7 My Girlhood Memories: From High School Goodbyes to Motherhood

        Maternal Grandmother Elizabeth Moore

        52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

        Week 7 – February 10, 2025

        Prompt: Letters & Diaries

 My Girlhood Memories—Elizabeth Moore’s memory book from her final year of high school, filled with heartfelt messages from friends and her own reflections on life’s  milestones.

Letters, diaries, and memory books offer a rare and intimate glimpse into the past. Unlike official records, which capture facts and dates, these personal writings preserve the emotions, relationships, and daily lives of those who came before us. They reveal not only what happened but how it felt to experience those moments—whether through the excitement of a love letter, the quiet reflections in a diary, or the bittersweet farewells written in a school memory book.

One such treasure in my family is My Girlhood Memories, a memory book belonging to my maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Moore. More than just an autograph album, it is a time capsule from her final year of high school, filled with handwritten messages from friends as they prepared to part ways.

Alongside these notes, Elizabeth’s graduation and senior portraits capture this pivotal moment in her life. In her graduation cap and gown, she embodies the pride of achievement,

Elizabeth Moore in her graduation cap and gown, Class of 1923. A moment of celebration and transition, as she and her classmates prepare to step into the future, carrying the memories of Sand Springs High School with them.

while her senior portrait, with its softer expression, reflects the excitement and uncertainty of stepping into adulthood. 

Elizabeth Moore, likely her senior portrait, Class of 1923. With a confident gaze and a fashionable bob, she embodies the spirit of a young woman on the brink of new adventures.

These images freeze in time the transition her classmates wrote about -- the joy of finishing high school, the sadness of leaving behind familiar faces, and the anticipation of what lay ahead. 

Some of the messages in My Girlhood Memories are lighthearted, while others carry the weight of uncertainty about what the future would hold.”

Dear Elizabeth,

It has been fine to know you in classes in S.S. You have brightened every spot where you have been—in fact, you are the life of every party and will always be wanted wherever people gather together. I am counting on hearing from you next year.

Lovingly yours,

Elizabeth Gelvin

Gardner Street, Bellingham, Washington

Dear Elizabeth,

I sure hope we meet again in the near future, and for some reason, I hate to say good-bye. But if we never meet again, remember that I have sincerely enjoyed having you as a classmate and friend. Good-bye!

Lovingly, 

Jo

Dear Elizabeth,

This is one of the saddest days of my school life, that of leaving dear old Sand Springs Hi and all the classmates I have known for years. Probably some of us will meet again when we go to college, but never again will we all be together. Well, wishing you a successful and happy future.

I remain your friend,

Gayle Brock

Elizabeth dear,

I can only say that I wish you much success in life. I know you will find it because you have wit, brains, and the charm of mixing with people.

Love,

Julia Maule

Among these pages, one note stood out to me:

It has been one of my greatest delights to have been counted as one of your friends, for truly I think that we have been together for many years in school. I surely have never forgotten our good times together on our different trips. Hoping to never lose your friendship and good thoughts. May you have much happiness and success in future life—‘with John’—Ha! I sure hate to say farewell to you, for it seems like we will never be the same as we were in ’23.

Lovingly,

Ruth G. Williams

At first, I wondered why a classmate referred to my grandmother’s future husband, Leonard Nolen, as “John.” When I later asked my mother about it, she explained that Elizabeth and Leonard had kept their relationship a secret, using the nickname “John” to hide their romance from others.

Leonard Nolen, known as ‘John’ in Elizabeth’s memory book, keeping their romance a secret. Dapper in a white suit and striped tie, he would soon become Elizabeth’s beloved husband.

Perhaps the most significant part of My Girlhood Memories is not the notes left by her friends, but Elizabeth’s own words. In just a few lines, she chronicled the milestones that would shape the rest of her life:

I finished my high school in 1923 and went to work in the Sand Springs State Bank as a ‘poster’ or ‘bookkeeper.’ And in 1924, June 2, at 9:00, I was married to my most beloved ‘John’ or Leonard Nolen. And what a wonderful time and what a wonderful wedding. I can never forget.

The wedding invitation of Elizabeth Lindsay Moore and Leonard Page Nolen, June 2, 1924. Neither had a middle name until their marriage—Leonard adopted ‘Page’ in honor of Charles Page, known as ‘Daddy Page’ to the children of the Sand Springs Home, while Elizabeth chose ‘Lindsay’ in tribute to a matron who was like a mother to her.

Leonard and Elizabeth Nolen on their wedding day, June 2, 1924. The lace dress Elizabeth is wearing is still preserved in the family, a tangible link to the day they began their life together.

Photo postcard from honeymoon in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Elizabeth wrote on the back, Just an old-fashioned girl with red hair.

                      

On March 17, 1926, a nice baby girl was born at our house. A St. Patrick’s girl. Weight 8 ¾ lb. Black hair and eyes, just like her father. We named her Margaret Ella Nolen, after her fairy godmother, Margaret Lindsay, at the Home, and after one of my dearest friends, Mrs. Ella Wright.

The first time I read this, I immediately recognized Elizabeth’s handwriting. Seeing her words about my mother’s birth—written so simply, yet so full of meaning—was an emotional moment. These weren’t just names and dates; they were my family’s history, recorded in her own hand, meant to be remembered.

Elizabeth’s own words in My Girlhood Memories, where she reflects on graduating, her marriage to Leonard, and the birth of their daughter, Margaret Ella Nolen.

Memory books like My Girlhood Memories remind us that history isn’t just about events—it’s about people, their dreams, their friendships, and the moments that mattered most to them. My grandmother may not have written long diary entries or saved stacks of letters, but in these few pages, she left a record of who she was, what she cherished, and how she saw her life unfolding.