1916 HANDWRITTEN WORLD WAR I HOMEFRONT DIARY OF A GERMAN WOMAN WHOSE HUSBAND IS A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES FIGHTING GERMANY

On offer is an original handwritten manuscript being a 1916 World War I diary of about 90 pages of which half are expense entries and the other half are the many intriguing writings of a cultured, intelligent but 'troubled' woman including a list of books to read [one highlighted book is about the traits of the German Kaiser and Kaiserina], lists of lady friends, a list of 'Worries', gifts for her new baby, instructions to herself to write an essay using people she admires, and then there are the notations that occasionally litter book such as the following: "April 18th, Can I ever learn to follow that small voice that is always right. This morning I heard it faintly say, don't phone Miss Celchin until you have spoken to Miss Eachus. I disregarded it and was very sorry the instant I saw Miss Eachus. What good did it do me to buy a lunch downtown today….Read this over, learn a lesson if possible." A close reading suggests the author is a young woman whose husband is Armin C. Hentschke a Private in the 364th Infantry of the American Expeditionary Forces. Her father, perhaps her grandfather, resides in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania but she notes her mother has just returned from a trip to San Francisco and research suggests the woman lives near her in Riverside California. This is confirmed given the 364th Infantry was made up almost exclusively of recruits from Southern California. She appears to be of German background, spelling cinema with a 'k' and she has an older son named Hans [who troubles her] and certainly of European background referring to her parents as Mama and Papa. The address section has names and friends from many, many different places in the USA and even in Canada. Measures about 4" x 7" and overall G. ; Manuscript; 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall; AEF, HOMEFRONT, WOMEN'S STUDIES, GENDER STUDIES, SOCIAL STUDIES, SUFFRAGE, WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR ONE, WWI, THE GREAT WAR, AMERICANA, GERMAN, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, DIARY, JOURNAL, LOG, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, DIARIES, JOURNALS, LOGS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, BRITAIN, BRITISH, BRITISH EMPIRE, RAF, World War I, WW I, TRAVEL, GERMANY, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT,