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LEWIS MORRISON : 1932 - 1945 ORIGINAL ARCHIVE OF TEN [10] MANUSCRIPT DIARIES HANDWRITTEN BY SCOTTISH IMMIGRANT TO AMERICA, FACTORY WORKER AND SYMPHONY VIOLINIST AND MUSIC TEACHER WITH THE DEPRESSION AND ONCOMING WORLD WAR ALWAYS IN THE FOREFRONT

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is a super archive of ten [10] small manuscript diaries for the years 1932-1933-1934-1936-1938-1939-1940-1941-1943 and 1945 handwritten by Lewis Morrison of New Britain, Connecticut, a Scottish immigrant (arrived in the U.S. in 1913), born November 25, 1890. At first glance it is easy to assume Mr. Morrison is a labourer with little to say in his diaries as the entries are somewhat terse and sometimes sporadic but perseverance finds a labourer and intellectual, a man who plays the violin, teaches, reads prodigiously, attends concerts and other entertainments and is somewhat of a renaissance man. The ten diaries provide a unique picture of the Depression from a singularly hard working yet very cerebral man. He appears to work for Russell and Erwin, a hardware factory, plus teaches music students and plays the violin in an orchestra. His entries are generally factual, such as what he did, how many hours he worked, who his students are, car maintenance, books he reads, movies he sees. There's an undercurrent of humor and intelligence in many of the entries, and frustration at the economic climate. Some quotes are: Factory goes on 5 hours a day - 25 hours a week. Car greased in Bristol, 27,745 mileage. Door Check dept. closed for 4th week. Broke E string in middle of Haydn symphony. Aneita's 6th birthday - picnic at Rockwell Park. David visits us in new Buick 8 - we ride around block. They seem to struggle financially due to the Depression. One entry says "Visited Welfare Department City Hall at landlord request to try for help towards rent payment. $58 behind to date." I have not read much in the other nine diaries, but they appear to have similar content. Each is about 2/3 to 3/4 full, if not more. He briefly notes newsworthy events such as Bruno Hauptmann's execution for the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, hearing Lloyd George on the radio, traveling to Nova Scotia, he notes his 20th Anniversary in America, heard Yehudi Manhuin [sic], voting socialist at Trade School, the "New Deal", the end of Prohibition, bombing of Pearl Harbor, death of President Roosevelt, the atom bomb, the end of the war, etc. Genealogical information indicates he was married to Nettie Morrison from Canada, was 5' 5" with hazel eyes, a slight build, and ruddy complexion, had a daughter named Anita (he always spells it Aneita), and died in June 1971. Most of the diaries measure 2 3/4" by 5 3/8", one is smaller. Overall VG.. Book Condition: Very Good

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