Special Collections Research Center
spcoll@wm.eduFinding Aid Authors: Ute Schechter.
Administrative Information
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Preferred Citation:
Claire Lillian Wight Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information:
Purchase.
Processing Information:
Accessioned and processed in June 2009 by Ute Schechter.
Biographical Information:
"Claire was born on August 6, 1894, and was the daughter of Rev. W. E. Wight. After she married, around 1916, her surname changed to PAYNE.She was a student at Kalamazoo College from 1913 - 1916 and was the singles Tennis Champ for 4 years, later to be inducted into the Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of Fame, October 17th, 1987.
Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: Claire Lilian Wight
Scope and Contents
Two diaries, 1907-1908 kept by Claire Lilian Wight (b. 1894) of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Claire Wight was 13 years old when she began her first diary in 1907. Claire records daily activities such as school visits, reading, attending concerts, social and family activities, vacations, taking music lessons and playing tennis and going to the YWCA. Also included are two calling cards, one of Claire's and one of her uncle as well as a newspaper clipping for the "Tennessee Colored Jubilee Singers," whose performance Claire mentions in her diary.
The following description was provided by the seller:
"The first diary was kept in a ledger book. It measures 3 1/2" x 5 1/2", and has 47 pages filled with entries that date from July 18, 1907 to September 20, 1907. The second diary was kept in a memorandum book. It measures 4 3/4" x 6 1/4", and has 84 pages filled with entries that date from September 21, 1907 to April 3, 1908. Claire writes of her activities at school, home, and with her friends. She went boating on "Gull Lake", had her picture taken in town, enjoyed making candy, attended lectures, played dominoes and other games, went to football games, took music and painting lessons, went coasting and ice skating with her friends, and much more! She writes of her parents going to Battle Creek and Grand Rapids, of buying Valentines, making Christmas presents, and so on."
For excerpts from the diary, provided by the seller, see the finding aid link below.
Related Material
Claire Lilian Wight Diaries, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Accession 2009.33.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Diaries
- Michigan--Social life and customs
- Teenage girls--Diaries
- Teenagers--Diaries
- Teenagers--Social life and customs
- Visting cards
Container List
Scope and Contents The following excerpts were provided by the seller: "HERE ARE SOME EXCERPTS FROM THE DIARIES - Please Keep In Mind That These Are Partial Entries, And There Is More For You To Read! ".....Got up, picked 2 1/2 quarts of raspberries, ate dinner and then went to Kalamazoo. Chautauqua Assembly at Bakwood Park with Mrs. DeWater. Esther, Hazel, the Misses Moor and Mammy. While there heard the Tennessee Colored Jubilee Singers and it was fine....Oh dear me, I never had such a funny day! We went to Oakwood in the afternoon and the program was fine. Up to the lecture at 2:30 and that was horrid, before it closed it was raining awfully. Then instead of the Tennesseans, they had the orchestra and it was fine. Then Miss Hemenway came on in a long white robe with a white cross hanging at her side and her hair in two braids down her back. It was fine!!! She had to stop once because of the rain. When she stoped it just rained torrents! I never saw it rain so hard before. it was just a perfect roar. The roof of the tent was leaking and people had there umbrella's up. Well it rained and it rained and it rained! And at about 8:00 the roof broke in one place and it came down in tub fulls.....Went to Chautauqua and it was fine! Mrs. Trabert and Louise treated me to an ice cream cone. I bought a box of Cracker Jack. Mrs. Maywrick spoke and it was very sad. She was in prison 15 yrs. with nothing but stone under her feet all that time. For the first 9 mo. she had mutton broth to eat, for the 2nd 9 mo. she had mutton broth with mutton in it, and for the rest of the time she had bief and potatoes. Her cell was 6 ft by 3 ft and she had to shovel coal 10 hrs. a day. She was accused of killing her husband.....I went with Mrs. Dewey, Mr. Dewey, Frances, Cornelia, Evert and Clovis, and Mrs. Hazard, Hilda, Charlotte and another lady and Hazel to Oak Wood Port and heard Creatore's band. Creatore has hair that comes down to his shoulder. There were from 50 to 100 in the band. I rode on the merry go round 2 times and I was in the lovers tub both times with Cornelia....In the afternoon May and the Misses Moore and Mrs. Waite and our folks went out to Whites Lake for a corn roast and we had lots of fun. May and I walked around the lake....In the afternoon went up to E & C and we dressed up in boys close and had our pictures taken by Florence Dewey....Went to school had lots of fun in Miss Vincents room, I had to sit on the front seat because I talked so much, but I didn't any more than R. P.....I went to Long Lake with the folks and had lots of fun. We went for a sail in the afternoon and mamma and Aunt Emma got scared and I was at the ours and the white caps were awfully high and I had to pull with all my might and sometimes it seemed as if we didn't move at all....I am going to make a quilt out of those silks James gave me....In the evening mamma and Mrs. DeWater took Esther and Cornelia and Rosamond and Edith and Cecil and I down to the gym and Oh! Oh! Oh! but it is grand. I'm going to join for sure.... We went to masque party at the Y.W.C.A. and had lots of fun there, from 80 to 100 people there, they had it in the gymnasium down on Burdich St. I had my fortune told in the gypsies tent and it said that I would travel a great deal, that I would have a long life and that I would marry just once and that time for love, that my heart was going to be almost broken once and that I had a good disposition and a determined will.....I went to school and after school I went down town to see the dentist. He just about killed me....Esther and I and Cecille and Cornelia and May went to the Episcapal Church in the morning, in the evening Mamma and Gene took Esther and I to the Catholic Church and I thought it was real queer....I saw mama's and papa's keepsakes tonight and papa and mama read a few love letters out loud......" Some of the names she mentions in the diaries are: Ellen Campbell ~ Mrs Maywrick ~ Frederick Warde ~ Louis Trabert ~ Cornelia Dewey ~ Dorthy Burrell ~ Mrs Waite ~ Miss Moore ~ Mr. Hanchett ~ Edith Bogards ~ Mrs. