140-Year-Old Shakespeare Book Discovered in Winter Haven Home
by James Coulter
Most of us studied Shakespeare in school. But few of us ever cracked open a textbook printed more than a century ago, let alone one once owned by a man whose family helped start an entire city and county.
That’s exactly what a Winter Haven mother and her son discovered while cleaning their home.
Elle Carter and her 11‑year‑old son, Kaiden, uncovered a 140‑year‑old Shakespeare book while cleaning their Winter Haven home. Inside, an inscription revealed its original owner: Harry E. White, who received the book as a gift from his mother in 1885.
White lived in Minneapolis and attended the University of Minnesota, where he eventually taught as a professor. His family played a foundational role in settling the area that would become Clear Lake. His father, Edgar White, was among the 37 residents who voted to formally incorporate the village as a town in 1900.
“There is something powerful to hold a book that 140 years ago this gentleman had, and it was a treasured gift from his mom, and it was probably sitting in his apartment while he was going to university, and then 140 years later, what are the odds that it ends up in Winter Haven, Florida in my house,” Carter said.
Carter had initially received the book as a gift from Paul Hughes, a professor at Harrison School of the Arts in Lakeland, with whom she had a close relationship.
“It was always dear to my heart,” she said. “He [Hughes] had given me that book when I was in college. He loved Shakespeare. Shakespeare had gotten me into Harrison. I did a sonnet as my audition piece.”
Carter currently works in the fiber optics industry, having previously worked for Amazon for 12 years. She now raises three children, including Kaiden, an avid shark tooth hunter and historian.
“I think it is just crazy how it ended up in our house,” he said. “It’s just shocking.”
Kaiden loves studying history, especially about World War II. Even at the young age of seven, he watched historical documentaries about the war. So, when he and his mother discovered the book, he could do research online through Google and Family Search to learn about its original owner.
“Every time we would turn around, we would find a rabbit hole to the next (clue) trying to figure it out, but he did the majority of searching,” she said. “We were even able to locate his (White’s) grave.”
Carter is now working with the Sherburne County History Center in Minnesota to track down any of White’s living relatives. She hopes to return the book to the family. If she cannot find relatives, she will donate it to the history center so they can preserve the volume where White’s story began.
Moreover, she and her son hope to learn more about White, his passion for Shakespeare, and his legacy as a professor at the University of Minnesota. They even plan to visit his hometown.
“I know…if it (the book) was a family heirloom or something part of our family, I would want it in my home, so I am hoping to return it so they (his relatives) can really cherish it,” she said. “And it is very special for me because I had a great relationship with my theater professor, and just the connection that this all has been really touching for our family.”
