This collection is comprised primarily of diaries written by Gertrude Schumann from September 1929 to April 1989 shortly before her death. Schumann destroyed all diaries she kept prior to 1929, but did record excerpts of those diaries from 1923-1929. In addition, Schumann kept pieces of ephemera in her diaries including letters from family, newspaper clippings, and greeting cards.
Schumann's diaries are a record of her daily life for over sixty years. Family activities and events are recorded in great detail as well as events in Watertown and the surrounding area. Schumann also records her personal impressions of family and friends and her thoughts about her productivity at home. She also comments on contemporary events such as rationing and milestones during World War II, the Korean War, the launching of Sputnik, the advent of television, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Watergate scandal, and the Iran-Contra affair. Schumann also comments frequently about politics and expresses her views on the political ideologies and actions of politicians from President Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan.
The diaries are arranged chronologically, beginning with the excerpts from the 1923-1929 diaries. Completing the collection is the ephemera which has been labeled with the date of where it originated in the diaries and is arranged chronologically.
