1943-48 Archive of Six Diaries from a Rural Farmer's Wife from Walton, New York Who Was Active in 4-H, the Home Bureau, and Walton Grange, During and after World War Two

On offer are a set of six diaries written during and immediately following WWII in rural America. They paint a wonderful view of life in a small rural community. The author of these diaries is Lena Carey. Carey was born May 14, 1880 in Walton NY. She was married to John Carey. Together, they had 2 daughters. She passed away in 1970 at the age of 89. A housewife, she was a leader in 4-H work for 10 years; active in the Home Bureau and for many years a member of Walton Grange and Delaware County Pomona Grange. She lived on a farm very close to Walton. Interestingly, Walton is close to Agloe, the fictional town created as a "copyright trap" in the 1930's, to prevent copyright infringement of a mapping company. Written in the years of and immediately following WWII, her diaries offer an excellent long-term record of life in this part of rural New York. She began this group of diaries when she was 42 years old. The following excerpts taken from 6 years of entries gives a very good sense of her daily experiences: "Nice day only cold…sewed on my housecoat. Clyde stopped a few minutes this PM. He has had his upper teeth pulled. Nine of them. Joan has had pleurisy. The doctor strapped her up Saturday night. Today is her birthday" [Mar 22, 1943]; "Willie took me over to the R. R. Depot to take the 7: 00 A. M. Train. When I got off at Unadilla, Dea & Barbara were there to help Elena at the horse sale. Quite a fair day. I helped some. Tired when it came night. Blackie was there. Clyde don't feel very well" [July 8, 1943]; "Dad was born 89 years today. I boiled some sweet apples and cooked some squash for dinner. Mended 5 sheets this P. M..." [Sept 14, 1943]; "Mother's Day and my birthday. Margaret & Dorothy were up. They were late and I was beginning to feel blue. They brought me a lot of presents. After they went I went up to the house and Gladys and Millie were there. I went down to the cemetery with them. Went up to A. J's after milk. Florence gave me a pint of soft sugar. Quite a day" [May 14, 1944]Invasion of France. They think it means victory…" [June 6, 1944]; "Cold & windy. Came to South Unadilla on the [ ] Bus and got ride up to house. Horse sale today & quite a crowd. Mildred & I went up to the sale late in the evening. One horse sold for $400.00 Palomino. Sold some small ponies. Went quite high" [Apr 5, 1945]; "Auction. I missed the 10: A. M bus so waited for the 1: 00 P. M. Bus & helped Clyde's folks in the restaurant. Most all kinds of weather today - snow wind and sunshine so the old bear could see his shadow" [Feb 2, 1946]; "Finished canning the peaches. Had 4 qts. Made 7 in all. Went out in the berry patch & got raspberries for supper. Took a nap in the P. M." [Aug 8, 1946]; "Mended A. M. Watched Russ put the wringer roll in. Mrs. E washed after dinner and I hung them up. Dried nice. I pressed 2 pr pants for Walter. Mrs. E brought in the sheets and folded them. I got the rest folded then. Jerry don't feel very good. Walter carried him up to bed. Russ went to Monticello" [Apr 23, 1947]; "I went to town after dinner with Flora. She took Alice to have her hair cut and curled. I did a little shopping took a nap and after supper John, D and I went to Oneonta to [ ] and Carl's wedding at 8: 30. Just the family besides us and them. We went to [ ] for a reception. She looked very nice & had a beautiful cake" [July 16, 1948]. These diaries are a terrific longitudinal record of the daily life of a woman in a small rural community mid-20th century They would be an excellent resource for a Women's Studies or Gender Studies program. For a genealogist, they are filled with references to family and friends who live in this area, making them an excellent reference resource. All six diaries measure 5.5" x 4.0". Each of the diaries are 121 pages long and 100% complete. All are in good condition, though one diary (1945) has a few loose pages. Writing is legible. ; Manuscripts; 24mo 5" - 6" tall; Keywords: handwritten, manuscript, document, letter, autograph, writer, hand written, documents, signed, letters, manuscripts, historical, holograph, writers, autographs, personal, memoir, memorial, antiquité, contrat, vélin, document, manuscrit, papier antike, brief, pergament, dokument, manuskript, papier oggetto d'antiquariato, atto, velina, documento, manoscritto, carta antigüedad, hecho, vitela, documento, manuscrito, papel, Lena D Carey. Walton NY, Unadilla NY, Small town America mid 20th Century, Agloe, Farmer's Wife, farming family, interwar America, postwar America, rural America, women's studies, women's lives, 4-H Club, Home Bureau, Walton Grange, Delaware County Pomona Grange