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Smith, (Emma Lena) Diaries
SPC.2017.005  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
This collection comprises 23 diaries of Emma Lena Smith. These diaries reflect upon the daily life of a housewife from California's Central Valley, her small-town husband, other family members and neighbors as they go about their day-to-day life of work, church and community events. Emma posts daily information about the weather, her role of taking care of the house, which includes canning fruits and vegetables and Andrew's various jobs, such as farming his own land, working at the city plant and working odd jobs for pay or in exchange for goods or services.
Background
Emma Lena (nee Quain) Smith was born on September 22, 1870 in Michigan and died on December 31, 1968 in Stanislaus County in California. She resided in California's Central Valley near Modesto, mainly in the towns of Merced and Ceres, with her second husband, Andrew (1874-1959). Emma and Andrew were married on August 22, 1917 in San Leandro, California and separated in 1952 when Emma was 82 years old. She lived the remainder of her life with her daughter, Mildred (nee Macey) Goodwill (1899-?), son-in-law Mitchell (1895-1961) and grandson, Richard "Dick" Lee Goodwill (1938-2015).
Extent
2 boxes
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Availability
There are no access restrictions on this collection.