At half past three o’clock on the morning of October 4, 1925, a 1922 Model-T Ford covered with the dust of many states rattled through the Bowne Memorial Gateway of Drew Theological Seminary and came to a labored halt.—Marion Furness.
Not knowing where to go, Irwin pitched the tent right in the middle of the campus. Next morning it caused no small stir. In fact it was in all the papers, even over to London, England.
Laura and Mildred had over 36 dolls sent to them that Christmas. Some of them were packed up and sent to cousins.—Myrtie Crabtree Briggs.
See more on the first part of the story and comment by Drew University Archivist Matthew Beland: August 1925: The Briggs Family Drives East.
I found the photos of the dolls when I visited my mom recently. It was fun to see photos of the “rest of the story”—some of the 36 dolls I had heard about.
References:
Furness: Eastward Ho!, The Christian Student, November, 1925; excerpt from Grandma and Me, p. 28.
Myrtie Briggs: Grandma and Me, pp. 26, 27.
I was glad to see the picture of the dolls also!
I was the baby in my mother’s arms. My 2 sisters, Laura and Mildred were in the picture in front of the tent that my parents set up on campus. They arrived so early, were tired, and set up the tent!
This was 1925, 90 years ago, when I started out with my parents and my 2 sisters! When they left Nebraska, I was only 3 weeks old!
I can hardly imagine my mother going with a 3-week-old baby! But they were pioneers! Used to hard things in their lives and overcoming them! Irwin and Myrtle Briggs