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MYERS? or GARVER? : 1947 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY AN ILL MAN FIGHTING A TERRIBLE DIVORCE AND CHILD CUSTODY CASE SEEKING HIS DAUGHTER WHO HAS BEEN HIDDEN SOMEWHERE IN ALABAMA OR FLORIDA

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is an original, very intriguing, 1947 manuscript diary and journal of a terrible post World War II child custody case and divorce. Unique for the times this was handwritten by an unidentified rural Ohioan who may have been either a Myers or Garver as he identifies 2 uncles. The author tells of his daily life, which usually revolved around his large extended family, the churches he attended and automobiles which he repaired and worked on all the time though he did do other work including farming. But right from the start the reader sees a pattern begin: the first entry is January 5th where he writes he has loaded up his car went to Ashland by 6:30 pm and then slept on his mother's davenport. He is also sick with a cold that never seems to end. Other entries mention more family, travels, large amounts of cash, buying a car, selling a house, long and late hours, weather reports and concerns and social observations. Yet all the while in the background are his health and the ups and downs of his divorce. He appears to be ill a lot, perhaps the stress, he sees the doctor, many tests, different shots and so on. In July he is in trouble with the law who seem only too glad to give him a hard time even though he has legal counsel. A part of the diary tells of his struggles with his own child custody case in which he is trying to get custody of his child. He notes trial dates of which he was never informed. The custody case and visitation get very dramatic as his ex-wife or girlfriend tries hiding the child from him in Alabama. He travels to Jacksonville to talk to the Mayor who took him to the High School where he had traced his daughter Sylvia. He also travels to Alabama and Florida searching for his high school age daughter Sylvia. Later he went to Birmingham to enlist the help of the Sherriff. This whole case would have been very unusual for the time. He does a super job recording each and every visitor, companion and family member: Uncles Charles Myers, Uncle Newton Garver, Woodford Howard, Leroy Reynolds, Glen McFern, Paul Sharpe, heard Dr. Davis missionary 35 years in India at a lecture, sleeps at the church one night, Joe Bagelys, Chippewa Lakes Park, Lattasburg, downtown Dayton, Mansfield, Perrysville, Jeromeville plus dozens of places on his travels. The 7 1/2" x 5" book is has a broken rear hinge but is overall G+.. Book Condition: Good+

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