Minerva G. Curtis diaries, 1900-1941

John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	Minerva G. Curtis diaries
Date range:	1900-1941
Creator:	Curtis, Minerva G. (Minerva Greenwood), d.1945
Extent:	1 linear foot
Abstract:	A collection of 34 leather-bound diaries, ranging from 1900 to 1941, recording the daily activities of Minerva Greenwood Curtis, a grade-school teacher in Providence, Rhode Island. The collection also includes an address book, a notebook, a loose, hand-written recipe and a newspaper clipping.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms.2005.72

Scope & content

The Minerva G. Curtis diaries consist of 34 annual, leather-bound diaries, ranging from 1900 to 1941. The collection also includes an address book, a notebook and loose, hand-written recipes. The entries in each diary are written in ink from Minerva G. Curtis' own hand. The diaries represent a detailed portrait of Ms. Curtis' daily life as a single grade-school teacher living in Providence, Rhode Island.

The diaries represent a remarkably detailed portrait of an unmarried school teacher's daily life in Providence, Rhode Island. They include historical references to World War I, Red Cross work, Liberty Bonds, the Great Depression, World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In most of the diary entries, she routinely notes weather conditions and records temperatures.

Ms. Curtis provides a detailed description of her life at school, including various notes about her students and their scholastic achievements.

Ms. Curtis presents a meticulous account of her personal life, both social and intellectual. She describes visits to and from family members and friends, and alludes to other various social activites with them. She also refers to both long and short vacation trips with family, friends and professional associates. She records her concerns about the health of her loved-ones and aquaintances and dutifully notes their deaths dates and funerals.

Ms. Curtis discusses her living expenses, describes the joy of payday, the cost of room and board and alludes to other personal economic issues, such as her retirement fund. She frequently discusses sermons she hears at church, especially those given by guest preachers. She notes lectures and theatrical performances she attends at various venues, including Brown University and the Arion Club. She faithfully records the various books she's reading.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Chase, Dora C. (Dora Curtis)
• Chase, Ward B. (Ward Beecher)
• Chase, William C. (William Curtis), 1895-1986
• Curtis, Anne G.
• Curtis, John
• Curtis, Minerva G. (Minerva Greenwood), d. 1945

Subject Organizations

• Arion Club (Providence, R.I.)
• Brown University.
• Central Congregational Church (Providence, R.I.)
• Peace Street Grammar School (Providence, R.I.)

Occupations

• Photographers
• Teachers

Document Types

• Diaries

Subject Topics

• Rhode Island/Local Interest

Arrangement

This collection organized into the following 4 series:

• Series 1. Diaries, 1900, 1908-1927, 1929-1941
• Series 2. Address book
• Series 3. Notebook
• Series 4. Ephemera

Biographical/Historical note

Minerva ("Minnie") Greenwood Curtis, a Providence, Rhode Island native, was a grade-school teacher from the late 19th century to mid-20th century. She was the daughter of John and Anne (Greenwood) Curtis, the sister of Dora E. Curtis (who married Ward Beecher Chase) and the aunt of Brig. Gen. William C. Chase.

Ms. Curtis taught at the Peace Street Grammar School, in Providence, RI, retiring in 1917. In the 1895 Rhode Island School Report (R.I. Board of Education) she is listed as a Providence public school teacher under the category "Grammar, Primary, and Ungraded Schools."

Ms. Curtis was a prominent member of Central Congregational Church in Providence where she was a member of the Home Missionary Society, the Foreign Missionary Group, and a leader in devotions. She was also an amateur photographer who printed her own work.

Ms. Curtis died on January 20th, 1945.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Minerva G. Curtis diaries, Ms. 2005.72, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Purchased in 2005 from R & A Petrilla, Booksellers.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Robert J. Rosa.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-02-06

Additional Information

Related material:	RESOURCES AT BROWN UNIVERSITY Exhibition. Providence High School. Tuesday, July 1st, 1873 (Broadside)
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Minerva G. Curtis diaries

Inventory

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