Fun Autograph On An 1899 Silver Certificate

My wife and I found this in my mother in law's things after she passed a few years ago.

The signature is from Hugh Herndon who co-piloted the first non-stop trans-pacific flight in 1931. His family funded the venture.

http://www.historynet.com/clyde-pan...-pacific.htm

My mother in law moved to NYC in about 1935 and I rather doubt they met in her native Ohio so I'm guessing the autograph was not along on the 1931 flight.

She worked as a secretary in an office, but also modeled. I can guess than Herndon tried to "make time" with her. However, she neither mentioned him nor the note to my wife, even though she did mention some of the well-known men she had met in NYC in the 30's and 40's.

His signature is different on the bill than in 1931:
http://www.dmairfield.com/people/he...h/index.html
(Scroll down for a 1931 signature)

In '31 he used "Jr" and on the note he did not which leads me to believe he signed the note sometime after his father died, apparently subsequent to 1931.

Sure wish we'd heard the story behind the note. It was fairly old by 1931 or '35.