1928 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY THE WIFE OF A NOTED BOSTON SURGEON DETAILING A LIFE OF CULTURE AND WEALTH

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On offer is an absolutely super original 1928 diary handwritten by Amelia Maria (Ely) Howe who was the wife of noted Boston surgeon, Dr. Walter C. Howe (who would die in 1931). The diary offers up an amazing intimate look into the life of a prominent and wealthy family during the 1920s. This diary offers up some amazing historical reading including many high society events such as the theatre, fancy dinners, traveling, and several social functions around Boston; most taking place at some of the prominent hot spots during the 1920s. She also talks about their annual trip to their summer cabin in Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Right before they leave for Canada, their daughter Emily leaves on an ocean voyage to Europe before returning home for her Debutante coming out party, which took place on November 16, 1928. Emily eventually marries a surgeon by the name of George Aaron Marks. Frederick, their son, had Epilepsy because on several occasions Amelia mentions his Attacks or Sickness which sometimes last for an hour. There are also several newspaper clippings pasted inside an one photo of a man standing by a car with a long fur coat on. She also mentions on different occasions that her husband is working on writing a prescription book. Here are snippets: 1928 January 13th, To Ritz Carlton with Mary Guild and Mrs. Humphries to hear Louis Brownfield talk on How Characters in Fiction are Born. Then to tea at Brittany Coffee Shop. Found Cliff Bragdon here when I got home. He got Joe and brought her back to dinner. E. Dinning at State Door with Pill, Jimmie Cosgrove and Dorothy Buchard. Then to Staller to dance. W. , Cliff, Joe and I to Copley Theatre to see Clean Hands. February 4th, Packing & sewing. Pill to lunch. Train for Springfield with E. Jo and Isabella Grandin arrived Springfield. Met by Wallace Backus, Cliff & Jim Haig. Drove to Amherst. Lord Jeffery Inn. Rooms 26 and 27. Isabella in 107. Had tea in our rooms and dressed for dance. Dinner and dance in College hall. Cocktails first in So College. Dance closed at 12. Back to inn then to So. College, then to inn and so to bed. February 25th, Cards with Jim and F. Bridge problems &c. E. Lunching with Pill. E. , F. , Jim and I to Sheppard's for tea and dancing. E. Dinning at Sam Chard's and to track meet and Eliot Hall. F. Jim and I to Copley Theatre to se Yellow Sands. W. Could not go. Had to see patients out of town. March 22nd, Sewing. Lunch at 12: 30 and Dr. Taft's. Downtown. Met E. And went with her to select costume for Eliot Hall masquerade. With Blanch Payne to tea for Harriet Whittier at Mrs. McEwen's. Type writing 98 notices. March 24th, F. And I downtown then to Horticultural Hall to flower show. Met W. There. Helen Guild showed us around. F. And I working on 98 notices. E. Dancing with Tom Chard Mrs. Kennedy to dinner. F. And E. To Wilbur Theatre then to Staller with Pill. Mrs. Kennedy left about 9: 30. W. Went home with her then to Harvard Club. I to bed. Did not really sleep till after 3. April 10th, to the Ritz to hear Robert Hillyer read his own poems. Reading and at my desk. April 18th, Downtown bought silk for blouse for grey ensemble. Lying down 3-4. Miss Walley here to tea. John and Margery Buchard and Pill here to dinner. Oyster Cocktails, Oysterettes, Cream of mushroom soup, Croutons, Celery, Olives, Broiled chickens, Lattice potatoes, Asparagus, Bird rolls, Nectar salad, Lace wafers, Ice cream, Chocolate cake, coffee. Cocktails, caviar canaps and Italian wine. May 21st, W. And I took the 8 o'clock train to White River Junction. Arrived 1: 25. Mr. Stickney and Mary met us there and drove us to the Lakota Club in Barnard. Met Mr. Gleason and Mr. Jones. Hospitality extended. Fished all afternoon. Cloudy and foggy. Few fish, very small. Talking by fire. Bed 8: 30. June 22nd, Helping Emily pack. Left for N. Y. On 1: 05 train. Jane Cool went over with us. Mr. And Mrs. Goodwin and Richard had seats right across the isle. Arrived N. Y. 6: 46 Pill met