Family Bible Reunites Long, Lost Friends
Pamela Brand found an old family Bible sitting at the bottom of a trunk in her home. It had a metallic cover and was packed in oil cloth lined with cotton. The edges were sealed with duct tape, but when Brand opened it she realized that it belonged to an old family friend who had entrusted it to her for safekeeping nearly forty years ago. The Bible was so old that it was very fragile, so Brand exercised extreme care. "I only turned a few pages when I realized just how fragile it is, and wrapped it up again," Brand said.
Brand remembered the owners of the Bible, the LeButt family, had left it with her family when they moved from Australia (Brand’s native country) to America. The two families had developed a close friendship while the man of the household was serving in the navy in Australia near South Perth. Brand had created a special bond with the daughter Juleanne.
Brand wanted to reconnect with Juleanne but she did not know how to begin her search. She remembered that the family had some kind of connection to Sausalito, so she contacted the Sausalito Marin Scope for help. The paper published a letter Brand wrote to them detailing her plea. Though Brand later found out the LeButt family had no connection to Sausalito, her action still paid off for her.
Lou Mongan came across Brand’s letter in the Scope and contacted her to see if she could help. Mongan was a genealogist by hobby and lived in Australia for a time as well. She believes the Bible could hold significant meaning and help Brand reconnect with its owners. “There are people who have Bibles from the 1800s or even earlier that are fascinating,” she said. “I thought that letter is singing my name and I can do something here.”
Mongan started researching and found an obituary for a Louis LeButt who passed a few years back. The obituary listed the name Julie Jenny who lived in Virginia Beach. Mongan believed this woman to be the “Juleanne” of which Brand spoke.
Mongan was not sure if she had the right girl, but she trusted her instincts were correct. She found Jenny’s phone number and contacted her. “I still wasn’t absolutely certain it was the right person,” Mongan said, “but it seemed like it all fit together pretty well.”
Mongan left a voicemail message for Jenny who was fighting a five-year-long cancer battle. Jenny was shocked to hear the message and the name Pamela Brand. “She was so excited,” Mongan said.
Interestingly, Jenny had no connection to Sausalito. Brand remembered the town when she tried to find Jenny twenty years ago. She thought she had found her but it turned out to be a false lead. At the time, she recalled Jenny’s mother showing her a Sausalito newspaper clipping and the town “Sausalito” stuck ever since.
Jenny and Brand are excited to have found each other. Jenny had lived in Santa Barbara and also Los Angeles. She worked at Brand’s modeling agency and also took acting classes from Brand’s husband. Jenny had a successful acting career and worked in soap operas for a stint while also producing a woman’s show on the ABC Family Channel.
Jenny believes this gift came to her because of a recent blessing she bestowed on someone else. She recently returned and old leather-bound booklet filled with rich family heritage to its owner who was battling tuberculosis. Shortly after, she is given the gift of her family Bible accompanied by an old friend. “There are no such things as accidents,” Jenny said.
The two talk on the phone when they can and hope to meet up soon. They look forward to sharing the details of their lives in person. “I do hope that we can meet up! The world these days is a very small place,” Brand wrote.