Not too long ago I acquired my grand aunt Lizzie’s school history book. Aunt Lizzie attended Midway School in the Midway section of Lexington County. Her history book was Chapman’s History of South Carolina. In the book, I found letters and notations she had tucked inside. They were as interesting as the book itself. Aunt Lizzie was married to Joe Littleton Corley. They married late in life and had no children. I remember her well. She died when I was in high school. Aunt Lizzie was my granddad Corley’s older sister. She lived with Grandma and Grandpa much of the time after Uncle Joe died. Her home was moved to Corley Mill Road in the late 1950s. Various family members have lived in the home when the need arose. I loved to look through her history book. It made the memory of her feel as fresh as ever. It assured me that young girls are much the same now as then. This family would have been comfortable in a Jane Austin novel. One of Aunt Lizzie’s hidden treasures was a note from an admirer who most likely lived in the community. The poem, written in pencil in 1902, is on the front inside cover of the book. It made me smile.

“Some loves potatoes, some loves slips. I love nothing but your sweet lips. Rabbits love turnips, possum loves peas. I can love Lizzie Corley as much as I please. Your friend, Guess who”

Aunt Lizzie’s history lessons covered a lot of ground. Chapman wrote vividly about the American Revolution. He included lessons of special interest to young ladies. He covered Emily Geiger, Anne Kennedy, and Dicey Langston to name a few. Somewhere along the way, we have lost the essence of sweet innocence. We have lost the simplicity of just being a girl and the grit of being an American girl. Remember: the Friends of the Museum Gala is on Saturday, February 16, from 6 pm to 10 pm.