KEENE, NH SCHOOL TEACHER - ELEVEN HANDWRITTEN DIARIES 1929-1957

Well-to-do unnamed woman Scholl teacher from an unnamed place near Keene, N.H. She kept a journal most days (there are a fair bit of empty pages in certain journals). There are 11 diaries preserved in this set (1929-1930, 1940-1942, 1952-1957). Her whereabouts, and subtle observations through the 1930's are entirely lost, and nearly all of the 1940's.

Her entries throughout the decades record the mundane, the domestic, the weather, the radio signal (and eventually the television), her relationships, etc. These entries tell of the American experience specific to New England, specific to her social and economic class, specific to womanhood.

She had the pleasantries of frequent company, but she found herself to be melancholy and displeased. She claimed that there was often not much to say, but she kept herself busy with company and other forms of entertainment. She regularly attended the cinema and took occasional outings to the opera. One time she tells of seeing Houdini's brother doing magic tricks. She would take the drive along with either her husband Henry or brother Arthur, to: Keene, N.H., Brattleboro, VT., Bernardston, MA, Northampton, MA, and Springfield, MA. She would hop in her husband Henry's car and they would shop for dresses, vanity bags, hats, or head to the hair salon to maintain her permanent wave. They also would take the train or bus to and fro.

By October 1929, she and her husband had already been married for twenty years. Year after year, they did not do anything to mark the occasion. It seems that it was not all-together a happy marriage. He worked long days (it is undisclosed what he did for work), and stayed out late. "[Henry] was off on another spree until 5AM" or "Henry is on a rampage about everything as usual"... and this continues.

Illness was often afoot. The author of these pages struggled with persistent eye trouble and stomach ails. Henry caught a bad cough... scarlet fever and mumps went around, etc. She did record these illnesses, as well as deaths.

And in 1942, she declares that things are not as they used be due to the war economy. "Can't buy cars, tires, and lots of other things we have always had. Sugar is scarce too - if you are lucky, you can get two pounds at a time. We have about fifty pounds on hand, but that won't last forever." They were certainly the lucky ones.

Her notes are written in neat, deliberate, legible script across 11 notebooks that vary in size. Some entries are marked with a triangle and others with a circle around the date, no clear indications. In overall good condition.