Vtg 1920s-30s Family Bible Diary & Photos Genealogy Dust Bowl Great Depression For Sale

Item Description:

Vintage 1920s–1940s American Family Genealogy & History Archive Lot Featuring a 1914 Pocket Catholic New Testament, 1930s Daily Diary, 1920s California Oil Boom School Autograph Books, and 11 Original Vintage Photos.

This is a remarkably cohesive, fully verified historical family archive tracking the multi-generational journey of the Smith and Robinson families from the American South to Bakersfield, California, during the early 20th century. A perfect lot for genealogy researchers, ephemera collectors, or regional history enthusiasts.

ITEM 1: 1914 Pocket Catholic New Testament (John Murphy Co.)

• Translation: Douay-Rheims version, translated from the Latin Vulgate.

• Approvals: Features official Imprimaturs from John Cardinal Farley (Archbishop of NY) and James Cardinal Gibbons (Archbishop of Baltimore).

• Origin: Published by John Murphy Company in Baltimore/New York, printed by renowned religious printers in Turnhout, Belgium.

• Condition: Antique condition with beautifully embossed black cover showing a stylized cross layout. Binding intact, pages and cover are aged and heavily used.

• The book features a completely filled out handwritten Family Record detailing the marriage of John Junius Smith and Lyda Mary Genevieve Robinson on March 18, 1933, in Visalia, California (Tulare County) by Justice of the Peace J.S. Clack. Birth data traces family origins to Harrisonburg, Louisiana, and Quay, Oklahoma.

ITEM 2: 1936 – Mid-1938 Handwritten Daily Diary

• Author: Kept by Lyda Mary Smith ("Mrs. J. J. Smith"), gifted to her by Mrs. J. E. E. Castle.

• Content: Features continuous, intimate handwritten daily entries spanning from January 1, 1936, through mid-1938 (note: the cover penciling mentions 1940, but the physical entries conclude in mid 1938).

• Historical Value: Provides an incredible, unedited first-person perspective of a young family's daily survival, struggles, domestic life, drinking, and expenses during the final years of the Great Depression.

ITEM 3: 1928 Oildale, California Grammar School Autograph Book

• Provenance: Belonged to Lydamary Robinson while attending the historic Standard School in the Oildale oil boom region of Bakersfield.

• Content: Features a highly detailed, handwritten list of her 1920s teachers (including notable local educators Mr. Hubert A. Steidley and Mrs. Occa Bradford). Includes pages of localized addresses (North Chester Ave, Oildale) alongside humorous, nostalgic sign-offs, rhymes, and well-wishes from childhood classmates.

ITEM 4: 1932 Kern County Union High School (KCUHS) Autograph Book

• Provenance: Documenting Lydamary's senior years just prior to her 1933 marriage. KCUHS is known today as the historic Bakersfield High School.

• Content: Filled with authentic 1930s teenage colloquialisms, inside jokes, personal signatures, and beautifully penned era-specific sentiments from the graduating class of 1932.

ITEM 5: 11 Original Vintage Snapshot Photos (1920s–1940s)

This lot includes an incredible collection of 11 original vernacular family snapshots that visually document their family journey. Key highlights include:

• A striking, sharp black-and-white photograph showing the family posing atop stacked, iron-bound commercial bales of raw cotton (directly correlates to the Bible's 1922 birthday inscription from "Aunt Peggy").

• A vintage photo showing a classic American Craftsman Bungalow home with an early 1940s coupe/sedan parked out front. The back features handwriting reading: "969 Sa. Ave - Baton Rouge - The house is stained a dark red & has light ivory trimming... - Hart Home -" which directly connects to the husband's Louisiana roots.

• Nine additional snapshots from the family tracking their everyday lives, travels, and relationships across California and the South.

Why This Lot is Unique:

Unlike loose, unrelated items, every piece of ephemera in this archive cross-references the others. The names, dates, and locations tell a complete story of the 1910s Oklahoma oil boom, 1920s Southern agricultural life, the historic 1930s migration to California's Central Valley, and mid-century roots in Louisiana.