Minerva G. Curtis diaries (Ms.2005.72)

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 They include historical references to World War I, Red Cross work, Liberty Bonds, the Great Depression, World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.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.