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NATALIE HEWLETT : 1932 THROUGH 1999 ORIGINAL, SPORADIC MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY AN AMERICAN NURSE WHO FINDS HER WAY FROM NEW YORK TO ALASKA TO MASSACHUSETTS AND BACK TO ALASKA AND BEYOND

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is a fascinating and unusual diary with entries covering decades in the life of an American nurse. It is the nature of these entries that gives so much value to this diary. The diary is hardcover and the cover is in reasonable condition with wear on the spine. It is a five-year diary with pages formatted for 5 entries per page. Measuring 7.75 inches by 5.5 inches, it contains 365 pages and is approximately 15% complete. Natalie Franz Hewlett was born in 1907. She grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She was 25 years old and living in New York City with her husband, Arthur, when she began her diary. They had one daughter, Anna. Hewlett passed away in Juneau, AK in 2004 at the age of 97. Although the diary is a five-year format, she ignores the printed format when it suits her. For example, her entry for Nov 3rd, 1932 takes the entire page. In another departure, she does not follow the dated format of the pages either: i.e. the aforementioned Nov 3rd entry is written on the page marked for January 5th. There are also huge time gaps in her entries. They range from 1932 to 1999. They are in no particular order. Where the value lies is in the snapshots they provide of her life over nearly three quarters of a century. For this perspective, it is easy to overlook her unconventional use of the diary. The first seven pages of the diary contain entries for Jan 1, Sept 18, Oct 17 & 18, Nov 4, 8, and 16, and December 25. The next few pages have their dates crossed out, and instead an entry for November 8th, 1936 is written which sums up the previous few years: "I hadn't realized how long it was since I last wrote in this book - so much has happened Notable events are - Nov. 1934 we had a fire in my dressing room - we lost all our clothes but everyone was so nice and I think we were better off than before ... April 1935 lost a seven months baby boy I suppose I was lucky to escape with so little trouble. Of course we were disappointed as we have been married for five years" [Nov 8, 1936]. In the same passage, she notes that Arthur has started a business - Long Island Canine Catering, a business that struggles. However, she also notes: "... On this Nov 4, 1936 we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We went to town (N.Y) to dinner and then saw Helen Hayes in Victoria Regina. It is an excellent play and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Being married for six years" [Nov 8, 1936]. In a couple of entries, she makes her political beliefs plainly understood in the election contest between Herbert Hoover and Franklin D Roosevelt: "Election Day - Hoover & Roosevelt - Roosevelt won much to my disgust - Hoover has done so much for this country and seems honest which is more than you can say for most political men" [Nov 8, 1932]. On Nov 4th was election day. Roosevelt vs Alfred Landon, Governor of Kansas - As we were against Roosevelt and his reckless spending we were very disappointed when Roosevelt was re-elected by a sweeping majority [Nov 4, 1936]. Trained as a nurse at St. Like's Hospital, New York, during World War II, she worked as a nurse's aide for the Red Cross. Encouraged by friends who served as missionaries in Alaska, and inspired after hearing Episcopal Bishop Peter Rowe speak of his experience, the Hewletts decided to move to Alaska in the late 1940s. They settled first in Anchorage, later moving to Homer where her nursing skills were invaluable. She delivered many babies. Her husband started the first Bank of Homer in their basement, and customers often had to walk through the family laundry drying on the line to do business. Her husband died in 1953, and she eventually sold the bank and returned to Anchorage. This was a significant move for them as they were leaving all their family and social acquaintances behind. There is also a reference to the antisemitism that pervaded life in mid-century America. "We are selling all our household in preparation to go to Alaska to try our fortune there. We have felt that if we haven't made much progress here and living is so expensive that possibly Alaska will open up new business. ... Too we would like to offer Nancy our precious daughter broader fields in culture which is definitely not here ... I have no regrets about the house but I do mine very much selling some of our nice furniture to Jews. …" [Oct 12, 1945]. She and her husband built a life for themselves in Alaska, with Arthur passing away there in 1953. She returned to Massachusetts for 15 years but eventually moved back to Alaska. Her diary entries are sporadic over those years, mostly recounting the daily events of her life: "Sun. Rain - Went to museum at 11am very busy - don't know where everyone came from. Called Carol Hand in Greenwich N.Y. as A.A. died of cancer. Remember him so well when he was little. Then went to Tracy Ann's house - It was beautiful" [July 24, 1988]. "Fri. Cloudy - Paid my I.R.S. quarterly - Can't believe I owe so much $695.00 - Went to Hannah Daniels house - Walked - Foodland - I was so exhausted and ached so by the time I reached Park Shore - It's not for either - Scares me how my legs are so bad - Poured rain P.M ."[Sept 15, 1990]. All-in-all, this is a wonderful series of 'verbal snapshots' of a woman's long life in 20th century America. She often references people by their full names which can make this a valuable genealogical reference. As well, a social historian would find many of her entries interesting glimpses in the attitudes of middleclass Americans in the pre and post war eras of the United States.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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