1935 Original Handwritten Diary Recounting the Thoughts and Feelings of a Woman in Rural Oregon Living through the Great Depression

On offer is a unique personal journal written by a woman in rural Oregon during the Great Depression. The author of this journal is unknown. From context, we know it is a woman, she is married and has several children, and she lives in rural Oregon near Portland. We also know she is related to the Bussey family, which comes from that immediate area. Although the journal is not dated, from one comment she made we can tell this journal was mostly written in 1935.The authors distinctive stream-of-consciousness style makes this journal a captivating read: "If you were told you ought to write a book, how would you start out? Mrs. Peterson told me that the other day and the way Im going to write it is to just write. I have no plan at all only to take the events of the day I happen to be writing and set them down." And this is what she does. There are remarks about family and friends, work that she does, conversations that she has with others, and more: "You know I really did want to enlarge the house more than I can say. Sometimes I wonder if we are such heroes as we make ourselves out to be when we stand things this way. Wouldnt we be respected more if we went after things with a belaying pin." "My pet grievance tonight is that folks in town want the berries for almost nothing when we have such a big debt. How do we pay out that way?" Toward the end of the journal is a brief accounting of expenses, from the phone bill to bread and lye. This small detail offers a glimpse into purchasing habits of the time, and prices of everyday goods. This diary is a small lined notebook of the type often used in elementary schools. It measures 7.0 inches by 8.5 inches and contains 82 pages. Several pages have been cut out of the book. The journal is about 95 percent complete. The cover and binding are in good condition, as are the pages. The handwriting is legible. For a social historian, this anonymous womans writings offer an excellent glimpse into her world during the dark days of the Depression.