July 5, 1918 - Dorothy

Today Mary had quite a surprise, leading to her longest diary entry for the entire year and causing her great consternation.  Her friend Dorothy (or Dottie, last name not previously mentioned) informed Mary by letter that she had married.  This seemed to be quite a shock to Mary.  Only two previous mentions had been made of Dorothy, on February 7 and 8 where Dorothy told Mary "lots of nice things and a few which will stay concealed with me until they can no longer be spoken."  On July 5 Mary laments "Since Dottie and I have been more like sisters than strangers, and you may as well say we grew up together, I don't think I could feel worse had it been on of my own sisters leaving me."

Dorothy has married Joseph L. Kernan, who by the way his name is mentioned appears to be a possible celebrity.  Later Mary more often formally refers to Dorothy simply as "Mrs. Joseph L. Kernan".  According to newspaper advertisements Joseph does appear to be a theatrical or perhaps burlesque promoter in Asbury Park and Philadelphia.  He was born in 1880, Dorothy in 1899.  By 1920 Dorothy and Joseph are living in New York City where he is listed as an actor.  He also appears in the 1930 census as an actor and lodger in Baltimore where he was born. In 1942 at the time of his World War II draft registration he was living in Marley Park, Maryland.

But in the 1930 census Dorothy, listed as married is recorded as a resident of the New Jersey State Hospital (originally the State Lunatic Asylum, later the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital) and by 1940 she is a resident of the New Jersey State Hospital in Marlboro.  The reason for her institutionalization or her ultimate fate could not be determined from the available sources.  Joseph died in 1964 in Arizona.