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RUTH FOWLER : 1942-1946 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT 5 YR DIARY OF ONE YOUNG, FLIGHTY PENNSYLVANIA WOMAN'S HOMEFRONT EXPERIENCES TO FINALLY SETTLE DOWN WORKING AT THE STATE PENITENTIARY

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is a very interesting handwritten diary offering a rare slice of Americana during the World War II era in Pennsylvania. Ruth Fowler details in a five year diary ranging from 1942 through 1946 of her constant search for beneficial employment and some small degree of respect from employers. A bookkeeper/stenographer Ruth begins the diary leaving Washington DC for work at the Montour County Agricultural Conservation Association. Within days she is gone and within 4 months she has interviewed, hired and quit no less than half a dozen positions. From offices left freezing cold to conserve energy to her own depression not having greater success Miss Fowler provides a unique insight to the downtrodden female worker. To her credit Ruth strives to realize her ambitions and get a credible Civil Service job and she takes what tests are required to further herself with the Civil Service. By 1944 she has launched a career with the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg. In 1946 Miss Fowler has enrolled in the State Teacher's College to further expand her employability. One cannot help but note her surprise on the 2nd anniversary of employment at the prison that it has lasted so long and she wonders how long it can go. Odd references dot the diary: "This was the last day Catherine Specht and I ate lunch together." "Had turkey dinner at the Penitentiary today." "Was called out to frisk a woman. I examined her very carefully but could not find any firearms. She seemed very nice." Miss Fowler also shares her rather large rural family with the reader; family visits, father's illness and historians and collectors of the Danville Pennsylvania area should find a treasure trove of genealogy, local history and commerce. Hinges are cracked but otherwise the diary is Good.. Book Condition: Good. Binding: Manuscript

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