I love this picture of my grandpa. I loves his funny little baby face. I threw away most of the baby book pictures, but I saved this one.
Edward Salley Jr. in Baby Carriage
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Twenty
The child that is born on the Sabbath day/ So blithe and bonny and good and gay/ Monday’s child is fair of face/ Tuesday’s child is full of grace/ Wednesday’s child great joy shall know/ Thursday’s child has far to go/ Friday’s child is loving and giving/ Saturday’s child must work for its living
An original composition by Grace Salley? I think not (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday%27s_Child). The version Grace Salley recorded is kinder to Wednesday’s child than the version in Wikipedia.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Nineteen
Baby’s first gifts were two little pair of booties given by Mrs. Harry Lane, also a nice white enamel scale ???? with pink ribbons. Then baby’s gifts came in abundance, carriage covers and ??? and ??, a beautiful ??? ??? ???, bib, ???, coat hangers and ??? ??? and adorable little coat to be Christened in and a Bank account started by Mary Salley.
Inscription: We bring thee gifts, so rare and fine,/ Wrapped with a love that is all thine;/ But the gift thou givest, precious elf,/ Is costlier far - thou givest theyself.
“Elf” seems like a strange way to describe a baby. I have to think that the author couldn’t think of anything else to rhyme with “thyself”.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Eighteen
Friends who remembered Baby. Mary Salley/ Pauline War??/ Mrs. Harry Lane/ Mrs. John Formosa/ Catherine Salley/ Mrs. C. Vezzetti/ Marie Pali??? mother/ Mr.s Palih??? father/ Loretta Pali???/ Lucy ???/ Mrs. John Podesta/ Mrs. John Foffo/ Mary Podesta/ Mrs. Charles Vezzetti
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Seventeen
Baby’s First Party: Edward Juniors birthday party ??? Marjorie and Alice ? ?? ??? ??? and ?? Bently and their mothers and ??? Kiddee had a good time.
Inscription: All homage to the King, this day of days,/ For he holds his court and seeks thy praise;/ Each tribute fair he will requite/ With crows and gurgles of delight.
Notes: The writing on this page is in very light pencil and is especially difficult to interpret. At first I thought the inscription was referring to God, because of the capitalization of “King,” but the reference to “gurgles of delight” indicate that the King is the baby.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part 16
Five months…Baby and his godmother ???…Baby and Aunt Catherine…Baby and his grandpa ???
It looks like these photographs were taken on the roof of a building. There is some sort of scaffolding on the roof.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Parts 14 and 15
The images that were attached on the Baby’s First Photo page have either fallen out or been torn out. The spots where the images used to be are annotated with descriptions like, “Five months old.” The two month picture is the only one that remains in place.
The inscription reads: Here a dimple, there a dimple,/ Rose-leaf flushes, peachy pink;/ Surely not a charm is lacking-/ Baby’s perfect, don’t you think?
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part 13
Baby’s First Outing: Baby’s first outing was taken with his Aunt Katherine and mother. Along the ??? on a bright sunny day in a nice, new carriage given to him by Grandpa Salley. Baby slumbered ???fully for several? hours.
Inscription: Hear the birdies singing,/ Listen what they say-/”Here’s a new, new Baby/ Coming out to-day.”
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part 12
Baby’s First Shoes: Tiny moccasins ??? sandals given by Mrs. Harry Lane.
Inscription: Now’s the time to give full freedom/ To the rosy, curling toes;/ Soon the babe will be a toddler,/ And the bud will be a rose.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part 11
This is an entry you probably won’t find in baby books anymore! I have in my possession a gorgeously framed picture of a baby, it could be Edward Salley, or it could be his sister.
Baby’s First Short Dress. Baby wore his first short dress on Saturday, July first 1916 on a train to Canade?? To visit his grandparents - Podesta to celebrate the fourth.
Inscription: Come; fold the long white robes away;/ Baby’s to wear short frocks to-day.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part 10
Baby’s First Step
Taken at eleven months and walking all about at twelve months.
Inscription: Two little feet so small, that both may nestle/ In one caressing hand-/ Two little feet upon the untried border/ Of life’s mysterious land.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Eight
Baby’s First Tooth. Also unworthy of note.
“Hello, is that you, Daddy?/ Would you hear the truth?/ We’ve made a great discovery!/ Baby has a tooth!”
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Seven
Baby’s First Word. Apparently not notable.
Inscription: Sweetest music, soft and clear,/ In the stammering word we hear;/ Gladdest sound of human voice/ Making mother’s heart rejoice.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Six
Religious Ceremonies: Christened at St. A???? Church ???? ????? Jersey City by Father Barry on Sunday March 19th 1916. ???? ???? Mary L. Salley and John M. Podesta. Baby was ???? at the Allan Court ???? - ???? ??? and ???? Jersey City, NJ.
Inscription: His tiny fingers to God’s hand confide/And let his footsteps toddle by His side.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part 5
Baby’s Height: Twenty inches at birth.
Inscription: Measuring Baby, that bundle of sweetness,/How can one measure such measureless charms!/Ne’er was a baby such pink of completeness,/Rose-cheeks, and sweet eyes, and fat dimpled arms.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Four
The text says:
Born - Tuesday - March ?? - 1916 at twelve forty-five
Baby’s Name - Edward Michael Salley Junior
Baby’s Parents - Mother - Grace Podesta Salley - Father - Edward Michael Salley
Mother's Parents Mr. & Mrs. Anglo Podesta
Father’s Parents Jane Tierney Salley/Edward Salley
Inscription: We’ve found a blessed Baby,/ That in the night-fall came/ All unannounced from Heaven,/Without a card or name;/The angles must have brought it here/For us to love - Our Baby Dear!
I have a few thoughts about this entry. I assume that it was Grace Salley filling out this book, so why doesn’t she write her mother’s name down? Instead she refers to her parents as Mr. and Mrs. Podesta. The poem at the bottom goes along with the stork theme of the cover. It implies that babies just appear, cleaned and wrapped in a blanket. It erases the messy pain of childbirth and the effort of the mother in a way that I find somewhat offensive.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Three
Baby’s Weight. Seven and a half pounds at birth. No weight recorded at one or two months. Fourteen and a quarter pounds at three months. Fifteen pounds at four months. Sixteen and three quarters pounds at five months. There was an intention to record the weight at six months, but she didn’t get around to it. Inscription: “Every grain of gain is noted,/ Every scratch of the scale so fine-/What’s the use when the precious bundle/Far outweighs a rare gold mine!”
I found a similar recording of a baby book here: https://hughjyeman.wordpress.com/2015/11/
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part Two
The second page of the baby book has a few of the gerber-esque illustrations of babies, as well as the strange lettering style that will continue throughout the book. The font is supposed to look like it’s made of branches and flowers, but it mostly looks like ghost-writing.
Edward Salley Baby Book - Part One
This is the cover of Edward Salley’s baby book. The book seems to be a mass-produced item, but I did a reverse Google search of the image and I couldn’t find any other examples of a similar book. The books has lasted over 100 years, but not without some staining.
