Charles Samson and the family behind The Angels’ Diary | Lumitheca
Charles Samson
Named in the 1903 Angels’ Diary
Charles Samson is one of the two children whose mother presented The Angels’ Diary to readers in Denver in 1903. The family credited Samson and his sister Effie M. Shirey with messages said to have been received after their deaths.
Samson’s name shares the title page with Shirey’s. The dedication addresses their mother, Julia A. Seeds Samson Lender, and the introductory material identifies Elizabeth Maud Weatherhead as the recorder. In that arrangement the siblings supply the voices, Weatherhead puts the messages into writing, and their mother holds the copyright and presents the volume to the public.
The surviving record
The Merchants Publishing Company issued the diary in Denver. A notice in the December 1903 issue of Now offered it to readers beyond the family circle. The dedication is evidence for how those closest to the project described Samson. Independent records of his childhood, occupation and death have yet to be securely matched to that name.
The descriptions of Samson’s role follow the historical attribution in the book and its catalogue record. The advertisements identify how the family connection was presented to purchasers.
