Title:: Gilkison Family Diaries 1929, 1931-1934

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

Rena E. Gilkison Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Summary

Extent:
0.40
Creator:
Gilkison familyGilkison, Ralph Eugene, b. 1888Gilkison, Rena, 1894-1984 arrangement
Language:
The papers are in: English
Preferred citation:

Rena E. Gilkison Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Background

Scope and content:

Diaries, 1929, 1931-1934, of the Gilkison family who lived on a farm in Broadbent, Oregon. The mother, Rena Gilkison (1894-1984) wrote most of the entries, others were done by one or several of the children, Donald, Clemmet and Kathleen. The name in the front of the diaries is given as 'Ralph E.' or 'Ralph Eugene Wilkison and family'.The diary labeled '1928' was kept for the year 1929 and corrections to the year and sometimes weekday were made inside the diary.The following description of these Depression era diaries was provided by the seller:"These books are records of daily life, settling a home, farm and ranch in the Southern Oregon coast area. There are accounts of cooking, baking, building, hunting, berry picking, gardening, caring for livestock, traveling by horseback, illnesses, logging, splitting shakes, forest fires, building a school, fishing, celebrating holidays, traveling, shopping and lots of visiting of friends and neighbors. Some of the towns mentioned are, North Bend, Powers, Marshfield, Bandon, Coquille, as well as trips to Bend, Eugene, and Klamath Falls. Some of the names of family friends are Barkley, Lawson, Hillis, Shepard, Dosse, Garret, Smith, Laird, Herman, Derment, and Brown. These depression era diaries contain fascinating references to “hunting steelhead at night”, cooking fish eggs, hiding a button in a birthday cake, finding “bee trees,” etc."

Biographical / historical:

Information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: <a href="http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Gilkison family">http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Gilkison family</a>.

Acquisition information:
The materials were acquired by Special Collections Research Center on 05/27/2009.
Processing information:

Accessioned and processed in June 2009 by Ute Schechter.

Physical description:
5 volumes.