ARCHIVE: 1928 1935 1940 & 1941 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARIES OF ELLEN WILSON WITH EXTENSIVE MENTION OF THE LINDBERGH TRIAL, OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, AMELIA EARHART AND "NASTY DETENTION CAMPS"OF THE NAZIS
Devotees of the art of the diarist will find nirvana with Ellen Wilson. Each of the four diaries in this archive was received as a gift from intimate and far-flung family so-well known is Ellen's passion for writing in her diary. It is her sister, best friend and confessor and recorder of all events important to Ellen's world - local and international. She is a huge fan of Charles Lindbergh and some months it seems that his travels, exploits and tragedies are foremost in Ellen's daily entries. At one point she exclaims she had never been interested in South or Central America until she began following Lindbergh's Central American tour. Distances, feats and accomplishments are all annotated. Here's a wonderful quote from Ellen which I think sums it all up: [New Year Day 1940: after a long write up of the day's events] "....then I had a short rest then did my first writing in this my new 1940 diary. I keep a diary because I like to do it. I live a very quiet uneventful life and I can record these things each day to my confidante the diary." Truly remarkable coming from a woman who is mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, wife to a police or fireman [reference of a station house], involved with family and community that writes page after page of comings and goings and doings. For example here are just a few lines of the 1935 (and she mentions the trial throughout the diary); "The trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann swings into action today (Jan.3rd). Lindbergh's testimony will be one of the highlights of the trial." She speaks of the evidence they find against Hauptmann. On March 1st-" the 3rd anniversary of the fatal night on the Lindbergh Baby - Hauptmann is in NJ death house convicted as the sole perpetrator of the kidnap/killings as they found $15,000 on Hauptman premises of the $50,000 ransom". On Feb.12 Ellen Wilson Birthday "another milestone is passed and I will go on, not knowing what awaits me". She and Agnes went to the movies to see Katherine Hepburn in "The Little Ministers." Agnes and her talk about the "going away of her son Harry and it left me feeling so lonely & just revived hurt & loss of my boy all over again." There is also mention of Oliver Wendall Holmes 93 yrs old jurist "gravely ill with bronchial pneumonia. Many went to pay their respect to one of the nations best-loved man." Speaks about Amelia Earhart; "1st flyer to cover 2100 miles to NY without stopping". Ellen is following the War in Europe noting number of Nazi planes downed versus British. She is keenly aware that the War is a danger to civilization and makes many anti-German notes and prays for the prisoners in "their nasty detention camps." She also puts newspaper clippings, stamps, pictures within the text or on the address pages. She has family named Wilson in Kansas as evidenced by the gift inscription on the 1928 diary. There are some water stains, some splits to the cover/spine edge and a mouse has nibbled at the top edge front cover of 1928 but otherwise in very good shape. Super piece of Americana.; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; Depression, Depression Era, Post Suffrage, Women's Studies, Hand Written, Personal, Memoir, New York, Kansas, Genealogy, Handwritten, hand written, autograph, autographs, signed, letters, document, documents, manuscript, manuscripts, writers, writer, author, holograph, personal, Americana,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, LINDBERGH TRIAL, HAUPTMANN,
