Have you noticed my recent griping about the importance of primary sources? If you have been reading "In Their Own Words," you have absolutely had to put up with my harping on the subject. My opinion was recently validated by another researcher in "Chiming in on Primary Sources" and the importance of primary sources has once again become obvious. In this case, it is the "Dear Alice" autograph book which substantiates their significance. For those who have been following along with "Dear Alice," the next entry prompted this discussion. For those who are not up-to-date, this discussion is the eleventh installment based on a Nanuet, N.Y. autograph book dated 1936. (links provided below)  

     This entry written for Alice was made by Virginia Ryan. At first, the only Virginia Ryan who surfaced during research was Virginia Ryan Offer (1922-2014). Although she would have been older than her classmates upon graduation, her dates worked and she lived in New York. Yet, I was not comfortable that this was the same Virginia Ryan and wanted to find tangible proof connecting her to Nanuet.

   Luckily, I decided to keep digging. An entry in the July 5, 1962 edition of the Orangetown Telegram of Pearl River, N.Y. disproved my original premise.* An article about the 20th reunion for the Pearl River High School class of 1942, the very class of which Alice, Virginia, and their fellow classmates were a part, provided new information. The reporter states one Virginia (Ryan) Boccard attended the reunion although she was absent from the photograph. The signatory in the autograph book and the adult Virginia can now be reconciled. From that point on, Virginia Ryan Boccard was easy to find on various genealogy sites. 

   She was born in Belview, New York to Leslie (1897-1977) and Agnes (Gannon) Ryan (1896-1982), but her birth date presents a new problem. Ancestry.com gives Virginia Olive Ryan's dates as June 24, 1920- March 2000. However, Fold3 (a division of Ancestry) suggests Virginia O Boccard's dates are August 12, 1924-March 7, 2000. Although a slim possibility exists that these are two different Virginias, both with a middle name beginning with "O" who died in the same month and year, the chance that these entries refer to the same woman is substantial. This mix-up in dates returns us to our primary sources.

    Obviously, the little autograph book that  indicates Alice and her classmates belong to the graduating class of 1942, is one primary source. Virginia Ryan made this entry as a classmate or friend of Alice. In this case, because the article found in the Orangetown Telegram recorded an event which occured during their lifetimes, it too, serves as a primary source which supplements information found in the autograph book.

    If, Virginia Olive Ryan Boccard were born in 1920, she would have been 22 at the time of graduation, which is probably incorrect. If born in 1924, she would have been 18 at the time of graduation. This timeline is reasonable,** and is probably closer to the truth.

     Not to belabor the obvious, but these two references were able to fix a birth date and provide a married name connecting child to adult--sometimes difficult where women are concerned. Additionaly, the sources humanize Virginia Ryan. Although we assume our forebears had friends and lauged and played, Ryan's descendants now have a tangible piece of their ancestor.  They also know that she had connections to the school as a child which were still important to her, twenty years later. 

     What about Alice, the anonymous owner of the autograph book? No one named "Alice" attended the reunion, leaving her identity a mystery.  © Pat Earnest for Passed Time, Delaware 2015

*fultonhistory.com

**Ovbiously this information is meant to correct dates, however, please be kind enough to credit  Passed Time and its authors. They work hard to provide accurate information and as such deserve recognition. Furthermore, P T would like to keep providing free information to our readers--but we can only do so if we have your support. Word of Mouth goes a long way. 

***Lastly, Please notice P T has a relationship with Amazon. Amazon has their widget on our site (about halfway down on the right). If you are planning to make any purchases through Amazon, please do so through our widget. We get a little kickback from Amazon, further supporting the site. 

Dear Alice (Part I)

Dear Alice (Part 2) Missing

Dear Alice (Part 3)

Dear Alice (Part 4)

Dear Alice (Part 5)

Dear Alice (Part 6)

Dear Alice (Part 7)

Dear Alice (Part 8)

Dear Alice (Part 9)

Dear Alice (Part 10)

Related "Dear Alice" blogs:

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Can Rock Hitler to His Foundations

Silly Childhood Rhymes from the Nanuet Autograph Book

For a Passed Timeesque Experience, I recommend the following link:

Nanuet: The Flawed Jewel of the Hudson Lowlands