us. To Prince George Hotel, got our rooms 272 and 273. Pill took us to dinner at Tony's. Back to hotel. Mac Smith came to see me. Pill and Emily out dancing. June 23rd, Breakfast 7: 30. Pill drove us to Hoboken. Emily sailed on the New Amsterdam at 11. Pill and I back to New York. Lunch at Alice Foote McDougall's, 57th Street. Left New York at 12: 45. Home at 11: 30. Pill's chauffer met him here and drove him down to the cape. Newspaper clippings pasted in state: Miss Howe sails for summer in Europe. Miss Emily Howe, the daughter of Dr. And Mrs. Walter C. Howe of 303 Beacon Street, sailed yesterday on the New Amsterdam for Boulogne. She will spend July and August on the continent, and expects to visit Mrs. William H. Sheppard (Elizabeth Paine) in England before returning for her debut in the fall. Dr. And Mrs. Howe and their son, Mr. Frederick E. Howe will be at Cape Breton for the summer as usual. June 25th, Finished packing and closed the house. 2: 30 sailed on the S. S. Yarmouth. Sally Doyle came down to see us off. Very calm passage. Listening to music in the Veranda. Capt. Boyd and Catherine aboard. June 27th, Left Truro 9: 10. Bridge with two bank men on way to Sherbrooke, bank examiners. Arrived Point Tupper about 3: 30. St. Peter's at 6. Radio Hotel. Shopping and bed early. Mr. Tryder, fight promoter on train, Truro to New Glasgow. July 8th, W. , George and Colin to lake. Fished from 9 to 12. Got 22 fish. Colin rowed al over lake. Dead Water, round the rocks, old Hill place, M. E. Brook. W. Took 13 fish on Parmachenee Belle up Dead Water. Windy, clear, bright sunshine. F. And I housework and cards. Watching sunset. Bed early. July 13th, Colin came and called W. He had fallen over the fence and ruptured a cartilage. W. Up with him 12: 30-4: 30. F. Had an attack while at chair. W. With him and brought him in on his shoulder. Round house all morning. W. And F. To lake, 2: 30-6: 30. Three fish. Taking list of things wanted in St. Peter's for Mr. B to get for us. Starting on July 24th to the 28th there is different handwriting and we believe Walter has written these entries. July 25th, W (and there is a circle around W) starts 8: 10 a. M. , walks to station in 40 minutes. Met Tom Morrison, started fishing at bridge near station and went up the river. Good pool below Tom Morrison's house and one in Alder's ca abreast of his house where found Dan Morrison's boy fishing with bait. Other good water between Tom and Danny Morrison's house. Went up as far as Danny Morrison's and returned same way. At 10: 30 a. M. Entertained by Tom M. At his house. Then down river as far as the falls, nothing but falls, but above and above culvert, old road leads to good pool also good pool by old crib work. Brought home 14 fish; 4 large; put back more than a dozen small ones. Walked up to Bissonette's for bread and he drives me home. July 31st, W. And I left Halifax on the Blue ___ at 9: 30. Mac and Luderick left by motor soon after. We spent nearly all day on the observation platform. Saw the boys at Digby and once or twice later. Arrived at Yarmouth at 5: 30. Saw Capt. Boyd. Sailed on the Prince George at 6: 30. I went to bed very early. Mac and W. Talking till 11. Mac shared F.' s stateroom. Rooms 10 and 12. Mr. Whitehall is the conductor from Halifax to Kentville. Wrote to Emily at Brussels. August, 8th, W. Called out at 5: 30 this a. M. To Mrs. Wyman. At 6: 30 Mr. MacDonald telephoned that Mrs. Mac D. Was starting in labor. W. Home to breakfast then to Phillips house. Home to lunch. Went to Phillips house and delivered Mrs. Mac D. Home to dinner then to Mrs. Wyman's. Home about 9: 30. September 17th, Percy took me down to the dock. Arrived there at 8: 30. The Arabic docked at 9: 45. E. Got through customs about 12. Mac came down to see her. Afterwards met us at the Grand Central and rode to 125th Street with us. Lunch on train. Arrived Back Bay at 6: 40. W. And Jim Hague met us there. Talking and seeing the things E. Brought. October 2nd, E. Not well. Nausea &c. Dot Buchard here to see E. She is feeling better. Went to Park Sq. Bldg. With E. To return her brown hat. Then she went to a Debutante lunch at the Longwood Cricket