A year or so after we moved into our house at 666 S. Bronson, I was rooting around in the attic. I found some odd artifacts: a palm-sized tobacco pouch no doubt hidden by some little boys eager to indulge, some 1915 auto ads, and an ancient, flimsy bamboo cane. Overwhelmed with curiosity, I started digging, and using the names that appeared on the title documents and the permits, I was able to locate the grand daughter of Walter and Nellie Murray. The Murrays built this house in 1912 for themselves and their three children, Elva, 17, a music student at USC, Paul Warren, 10, and Virgil Omar, 8. Dorothy Hawkins is Virgil's daughter, now in her 60s, and as the only surviving member and indeed the only grandchild of this little family, Dorothy was in possession of all the family photos and documents. Dorothy was more than generous in sharing what she remembered about her family. She visited, sent me pictures and loaned me the diaries that her aunt, Elva. Elva kept diaries a young girl and throughout her life. This excerpt if from 1916, when Elva was a music student at USC, dividing her time between home and the sorority house.

For those who like the tiny peepholes that present themselves in old documents, you will appreciate this slice of the minutia of everyday life - fraternity pins, dances, and a copious supply of handkerchiefs. The trivia, and the events that seemed so big at the time are never in clearer perspective than when we are allowed to glimpse a young girl's account of her Christmas Eve. This page is from Elva's diary, Christmas Eve, 1916.


You just can't have too many handkerchiefs. Here's hoping that your Holidays are as sweet and gratifying as Elva Murray's, and that your biggest humiliation is being told to go to bed by your mother!