1918 Diary of a Single Young Working Woman from a Farming Family Finding White Collar Success in Schenectady, New York

On offer is an interesting little diary that recounts the details of day-to-day life in rural upstate New York as World War One comes to an end and Spanish influenza enters public consciousness. 

The author of the diary is unknown. Context clues lead us to believe she may be Anna Bolander. Anna was aged 20 at the time of this diary and was living as a lodger with the Babcock family (she moves in with them in March of 1918).The diary does not contain enough clues to confirm the author’s identity. 

Our author is a single young woman who is unmarried and very social. She lives in or very near to Schenectady, New York. She is living independently, away from family, and references letters to and from her family back home regularly. She initially works at a retail store but mostly does administrative work, seemingly in shipping and receiving for a large company. She changes jobs in the fall of 1918 and, while she doesn’t specify where her new job is, she had discussed applying for jobs at General Electric and other large companies. She is a dedicated Methodist church-goer who is involved in the Epworth League. In her diary, our author comments on local events, her daily life, and has a good grasp on the larger political world around her. She is cultured and attends theatrical and political events. The diary covers the period January to December of 1918.

When the diary opens, our author is living independently and working, making occasional trips home. Some excerpts follow:

“Bright all day. Warmer. Made out to thaw just a little bit at noon. I went to church up to the State St. Pres church in AM. In PM went down and had two more proofs taken and rest of PM didn’t do anything. At night went to Epworth League and church” [Jan 6, 1918]. 

Directly impacted by the January 17, 1918 declaration by US fuel administrator Harry Garfield that factories east of the Mississippi River must close from Jan 18-Jan 23 to save coal for World War One. She writes:

“...They reported the close down of five days for factory plants and every Monday for ten weeks for stores and the like…” [Jan 17]. (While she didn’t seem hugely impacted, our diarist did stop working on Mondays for several weeks, returning to her full-time schedule in March). 

More excerpts follow:

“Bright and a nice day. In AM I cleaned my room a bit. In PM went down to Van Curler to see Daughter of Mother Machue It was good. I wore my new hat. At night went over the Epworth League Business meeting and social. Had a lovely time. I won the prize on guessing how many candies in a bottle. Nice day today” [Feb 11]. 

“Quite bright all day. Wind blew like fun. Blew chimneys off and roofs off and all kinds of things. Blew ash cans around and signs down. I worked all day. Marked all the boxes of letters, invoices, etc. of 1917. They got them all put away in fine shape. At night I went down to the Van Curler alone to see Cheating Cheaters. It was very good” [Feb 26]. 

“...I moved my things over to Babcocks…” [March 6].

“Cloudy all day. Snowed a little in forenoon. I worked all day. It was hard nervous work. Miss R was cross as two sticks. At night I stayed in and wrote letter home. Nothing unusual happened only Miss R was angry with me” [Apr 13].

At some point in spring or early summer, our author begins seriously seeking a new job and goes home to work on the family farm. In mid autumn, she is freshly employed and back in the city working. Excerpts:

“Bright all day. Clear and quite cool. In a.m. I churned. AV mowed. Ma don’t work. In PM. we unloaded load, and raked and drew in another load. At night I crocheted. I got my yoke almost done. Ma used the last of our old potatoes dug some new ones. A week ago we had the first of the new ones” [Aug 16]. 

“...In AM I went down to GE to see about a position. (Nothing doing). Lso called at Witbecks. In PM I done up a few tomatoes for Mss Eldred. Sent postal home and one to DH….In AM I went over to AL Co to see Miss Rey…applied for a position to Mr. Cutler. In AM I went to Miss Babcock’s. In PM went over to AL Co to apply for position also called on Mrs. Chas Morrell. At night I called to Lovejoy” [Sept 11-12]. 

“Spanish influenza is terrible. So many cases. Wrote postal home” [Oct 6]. 

“Bright all day a lovely day. In AM I worked and in PM we didn’t have to work on account of election. I went to Albany see Ada Jennie Carrie and Pascoles came back on the 9 o’clock local” [Nov 5]. 

“...I worked all forenoon. At noon report of peace was published and in PM we had some parade every one went wilde. Rec’d postal from Gina V” [Nov 7]. 

While we cannot confirm our author’s biographical information, we come to know her and her vast social circle well (including many of her friends’ first and last names). We get insight into a young girl from a farming family making her way in a white collar world through her administrative work. This diary is also a gift to those interested in rural New York. Our author travels extensively around the state discussing many places including but not limited to: Cobleskill, Albany, Argusville, Rural Grove, Fort Plain, and more.  

This small, soft-covered diary is actually a lined notebook measuring 6.0 inches by 3.75 inches. The diary contains 200 pages and is about 75% complete. It is bound across the top and the spine is taped. The binding is sewn and although the stitching is somewhat loose, it and all of the pages are intact. The handwriting is legible.