19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, November 2, 1914: <<no entry>>
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write anything a hundred years ago today, I thought you might enjoy this article in Grandma’s local paper, the Milton Evening Standard. Sunbury was the county seat of the county where she lived.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Good riddens!
I agree. 🙂
Wonder what *else* he was up to for all that time he was letting his wife believe he was dead? What a charmer!
It is interesting to think about what he was doing for all those years–and why he didn’t keep in touch with his wife. .
Isn’t that interesting?? Love the “well-filled wallet” mention.
It’s fun how opinions like this one slipped into newspaper stories back then.
Wow, what a strange story…
Diana xo
In more recent years it seems like modern communications has made stories like this more unlikely.
Very interesting. When I was researching my family history I had occasion to scan old newspapers and in the process noticed many articles that amounted to folksy gossip. I had the sense that people then felt differently about life in general, and I think I know why. Because of disease, including infection, yellow fever and tuberculosis, not to mention infant mortality, there was a sense of impermanence. That life was full of physical labor didn’t help either, particularly for women. Apparently Mr. Coleman escaped successfully, and perhaps Mrs. Coleman did too. I hope so.
I like your take on this story–hopefully both of the people ended up in situations that made them happy.
Today it seems like the folksy gossip has shifted from local newspapers to Facebook and other social media.
I suppose that’s true, Sheryl. I cancelled my Facebook page more than a year ago because I was getting friends I’d never heard of. It should be a cautionary signal, I submit, if you find you have a thousand “friends”. 🙄
I can understand why you decided to cancel it. I have a Facebook account, but don’t actively use it.
we saw this happen a lot during the gold rush here in Sumpter, where wives arrived looking for husbands…..
Were there ever happy endings when the wives showed up looking for their husbands? It was so much easier for people to “vanish” a hundred years ago.
not that we know of…..but some sad cases either because their husbands had moved on…..or had already died….
Oh, that’s so sad. It had to have been so difficult for the women.
sure was……
Well now, there’s an interesting story — the style of the report (including the misspelling that obvious got past the copy editor — if there was one.)
I guess it really was mainly guilt that brought the guy back. Now he was free to go ahead and do whatever he wanted with his wealth.
But don’t you just love the description of him and his money. So chatty…
I also love newspaper stories like this one. The description is so vivid that I can picture him in my mind.
Am I the only one who had to google “Enoch Arden?” LOL! That old rascal.
You’re not the only one–I also had to google “Enoch Arden.” 🙂
How sad – all the heartache he caused. Writing styles are so different then they are today that is for sure.
It is amazing how gossipy some newspaper articles were back then–though I must admit that I find them entertaining. 🙂
I used to enjoy my grandmothers magazines that she saved..something about country living and another one good old days, these were written in the 30’s and 40’s – she saved everything!! Very interesting indeed.