1938 - 1939 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A HARD DRIVING WESTERN NEW YORK WOMAN TRYING TO WORK HER WAY OUT OF THE DEPRESSION

Katz Fine Manuscripts Verified independent store

→

On offer is a unique little journal written by a woman in upstate New York immediately before the outbreak of WWII. Measuring 6 inches by 3.5 inches, this journal has 72 pages and is 100% complete. There is evidence of pages having been torn out at some time in the past. The handwriting is in pencil and although faint, can be read. The cover is in very good condition and all pages are intact. Although the name on the cover is Emmett Johnson (1914-1992), context suggests that this 1938 diary was written by his mother, Katherine Neary Johnson. She refers to family members by the initial of their first name and 'E' and 'J' crop up repeatedly. The 'E' likely stands for Emmett and the 'J' for her husband, John. They lived around Hornell in upstate New York in what is known as the 'Southern Tier' - the mountainous western part of New York state that borders Pennsylvania. These were the last years of the Great Depression and life was not easy here. The pages are un-numbered and undated. She simply writes through from one month to the next. In her journal, Johnson recounts daily chores and events that matter to her family, their farm and their circle of friends. "Nice day John went to the city to sell his veal. I just done my housework."[Feb 4, 1938]; "I went to Canisteo with the grist. Fixed the fence in the P.M." [Apr 25, 1938]; "J went to church. Raymond and children brought him home. E and C came stayed for supper [ ] came with cow and took the veal calves." [June 5, 1938]. Life wasn't easy and events could turn one's work upside down very quickly: "Blacksmith came and shod the team. [ ] came and helped. Barn burned."[Aug 6, 1938]. The rest of her entries are in this vein. They paint the picture of a hardworking woman living in a poorer area of rural America. Yet, despite the continual hard work, there is a sense of quiet confidence and pleasure with her life. A student of Womens' Studies would find this an excellent window into the life of so many American women living at that time; Manuscript; 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, UNITED STATES; MID-20TH CENTURY; 1930S; KATHERINE NEARY JOHNSON; EMMETT JOHNSON; HORNELL, NY; STEUBEN COUNTY; NEW YORK; THE GREAT DEPRESSION; 'SOUTHERN TIER'; AMERICAN FARMERS IN THE LATE 1930S; LIFE ON FARMS IN DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION; WOMEN'S LIFE IN RURAL WESTERN NEW YORK; BUFFALO AREA, RURAL AMERICA IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY; FARMING OPERATIONS; AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, 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 Show more