush to Colorado is on! "Pike's Peak or bust!" was the saying of many a fortune hunter who headed out west, but what about those left behind? In this episode, passages from a newly married woman's diary are read, and we discuss some aspects of the gold rush itself. Mira missed her husband Ziba dearly and she wrote down her deepest thoughts. Imagine today having to wait months to learn about a loved one's situation, or possibly hearing nothing at all until they returned. There we...

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36:45

#62 Mountain Girls, Moonshine Shootout, and The...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/06/29

"Holy Jumpers", an Immigrant girl named Olga, and a shootout between a "revenue posse" and a moonshining family in the hills of Kentucky, all of which have a connection to Effie Waller Smith, the teacher and poet from our last episode. Sally's favorite Diary was written by Olga, and in this episode we explore the connective threads from Effie to Olga in the Metropolitan Holiness Church and then Effie's connection to the shootout. You will hear a "colorfully" written newspaper article re...

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67:15

#61 Restoring A Writer's Legacy- A Tale Of Two Effie...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/05/20

Two women born the same year-1879, both given the same first name, both poets, and living only 150 miles apart. One was a black woman, the other, a white woman. Both eventually were known as Effie Smith. What are the odds? In this episode, we uncover the fact that one writer's work has been credited to the other. Sally aquired a 1906 diary and two journal like composition books filled with short stories, essays, and poems. The author's name was not in any of the three manuscripts but when Sal...

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51:01

#60 "Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction"...An Almost...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/03/31

This is the amazing story of the most serendipitous experience Sally has had in her years of collecting and researching vintage diaries! It is an almost unbelievable occurance that began in 1938, originating with a diary written by a twelve year old girl. Send us a text Please go to: https://diarydiscoveries.com to see episode photos and read our blog. Thank You.

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37:27

#59 "...Strange Creatures...And Not Yet Monkeys." -...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/02/19

In this episode, we share from a 1940's dream journal. The author kept a record of about a month's worth of her dreams. From strange creatures playing ball to an Italian hurdy gurdy man with an inflated cow like bagpipe organ, she is all over the place! And aren't we all when we dream? We also share some significant dreams each of us have had including a beautifully described dream of Sally's which you may need tissue for your eyes while listening. dream sound effect from: License: Att...

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93:41

#58 Dr. Dunlop's Scotland Pt. 4 "...Surrounded By...

Diary Discoveries ·

2025/01/11

In this final part of Alexander's diary, he has arrived in Boston after his first voyage as a ship's surgeon. He is in America for the first time and has much to write about as he compares Boston to his hometown Glasgow. He tours the city with an expat veterinarian, samples the beer and rye whiskey, and meets an influential law professor at Harvard. Then after returning to Scotland he takes a voyage to Iceland. His story is an amazing adventure and he has "the sight of a lifetime". He writes ...

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34:51

#57 Dr. Dunlop's Scotland Pt. 3 "Exit God's Poor...

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/12/10

In this episode, Alexander is going to sea! Fifteen years following the "Fenwick Escapade" his boyhood wish is becoming a reality. His medical training and time at school has finished. You will hear about his last days in training, the wonderful send off he was given, and his beautifully written thoughts regarding Nurse McGee. He transitions to life aboard a ship as the only medical authority on board and the immense responsibility he felt. All activities at sea are new to him so he writes ab...

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60:00

#56 Dr. Dunlop's Scotland Pt. 2 "Height Of...

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/11/18

In this episode, Alexander is writing down the current events in his life as a student at the University of Glasgow. He has a rich social life with many entries describing events at a country estate named Geilsland. He writes of his friendships with men but it is the women in his life that consume many pages of his diary. He has some strong opinions regarding women and as a young man, he is pondering, reasoning, and refining his thoughts. It is wonderful writing especially from a man not yet ...

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36:05

#55 Dr. Dunlop's Scotland Pt. 1 "The Fenwick...

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/10/26

Alexander Watson Dunlop began writing his diary in 1881. He was studying to become a physician at the University of Glasgow but before writing the current events of his life, he recalls a story of adventure from his boyhood that he entitled "The Fenwick Escapade". (Imagine two Scottish eleven year old boys as the cast of the movie "Stand By Me" and you will get a glimpse into this story)His writing is introspective, descriptive, and very well done, making it interesting reading. We have enjoy...

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34:14

#54 The House Of Seven Gables

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/09/10

This episode originates with a diary written in by three individuals and because they did, Sally was able to discover a wonderful story--The House of Seven Gables.This house in West Plains, Missouri, has a long history of occupants and use, including the birth of 167 babies! One family left most of the furniture, and over 600 books to the next occupants of the home and among the books, was this diary. The current occupants bought the dilapidated, nearly condemned, structure and lovingly ...

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47:39

#53 1792 Diary. A Most Remarkable Abolitionist- Her...

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/08/07

This episode is from the oldest diary in Sally's collection. You will hear the story of a gifted, influential woman, Margaret Middleton, who behind the scenes, was instrumental in the abolishment of slavery in England. The diary was written by her husband Charles Middleton, who used his influence and friendships for the anti slavery cause but sadly lost his dear wife, the love of his life, in 1792. He grieves for her and writes of his loss and emotions and his prayers to God to "shorten my so...

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30:59

#52 World War II Pin-Up and "A Last Will"

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/06/17

Two classic pin-up calendar pages with a hand written message on them are what Sally started with for this story. In this episode, we discuss a bit of pin-up art history and then get into the writing on the pages. Five sailors on the U.S.S. Mission Bay signed this "last will" and we'll tell you what we found out about these men. As most WW II Veterans have passed away, and Memorial Day was just weeks ago, we felt this was a form of remembrance --with a bit of a twist.Music in this episode:&nb...

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69:30

#51 "Girl In Every Town" Part 2 -The Letters

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/05/15

In this episode we read and discuss the letters between Charles and Dorothy as they start their life together in 1920 -1921. He has recently been divorced in the very public "Girl In Every Town" divorce case and Dorothy, 21 years his junior, is challenged early on by his absence and her new domestic situation. 100 letters were written between them in the course of a year. In this collection, 5 of the letters were unopened. More than half are on hotel stationary so we can tra...

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32:44

# 50 "Girl In Every Town" -- Murder and Seduction In...

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/05/05

An antique tin containing 100 letters along with a 1919 newspaper article was the starting point for this episode. The article titled "Girl In Every Town" described a divorce case in which 17 letters from various women the husband allegedly had relationships with, were introduced as evidence. As Sally dug deeper, and as usually is the case, the story was so much more! We take you back to the 1840's, Nashville, Tennessee, to discover how it all began.Send us a Text Message.Please g...

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40:39

#49 The Scottish Mason's Daughter

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/03/31

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66:42

#48 Castle Thunder Prison Survivor- A Civil War Story

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/03/05

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30:21

#47 "We Write To Be Known."

Diary Discoveries ·

2024/01/28

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17:10

#46 "The Father Of Yule Lighting."

Diary Discoveries ·

2023/12/22

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66 results

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