x
Breaking News
More () »

Monroe Co. woman seeks owner of memory-filled trunk

A Culloden woman is looking for the Mount De Sales graduate who owned a trunk she found filled with everything from an old UGA tuition receipt, to love letters and photos dating back to the 1940s.

A Monroe County woman is on a mission to return an old trunk she found to its original owner after the items inside revealed much more than she ever expected.

She says this is a project any history or mystery lover can appreciate and wants to make sure it finds its way home.

"I am an antique and history fanatic, so to me it's memories," said Donna Wilson.

A large, weathered trunk adorns her dining room table. She found the flea market treasure at Loyd's Pecan Building in Barnesville a few years ago.

It stayed in storage until recently, when Wilson says she was inspired by a "do-it-yourself" project to clean it up and make it new.

She did not even know it had anything inside, but when she finally opened it, the chest was packed to the top with love letters, cards, old school papers, and other knick-knacks dating back to the 1940s and 1950s.

"I couldn't touch it," she said.

Now, she has a new project, and that is to figure out: Who is Mary Alice Brewer?

She was more affectionately called as "Mimi," as seen in her multiple letters.

"There was actually a couple of men who wrote to her from the military, and I would love to know-- which one?" Wilson laughed. "Which one did she really love?"

The newspaper articles, the scrapbook, and the seemingly random memorabilia are more than just trinkets. These were snapshots of someone's life.

Wilson grabs a stack of old black and white photographs, looking at the moments frozen in time.

"I just love all the different photos and seeing what is on the back," she said.

She stops to read one and smiles. "Maxwell Kinsey, known as 'Poodle': my newest and truest."

Another interesting find is an application for the FBI.

"The salary started out at $2,400 per year for a typist and clerk."

Even though Miss Mimi is a technically a stranger to her, Wilson feels a kindred connection through this collection.

"I could, kind of, get the feel of how she was and who she was."

The problem, however, is Wilson does not know where Mimi is located nor her family.

Based on the clues left in the trunk, she knows Mimi lived in Atlanta, at least at one point, on Johnson Ferry Road.

She went to Mount De Sales Academy in Macon in 1948, back when it was an all-girls boarding school.

Another notable find was a University of Georgia tuition receipt for a semester in 1952. The cost was a mere $38.50.

"There's a lot of people that would say 'who cares?'" noted Wilson. "If this had been my grandmother's, I would want someone to give it to me."

With the recent passing of her own grandmother, Wilson says she values items like these to hold onto.

"You don't know how long you're going to have out here or what's going to hit next," she said.

Her husband, Deputy Jeff Wilson with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, was shot while on duty back in 2014.

Even though he is alright now, Wilson knows firsthand how precious life is and how much more precious those memories become.

"To me, it means a lot to find something like this, and hopefully we can get it to the rightful owner," Wilson said with a smile. "Hopefully we can find Mimi."

In an age where so much has gone digital, this trunk is like time capsule, filled with pieces that, for now at least, remain a puzzle.

Wilson says she may have a lead in finding the owner, but 13WMAZ has not been able to verify yet. If you have any information, you can contact Donna Wilson at 478-993-5085.

Before You Leave, Check This Out