THE 1938, 1939 AND 1953 HAND WRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARIES OF JENNIE C. RANSOM ENOSBURG VERMONT

On offer is a charming archive of three [3] diaries - 1938, 1939 and 1953 all handwritten by a woman named Jennie C. Ransom of Enosburg, Vermont. She wrote nearly every day, with the exception of the last week of the year. She mentioned the names of many people in her community. In the back of her diary she kept a ledger of her salary income and her expenses/purchases. Jennie lived with her mother (Ethel M. Stevens) and refers to her as "M" in her entries. She had an adult son, George (33 yrs old in 1953) who came to their home often. And, Jennie and her mother still washed and ironed his clothes for him. Jennie seems to have suffered from depression, often writing that she felt blue, very tired, and 'mean.' But, she seems to have kept herself busy - she worked at a clothing store and did the cooking, cleaning, and gardening when she got home from work. When she did have some free time she went blackberrying, picked currants, played cards, wrote letters, crocheted, attended band concerts and horse shows, watched television, went for auto rides, and took a vacation in Canada. The following are some partial entries from her diary: *Dorothy called me, Albert Perley has passed away in Florida.....Geo does not like it because I am not interested in a new car...I feel rather blue...a.m. at work, M got mad at me as soon as I got home...Albert Perley's funeral. George traded cars....Geo came about 9, he smashed his new car up....M got up at 6:30 and washed Geo clothes, I ironed, was awful blue all day...A couple of girls from Burlington called on Geo p.m. ...Geo went to dance by the lake...Archies people took us up to the cemetery...I felt mean...Geo came and we went to the lake. He went over to P___, they had a lobster feed, he left some for M & I...I painted front steps and name on mailbox, was awful tired and blue....Geo had gone to Burlington. Am at work and blue as ever...M had a spell, lay down most of the time....M fell by grapevine, they called me home. Had her shoulder put in place...J Stone came up for a hand out...Carroll came to watch World Series...Mrs. Sabouriere was buried, awful blue...I was nervous all day....Cloudy and as usual, worked. Cash was under yesterday. S. was mad and asked me where it was....George came about 8 o'clock, I did the washing. I have another good spell of blues...got disgusted, was left to do all the work...Mother had a bad spell in p.m. She felt very bad when she went to bed...feel like a cold, and very nervous and unhappy.* Some of the names mentioned in this diary are: Rublee, Baker, Guilmette, Rushlow, Cassidy, Smith, Wilson, Brooks, Schoolcraft, Pierce, Gleason, and many others. The 1953 diary is approximately 2 1/2" x 4" and had a red leather cover. Somebody, at some point in time put clear, plastic, tape on the binding to hold it together. Otherwise it's in good condition. This is a small size diary, but Jennie's neat handwriting makes its easier to read. The 1938 is a flip top style that is appointment style entries and VG. 1939 is a more traditional page a day VG. ; Manuscript; 64mo - up to 3" tall; PRE WORLD WAR II, WOMEN'S STUDIES, GENDER STUDIES, AMERICANA, 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, AMERICANA, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, DEPRESSION, VERMONT,