Series II. DIARIES, 1928-1995, n.d. (#11.6-30.5, F+D.3, SD.1)
Scope and Contents
Series II, DIARIES, 1928-1995, n.d. (#11.6-30.5, F+D.3, SD.1), includes Eloise Bittel Cohen's diaries and travel diaries. Folders titled "Diary" often contain loose papers with diary entries; clippings; drafts of letters; spiral notebooks with diary entries; lists and excerpts from books; transcripts of phone conversations; and actual bound diaries. Cohen wrote her diary entries and letter drafts on any kind of paper she had to hand, including envelopes, hotel laundry bags, paper towels, glossy paper, back of reports, and computer paper. Almost half the diary entries are in shorthand, some of which have been transcribed either separately, or on the same page. Diary entries include topics such as life at home with new babies; gas rationing during World War II; health; housekeeping; child-raising; family life; accounts of trips taken; drafts of letters to Wilbur Cohen while he was away; notes from Nixon's inauguration in 1969; and events with President Johnson and other cabinet members. Eloise Bittel Cohen often commented on her faith through her life, and wrote frequently in her diaries about religion. Travel diaries document the Cohens's extensive journeys around the world, including a trip to Russia in 1967 (#14.2). Cohen comments on the prices of items in Russia, the food she ate, and sightseeing trips she took. Other trips include Paris, Denmark, Switzerland, Egypt, and China. Folders identified as "travel diary" contain actual diary entries, not just notes or letters home. Diary entries in the 1990s focus around the disbursal of Eloise Bittel Cohen's estate, and the trouble she was having remembering things during the day. Cohen began to make lists of things to remember and questions to ask her niece Lynda Becker Pitcher who lived with her for a period of time during the 1990s. This material also contains a scrapbook that features some of the Washington, DC, events attended by Eloise and Wilbur Cohen with clippings, programs, and invitations. Some folders in the late 1940s and early 1950s contains only one or two sheets of paper. This series is arranged chronologically.
Dates
- Creation: 1898-2005
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1928-2003
Language of Materials
Most materials in English; some material in Spanish or Yiddish.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Collection is open for research. An appointment is necessary to use any audiovisual material.
Extent
32.1 linear feet ((77 file boxes) plus 5 folio+ folders, 1 supersize folder, 29 photograph folders, 1 folio+ photograph folder, 90 motion pictures, 1 audiocassette, 1 object)Physical Location
Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.