I Almost Used This Antique Album for Junk Journaling — Then I Found Out Who She Was

🟢 Get the mailing address here: https://margarete-miller.kit.com/mara... In a secondhand store, I found an old friendship album with a name written inside: Maranda Stewart, 1860. Most of us would have torn it apart for collage. I almost did. But something stopped me. So I asked a genealogy researcher to help me find out who Maranda was. In this video, I'm sharing the five things we uncovered about her life — including a house that's still standing in Waterford, Virginia that you can visit today. We traced Maranda from her maiden name Stewart to her married name Hough. We found the town where she lived. We learned what her world looked like when the Civil War broke out just months after that first signature was written in this album. We looked at who signed it, why friendship albums mattered, and what this little book would have meant to a young woman living through one of the most uncertain times in American history. But here's the part I'm most excited about. This album is going home. I'm returning it to Waterford, Virginia — back to where it came from. And before I do, I'm inviting YOU to become part of Maranda's story, just like her friends and family did in 1860. 🟠 Send me a small slip of paper — 2.5" x 1" — with just your name and where you're from. I'll arrange them on a page in the spirit of the signature page already in the album, scan it, and include it when the album is returned to Waterford. This is what YouTube makes possible — people from all over the world, coming together around a story that deserves to be remembered. Maranda's album was frozen in time for over 160 years. Together, we're bringing it back to life. 🟡 CHAPTERS 0:00 Finding an old journal 1:10 Who Was Maranda Stewart? 2:40 The House That's Still Standing 4:20 Life During the Civil War 6:20 Who Signed the Album? 9:55 How You Can Be Part of Maranda's Story 🔵 Interested in working with me? Check out my online class on making a beautiful set of vintage-themed ATCs: https://www.margaretemiller.com/vinta... Also, my membership, the Vintage & Collage Club is open! https://vintagecollage.club/ 🟣 My favorites: postal theme rubber stamp: https://amzn.to/49IJE6c assorted inkpads: https://amzn.to/42Xx693 my favorite set of washi tape: https://amzn.to/3E3angu favorite brand of gluestick: https://amzn.to/3lvC62T double-sided tape: https://amzn.to/3xcFH8G small desk organizer: https://amzn.to/3Yvvlgg large desk organizer: https://amzn.to/3RU4He9 🟢 Where to find me: Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3XTof6F Shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mellowmiller Website: https://margaretemiller.com 🔴 I'm Margarete Miller. I'm a collage artist who loves to use vintage papers and vintage themes in my art. I also run a monthly membership called the Vintage & Collage Club where together we work on a new collage project every month.