Overview of the Collection Creator Lucy Jane (Wagy) Ramsey, 1873-1959 Title Lucy Jane (Wagy) Ramsey Diaries Dates 1895-1959 (inclusive) 1895 1959 Quantity 2.5 cubic feet Collection Number MG231 (collection) Summary Dairies (75 v.), farm account books (11 v.), correspondence (4 items), and photographs (15 items). Repository University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Special Collections and Archives University of Idaho Library 875 Perimeter Drive MS 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Telephone: 208-885-0845 libspec@uidaho.edu Languages English Sponsor Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Biographical Note Lucy Jane Wagy was born March 26, 1873 in Redfield, Bourbon County, Kansas. She was the daughter of Abraham and Mary Elizabeth (Fahs) Wagy. She married John Wesley Ramsey in Kansas on July 1, 1894. In May 1896 they moved to Dillon, Montana, and in August 1899 they came to Idaho, staying a short time near Moscow, then going north to the Sandpoint area where John farmed. They raised four children; another child, a daughter, died at the age of one year. John Ramsey died February 10, 1946, Lucy on February 17, 1959 at the home of her daughter Helen Storms of Ellensburg, Washington, where she-had made her home for the last five years. Content Description Lucy Jane Wagy began keeping a daily diary on January 1, 1894. This record group contains all but the first volume (January 1, 1894 to May 3, 1895) which was given to her sister Debora (Mrs. Lee) Sedgwick of Fort Barton, Montana and was never recovered by the Ramsey family. The diaries, hand written in a variety of spiral and bound notebooks, detail the everyday life of a farm wife, from her time as a young mother through the death of her husband, and her own old age. It is clear she kept the diaries only for herself, as in the next to the last entry she writes, "I know no one will ever read this in my diary..." With the 75 diaries are eleven financial account books detailing income and expenses for the family from 1925 to 1959. http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 1
Also included are four items of correspondence, two from Lucy to her daughter Trudy, one to her from her sister Debora, and one to Barbara Sendt, daughter of Helen Storms, concerning Wagy family genealogy. There are also 15 photographs of Lucy and her children, a granddaughter and great grandchild. Administrative Information Acquisition Information The diaries and other material were donated to the University of Idaho Library by Mrs. Ramsey's granddaughter, Barbara Sendt, between May 1986 and June 1990. Detailed Description of the Collection Series I. Diaries, 1895-1959 Box/Folder 1/1 May 4, 1895 to May 25, 1896 1/2 May 26, 1896 to January 23, 1897 1/3 January 24, 1897 to August 11, 1897 1/4 August 12, 1897 to February 28, 1898 1/5 March 1, 1898 to May 31, 1889 1/6 June 1, 1898 to December 31, 1899 1/7 January 1, 1900 to December 31, 1900 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 2
1/8 January 1, 1901 to May 31, 1902 1/9 June 1, 1902 to June-14, 1903 1/10 June 15, 1903 to October 31, 1903 1/11 November 1, 1903 to December 17, 1904 1/12 December 18, 1904 to September 27, 1906 1/13 September 28, 1906 to November 27, 1907 1/14 November 28, 1907 to April 28, 1918 1/15 April 29, 1918 to September 25, 1918 1/16 September 26, 1918 to November 30, 1919 1/17 December 1, 1919 to June 18, 1922 1/18 June 19, 1922 to April 20, 1923 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 3
1/19 April 21, 1923 to March 31, 1924 1/20 April 1, 1924 to April 17, 1925 1/21 April 18, 1925 to February 20, 1926 1/22 Account Book January 1925 to March 1926 1/23 February 21, 1926 to July 31, 1927 2/24 August 1, 1927 to December 31, 1927 2/25 Account Book April 1927 to June 1929 2/26 January 1, 1928 to February 19, 1929 2/27 February 20, 1929 to March 9, 1930 2/28 March 10, 1930 to October 25, 1930 2/29 October 26, 1930 to July 9, 1931 2/30 July 10, 1931 to March 17, 1932 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 4
2/31 March 18, 1932 to November 18, 1932 2/32 November 19, 1932 to August 26, 1933 2/33 August 27, 1933 to April 4, 1934 2/34 April 5, 1934 to October 31, 1934 2/35 November 1, 1934 to May 31, 1935 2/36 June 1, 1935 to December 24, 1935 2/37 December 25, 1935 to July 26, 1936 2/38 July 27, 1936 to April 12, 1937 2/39 April 13, 1937 to December 12, 1937 2/40 December 13, 1937 to September 5, 1938 2/41 September 6, 1938 to November 24, 1939 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 5
2/42 November 25, 1939 to July 25, 1940 2/43 July 26, 1940 to January 10, 1941 2/44 Account Book 1940 2/45 January 1, 1941 to December 31, 1941 2/46 Account Book 1941 2/47 January 1, 1942 to August 25, 1942 2/48 Account Book 1942 2/49 Account Book 1942 2/50 August 26, 1942 to December 31, 1943 2/51 Account Book 1943 2/52 January 1, 1944 to September 24, 1944 2/53 September 25, 1944 to February 16, 1945 2/54 February 17, 1945 to June 30, 1945 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 6
2/55 July 1, 1945 to October 12, 1945 2/56 Account Book 1945 2/57 Account Book June 1945 to September 1947 2/58 October 13, 1945 to April 6, 1947 2/59 April 7, 1947 to September 16, 1947 2/60 September 17, 1947 to July 25, 1948 2/61 Account Book 1947 to 1951 2/62 July 26, 1948 to November 30, 1948 2/63 December 1, 1948 to April 30, 1949 2/64 May 1, 1949 to August 21, 1949 2/65 August 22, 1949 to December 25, 1949 2/66 December 26, 1949 to May 13, 1950 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 7
2/67 May 14, 1950 to September 21, 1950 2/68 September 22, 1950 to June 18, 1951 2/69 June 19, 1951 to October 31, 1951 2/70 November 1, 1951 to June 12, 1952 3/71 June 13, 1952 to September 27, 1952 3/72 September 28, 1952 to April 14, 1953 3/73 April 15, 1953 to October 18, 1953 3/74 October 19, 1953 to January 31, 1954 3/75 February 1, 1954 to July 23, 1954 3/76 July 24, 1954 to January 18, 1955 3/77 January 19, 1955 to September 28, 1955 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 8
3/78 September 29, 1955 to August 8, 1956 3/79 August 9, 1956 to October 15, 1956 3/80 October 16, 1956 to December 21, 1956 3/81 December 22, 1956 to October 15, 1957 3/82 October 16, 1957 to March 31, 1958 3/83 April 1, 1958 to May 10, 1958 3/84 May 11, 1958 to December 31, 1958 3/85 January 1, 1959 to January 31, 1959 3/86 Account Book 1952 to 1959 Series II. Other Items, 1895-1988 Box/Folder 3/87 Correspondence 4 items 1947-1988 3/88 Photographs ca. 1895 to 1965 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 9
16 items Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Farm life -- Idaho -- Sandpoint Region -- History -- Sources Farm life -- Idaho -- Sandpoint Region -- Photographs Occupations : Born Lucy Jane Wagy in Redfield, Kansas; married John Wesley Ramsey; lived on a farm near Sandpoint, Idaho, 1899-1954. Other Creators : Personal Names : Ramsey, Lucy Jane, 1873-1959--Archives. Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen 1990 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv30444 10