By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine
I learned last week, a favorite author, Sue Grafton had died
December 28, 2017. I had come to know her as a business friend, in recent
years, but was an avid reader of her books since A is for Alibi. She was generous, kind, and encouraging to me and
other authors around the globe. Her loyal
friends and fans were stunned and saddened.
Sue is known best for her alphabet mystery book series, with her
memorable protagonist, Private Investigator, Kinsey Millhone. As her fans know,
Kinsey lives and works in 1970’s California. It was an era before cell phones
and computers, where leg work meant actually doing physical investigation, not
surfing the Internet for answers. On August 22, 2013, I wrote a
blog post that highlighted planning your series protagonist titled, Think Ahead as your Character Develops. In this blog I referred to Sue Grafton’s purposeful plans for her series
protagonist, Kinsey.
The Sue
Grafton I knew was generous in sharing pieces of her life. Her last sharing
with her friends and fans appeared on December 19, 2017 she shared this story
on Facebook. “I have an
amazing story to tell and I’m not sure where to begin. I think I’ll lay out
events in the order they occurred, the most recent first. Just before
Thanksgiving, I received a note on Facebook Messenger from a woman named Jenny
G. No last name here in case she wants to remain the anonymous heroine of this
tale. In her message she said she thought she had something that had belonged
to my family. Of course, I wrote back as soon as I read her note. She told me
that as a hobby she buys items from antique stores that she uses to furnish her
own house and various rental properties. She must have an eye for value because
she’d recently purchased a sturdy-looking travel trunk. When she opened
it, she found five christening dresses, Chinese needlework, and several pieces
of artwork from China. The name Letty Taylor Grafton surfaced and that’s why
Jenny decided to track me down. I’m not sure how she figured out that Letty Taylor
Grafton and I were related, but it speaks to her good sleuthing skills and her
determination.
A Little Back Story-
Some of you may be aware that both sets of my grandparents were
Presbyterian missionaries in China in the early days of the century. I believe
my grandfather Grafton made the trip with his new wife, Letty, sometime in 1904
and my grandfather Harnsberger traveled to China in 1913 or so, accompanied by
his wife, Lanie Gillespie and their daughter, Vivian, who was my mother. None
of them could read or write Chinese, but learned to speak the language as they
immersed themselves in the culture. Letty Taylor and my grandfather Grafton had
three sons; Tom, Arthur, and my father Cornelius, whose nickname was Chip. I’m
reasonably certain all three boys went through christening ceremonies decked
out in these beautiful and delicate gowns. For reasons unknown, Letty developed
an allergy to wheat, suffering a condition called sprue, which is also known as
celiac disease. This chronic immune disorder results in anemia,
gastrointestinal issues, and malabsorption of food. She died in China in
February of 1925. Three months later, my grandfather Grafton married a woman
named Mary Woods, thus scandalizing the Taylor family. By happenstance, several
years earlier, my grandfather Harnsberger married Mary’s cousin, Agnes, after
Lanie Gillespie’s death in 1917 of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. I was told
that Lanie had been pregnant with twins, and died while my grandfather was
making a three month circuit on horseback, preaching in the provinces. This,
I’ve never had confirmed so it might just be family lore. He didn’t learn of
her passing until he returned. My mother was nine years old. In my phone
conversation with Jenny G., she told me she’d spotted an inventory list in the
top of the trunk and it included mention of several quilts, which were nowhere
in evidence. She whipped right back over to the antique store and asked what
had become of them. Since the store doesn’t deal in textiles, the quilts had
been tossed aside with the intention of throwing them out. Jenny rescued the
lot of them and put them back in the trunk. The five quilts are in amazing
condition. Though hand-sewn, they bear no hint as to the date they were made or
the person or persons who did the intricate work. All women, I don’t doubt.
