from the pages of an old diary – words about women’s work
I have been thinking a lot about ‘women’s domestic work’ these days. This not only because I do some housework myself from time to time (!), but because I am taking a History course – “Canadian Women’s History”.
One of the assignments for the course is to read a woman’s diary or journal and learn about what life was like for her through her words. I am lucky to have a set of six five-year diaries from my great-aunt who lived in Nova Scotia and I have decided to look at her diaries for my project. The diaries cover the years from 1944 to 1972 . Since I was born in 1954, I have chosen 1954 and 1957 as years to study.
Her diary for a particular year is a simple record of her daily activities. Simple, but what a lot of information is found in a few lines of text!
I have reviewed all of her entries for the year 1957 and find she covers the following topics in her entries:
- the weather
- people who visited
- people she visited
- housework done (she includes her husband’s work around the house)
- community work done
- community events (such as funerals or weddings)
- letters written or received
- special trips
- unexpected events (such as the car breaking down)
- family health
One thing I notice about her diaries, is her faithfulness in making an entry every day for 29 years! So many diaries I have begun fizzle after the first month or so of writing!
Another aspect is the value of her words. Over 50 years later, I can still find helpful advice in the way she did her work and the emphasis she put on participating in her community. I can find specific information of the birth dates of relatives or the date our family arrived for our summer vacation in a particular year. In addition, for anyone interested in the daily life of women in the 20th century, a set of diaries like hers is an invaluable resource and window into history.
Over the next few posts, I am going to look at various aspects of the daily life of my great-aunt and consider how similar or different life is for me today.
two of the six diaries my great-aunt wrote from 1944 to 1972 ... the quilt is one she made during the last years of her life
nichepoetryandprose 
What a valuable treasure. It is good to know where we come from and to see the progress and similarities in women’s lives over the years. Enjoy your exploration!
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Carol Steel
February 5, 2012 at 11:06 pm
Thanks Carol. I agree. I’ll explore this in future posts, but the biggest difference seems to be how connected she was with her community. Jane
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jane tims
February 6, 2012 at 6:45 am
What a great gift. It’s like receiving a present from the past. Wonderful drawing. I look forward to your future posts about the diaries.
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Robin
February 5, 2012 at 10:16 pm
Hi Robin. The worst thing about doing this project is all the unanswered questions I have. When I did see my great-aunt, as a teenager, I could hardly think of a single thing to say. Jane
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jane tims
February 6, 2012 at 6:42 am
I agree that this is a treasure. I would love to have something like that! I can’t wait to see what you create on this project! Looking forward to it!
Brant
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sunontiepost
February 5, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Hi. So much of past generations is lost. Glad you like the project. Jane
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jane tims
February 6, 2012 at 6:40 am
What a fascinating document to have- looking forward to your future posts, Jane.
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Watching Seasons
February 5, 2012 at 11:38 am
Hi. I can hardly wait to put them up. Thanks. Jane
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jane tims
February 5, 2012 at 7:31 pm
What a treasure you have there! I was born in 1957 so I’m curious to see what daily life was like for women when I was born…
My grandfather kept a diary in Ukrainian, so I cannot read it, but I was able to discover the birth and death dates for his firstborn son, who died at age 9, before his younger brother, my father, was born. He drew a little cross between the dates and I could make out the name – it was a thrill to decipher the clue because I was never able to find a birth or death certificate for this child.
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Barbara Rodgers
February 4, 2012 at 9:16 am
Hi Barbara. You will probably learn quite a bit from my next few posts! I also have had thrilling moments when I found something out about my family history. I remember once, I was looking at a census record for my great-great-grandfather, and the words were so badly written I could not make out his occupation. I tipped the page up so the words would elongate and I saw the word ‘shoemaker’. It was a wonderful moment. Jane
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jane tims
February 4, 2012 at 9:54 am
Oh, how I know that feeling! So wonderful… Looking forward to your next few posts…
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Barbara Rodgers
February 4, 2012 at 1:08 pm