Guide to the Donald Gordon Journal Collection

Special Collections & Archives

University Library

California State University, Northridge

18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330-8326

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Contributing Institution: Special Collections & Archives

Title: Donald Gordon Journal Collection

Creator: Gordon, Donald

Identifier/Call Number: SC.DGC

Extent: 0.21 linear feet

Date (inclusive): 1889-1890

Abstract: Donald Gordon was an American who lived in Japan with his parents when he was a child. On March 31, 1889 his mother gifted him a journal. He filled his journals with daily entries of varying lengths. The first was a gift from his mother, and the second a Christmas gift from his father. In the journals, Donald wrote about issues of typical concern to a young boy, including school, friends, church, leisure activities, and family vacations. The journals also include clippings, sketches, and other ephemera.

Language of Material: English, Japanese

Biographical Information:

Donald Gordon was an American who lived in Japan with his parents when he was a child.

Scope and Contents

Gordon filled his journals with daily entries of varying lengths. The first was a gift from his mother, and the second a Christmas gift from his father. In the journals, Donald wrote about issues of typical concern to a young boy, including his schoolwork, especially algebra, spelling, latin, and drawing. He attended church regularly, and early in the first journal resolved to "try to be more Christ-like." His days were primarily spent with other Americans living in Japan, though he refered on occasion to the family's cook, Denkichi, a Buddhist monk who visits his father regularly, and other Japanese. The journals occasionally refer to local events, as in the entry for April 13, 1890 in which he wrote "We heard that Mr. Pierce or something like that had been murdered by the Japanese. They cut him to pieces..."

Donald's leisure activities included tennis, playing dominoes and tag with friends, gardening, attending theatrical productions like The Mikado, and reading, especially works about Abraham Lincoln and children's newspapers like Youth Companion. The family lived in Kyoto, but took vacation in various spots around Japan including Tokyo, Yokohama, Tokayama, and many others. While fishing on vacation he caught a poisonous Fugu, or pufferfish. Donald also celebrated American holidays with his family, including the 4th of July, at which he set off firecrackers, ate chocolate ice cream, and went for a boat ride. In addition to written entries, each volume includes clippings, sketches, musical notation, and other ephemera. A fold-out map was pasted inside the back cover of the first volume, on which Donald translated some of the Japanese place names into English.

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred Citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Ephemera

Documents

Scrapbooks

Box 1, Folder 1

Vol. I, The Journal of Donald Gordon, 1889 March 1-December 31

Box 1, Folder 2

Vol. II, The Journal of Donald Gordon, 1890 January 1-December 1