Did you know?
The Conversational Club
The book was only about half the height of later yearbooks, and contained few pictures. The only people pictured were the editorial staff and one club photo. The book included poems and short articles about places, people, and events on campus. It was thus a combination yearbook/newspaper/Scrimshaw.
One of the best stories recalled the visit of the class of 1899 to Carlysle [sic] Hall (Kenworthy-Carlisle Hall featured in "13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey"), in which the girls snuck into the closed-up house through an unlatched shutter and window, wearing long dresses and corsets and probably hats, before having a picnic on the grounds and getting picked up by the wagon that returned from campus to fetch them.
The yearbook also included a letter from the oldest living graduate - class of 1845 - as well as the whereabouts of recent graduates, many of whom had become teachers instead of getting married right after school. The first engagement of the class of 1899 is also mentioned, and the wedding took place in the chapel.
The faculty list contains some very important names in Judson's story, including Louise Manly and Amie Vary, as well as Annie Kirtley.
Other photos included various parlors and rooms in the 2nd Jewett Hall.
Gwen Bristo, Class of 1924
Bristow, the daughter of a Baptist minister, was not a fan of some of the rules at Judson, and was voted "Most Original" by her class in 1923. She directed and acted in two plays on campus. After graduating from Judson, she attended the Pulitzer School of Journalism at Columbia for a year.
Gwen was an international best-selling author of fifteen books. Her titles sold hundreds of thousands of copies and were translated into multiple languages. Her first book, "The Invisible Host" written with husband Bruce Manning, was made into a movie titled, "The Ninth Guest". Other titles that became movies with directing input from her husband, were "Jubilee Trail" and "Tomorrow is Forever". Many of her titles are still in print, so be on the lookout for a copy if you're interested in reading some of her work.
AAJ was fortunate to acquire several copies of her books at the last on-line auction. The books pictured will be donated to AAJ in the near future! She was inducted into the AWHF in 1998.
Ann Hasseltine Judson
Judson's name-sake, Ann, was not only America's first female foreign missionary, she was also a huge proponent of women's education and opened a school for girls in Burma. This was unusual in the early 1800s. She died 12 years before Judson Female Institute opened in 1838.
AAJ is fortunate to have several books by and about Ann and Adoniram Judson in our archival holdings.