Club. Sewing. Jo Davenport called. E. Home to tea. Henry came to dinner. E. Out with Pill. October 10th, Downtown with W. Lunch at Republican Club. Jane Cool, Elizabeth Kingsley, Edith Orr and Jessie Degan. Henry Howe here to dinner. W. Dined at Copley Plaza, Surgical Society. E. Out with Bobbie Blake. Henry and I to Copley Plaza to presentation of Bigelow medal to Dr. Chevalier Jackson. Another newspaper clipping on November 3rd reads: Invitations have gone out from Dr. And Mrs. Walter Clarke Howe of 303 Beacon Street for a tea which they are to give on Friday Nov. 16, at the Algonquin Club, in honor of their daughter Miss Emily Howe, one of this season's debutantes. The hours are from four until seven and there will be dancing. November 16th, Emily's coming out tea at the Algonquin Club 4-7, a great success. Gerturde, Harry, and Winks Williston and Dr. And Mrs. Hoye came back here for cocktails and stayed to supper. Emily to dinner at Laura's and then to Cora Lefman's dance. December 31st, Gertrude and Mrs. Burrell here playing bridge with F. And me. Mrs. Burrell took the prize; a pack of cards. Had frozen fruit salad, sandwiches, choc. Cake and coffee. Dr. Johnson called and brought us a bottle of wine. James Tower dined here. F. To Sheppard Stores Colonial Restaurant to watch old year out with Al and Dot Hagar and two other girls. Home about 3: 50. W. And I watched old year out together. As with many diaries, there are many names mentioned, some of which are: Dr. Green, Buchard, McDonald, Guild, Percy Brown, Pillsbury, Blanch Payne, Mathews, Hopkins, Tom chard, Kathleen Hartwell, Deborah Leary, Chapman, Bassett, Stickney, Pricilla White, Dr. Loft, Kennedy Halifax, Thorndike, Whitmore, Alice Childs, Frieda Moore, Elizabeth Kingsley, Charlotte Marshall, Jessie Degan, Dr. Edwin Leonard and many more. BIO NOTE: Dr. Howe's obituary in the 1931 New York Times: Dr. Walter C. Howe, Noted Surgeon, Dies. Practiced in Boston for 29 years, Reserve Medical Officer in World War. August 21st, 1931, Dr. Walter Clarke Howe, noted surgeon, died suddenly tonight. He was born at Dedham fifty nine years ago, son of Elijah and Julia Ann Hunt Howe. His family was of Colonial ancestry. Hew was graduated from Phillips Andover Academy, from Amherst College, class of 94, and Harvard medical School, 98. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. He had been engaged in practice in Boston since 1902. In the World War he was a reserve medical officer. He was on the visiting surgical staff of the Boston City Hospital for fourteen years and for seven years on the staff of the Boston Dispensary. He married Miss Amelia Ely, daughter of Judge Frederick D. Ely of Dedham, in 1906. Dr. Howe was a member of the4 American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, Massachusetts Medical Society, New England Surgical Society, Boston Surgical Society, Natural History Society and the Harvard Club. BIO NOTES: From the Amherst College Biographical Record; Class of 1894, and it states: 3625. Howe, Walter Clarke. S. Of Elijah (A. C. 1849) and Julia A. (Hunt) , b. Dedham, Je. 21, 1872. M. D. , Harvard, 1898; M. A. , A. C. , 1899. Alpha Delta Phi. Prepared Dedham H. S. And Phillips Acad. , Andover. Harvard M. S. , 1894-98; house surgeon Children's Hospital Boston, 1898-99; Boston City Hospital, 1899-1901; house physician Boston Lying-In-Hospital, 1901-02; in Europe, 1902; on surgical visiting staff Boston City Hospital, 1903-17; surgeon Boston, 1903-. Visiting surgeon Boston Dispensary; sec. Grad. School of Med. , Harvard, several yrs. ; fellow Amer. Coll. Of Surgeons. Amelia and Walter had two children, Frederick and Emily. The diary is a good size measuring about 5 x 7 and there is a stain on the outside spine and a small portion of the front cover but the pages are not affected and look great. Cover a bit loose at the binding. Overall G+. ; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7 - 9 tall; WEALTH, PRE DEPRESSION ERA, FLAPPER ERA, CULTURE, TRAVEL, CAPE BRETON, NOVA SCOTIA, POST WORLD WAR I, HOWE, GENDER STUDIES, WOMEN'S STUDIES, POST SUFFRAGE, MASSACHUSETTS, 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, MASSACHUSETTS Show more