Sheldon (Ella) Diaries, 1892-1904

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Summary

Title:
Ella Sheldon diaries
Dates:
1892-1904
Creators:
Sheldon, Ella
Abstract:
Collection consists primarily of diaries written by Sheldon while serving as a stewardess on Pacific-based steamer ships in the 1890s.
Extent:
.25 linear feet
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Ella Sheldon diaries. MSS 310. Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Series I, Diaries, consists of the three diaries of Ella Sheldon's trips as a stewardess on steamer ships in between December 1892 and August 1894. Her diaries are filled with descriptions of the places that she visited and the passengers and crew that she worked with. Her first four voyages as a stewardess were on the steamer Belgic under Captain Walker and Captain Bryan. The Belgic sailed from San Francisco to Hong Kong and had stops in other ports in China, Japan, and Hawaii. The last voyage that she writes about is from San Francisco to Panama and back with stops at Mexican ports on the steamer Colon under Captain McKinnon. There is a forth diary of poetry and other writings that was probably written between 1914 and the 1930s.

Sheldon describes her trips in detail. She includes excursions off the boat at Hong Kong, Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, and Honolulu. She suffered from Malaria and seasickness while on her journeys and had vivid discussions with madams of prostitution, missionaries, and other shipmates. In Hawaii, she learned of the leprosy colonies and was initially unable to go ashore due to the pending revolution. She witnessed a burial at sea and considered changing her diet after seeing the conditions in which beef cattle lived. She is articulate and witty and describes the cities and their residents that she visits in some detail.

Series II, Ephemeral Material, consists of two photocopies of photographs of Ella Sheldon and Christy Corlett from about 1900.

Biographical / historical:

Little is know about Ella J. Sheldon (b. October 13, 1856) outside of the accounts of her being a stewardess for the Occidental & Oriental Steamship Company in the early 1890s. According to the donor, Francis Hull Charles, Sheldon may have never married and probably died in San Francisco in the late 1930s. Her diaries were passed on to her friend Heddy Smith, who gave them to the donor.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in two series: I. Diaries, and II. Ephemeral Material.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Michael Wurtz
Date Prepared:
© 2006
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid created by Shan Sutton. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: April 19, 2006.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

Ella Sheldon diaries. MSS 310. Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library.

Location of this collection:
University of the Pacific, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University Library
Stockton, CA 95211, US
Contact:
(209) 946-2404
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