There is also an appliquéd topper in need of finishing. If there’s anyone out
there in Facebook land who knows a quilter, I’d love to hear from you. I have
no idea if Letty and her sisters made the quilts and sent them along to China
with her or if Letty and other missionary women did the piece work and the
quilting while in China. I know there were a number of other families at the
same station: Dr. and Mrs. Grier, Dr. and Mrs. McFadyen, the Browns, the
Armstrongs and the Sydenstrikers, among them. As for the christening dresses, I
have to assume they were worn by Letty’s three boys and other children during
the formal church services and then tucked away for safe keeping. The artwork
is clearly of Chinese origin; some on fragile paper and some on beautifully
embroidered cloth. The trunk was purchased from a company called Taylor Trunk
here in Louisville and I’m guessing my grandparents bought it to transport
clothing and personal articles from Louisville to Hsuchonfu, which is where my
two uncles and my father were born. The Taylor Trunk Company is still a
presence in town; owned and managed by the same family for five generations so
it’s likely that one of the Taylors made the sale. The trunk is in good
condition. One of the leather handles has torn loose, but the locks and other
hardware are fully functional. The address of the company is affixed to the
front of the trunk on a metal plaque, with a note saying, ‘just across from the
post office.’ Amusing to imagine Louisville as so small a town that customers
would be given the location in terms of another downtown landmark. Here are the
questions that arise: how did this travel trunk from Hsuchonfu, China, end up
in Charlotte, North Carolina one hundred years later? More importantly, where
has it been all this time? If Letty Taylor Grafton packed the trunk some time
before her death in 1925, we have to be talking about a ten decade gap, during
which the trunk and its contents were unaccounted for, but remained miraculously
intact. There may be a few items missing, but the quilts and christening
dresses have been accounted for along with the miscellaneous Chinese art.
There is one clue; a green hanging file folder that contains my
grandfather Grafton’s obituary. He died Vicksburg Mississippi in 1963 at the
age of 85. There is in that same file a 1943 newspaper article and photograph
of my father, my mother, my sister, and me looking on at his first published
novel, THE RAT BEGAN TO GNAW THE ROPE and a second clipping that touts his
third published novel. Clearly, these were included at a later date when the
trunk had already made its way to the United States. I’m currently leaning
toward the theory that someone in the family took possession of the trunk at
some point after Letty’s death. It’s possible her personal effects were sent
back to Louisville and remained in the care of her sisters, who might well have
passed the trunk down to the next generation as time went on. The notion
doesn’t explain the geographical leap from Louisville Kentucky to the antique
store in Charlotte, North Carolina, but circumstances might have dictated its
destination. My point here is that I’m grateful to the many people through
whose hands this trunk has passed. Granted, for anyone not connected to the
Taylor family, the keepsakes would have no sentimental value, but it seems all
the more remarkable to me strangers didn’t scavenge the items, taking what
appealed and dumping the rest. The trunk and its contents are now in my keeping
and I intend to be a good steward, nurturing this small bundle of history that
has come so far. If anyone out there holds a piece of the puzzle, I’d love to
know the details.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sue Grafton
December 18, 2017”
She shared this experience just just 9 days before her death. It's like a little written nugget for her many friends and fans. Like so
many readers of her post commented, we had hopes she would weave the story of “The
Traveling Trunk,” into a Christmas tale as only Sue Grafton could do. I loved
that she signed the post as her protagonist, Kinsey signed her PI written
reports to clients when closing a case. You can see her pictures of the trunk
and it’s contents on her Facebook page.
Several years ago, Sue wrote the book, Kinsey and Me. A reader
who rated Sue’s book on Goodreads said, “Kinsey
and Me: Stories is a rare treat for a mystery fan and for students of the
writer's craft. The Kinsey short stories show exactly why Grafton has such a
loyal following. They are fun and well crafted with surprisingly complexity for
their given space. The ...and Me stories - more vignettes, really - are what
push this collection into something special. They are raw and heartbreaking and
beautiful; I applaud Grafton's courage and willingness to share them. To the
fan, though, they are also a trove of unexpected insights into the character
and world of Kinsey Millhone. It really is unusual to get to see so clearly how
a fiction series is informed by the interior landscape of an author.”
Thank you, Sue Grafton for many enjoyable hours of reading and
your friendship. You will be missed and for me, too “the alphabet now ends at
Y.”
