Diaries of Anna Carolina (Elkert) Schroeder spanning 1941-1977. The twenty-four spiral-bound diaries contain daily entries which address the following topics: household chores (including canning, cooking, etc.); farming; gardening; weather; church activities; health issues; visits with family and friends; funerals; social activities; and involvement in the local grange. The diaries include comments and observations on national events such as America's entry into World War II and rationing; politics; and popular movies and television shows.
The early diary entries (1941-1948) provide detailed accounts of the life of a rural farm woman in Greenville, Wisconsin. The remaining diary entries describe her life in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The collection also includes a diary written by Nellie (Elkert) Melzer from 1926-1929 which details the medical history and treatment of her mother (Wilhemina (Schroeder) Elkert) who suffered from a heart condition.
Additional documents include genealogical notes and essays from various family members, family photographs, and a comb-bound genealogical biography titled My Grandmother, (Anna Carolina Elkert Schroeder), written by Judy (Jochman) Van Ryzin in 2017. A digitized version of the diaries and genealogical biography are included on a portable USB drive - file types consist of Word and PDF formats.
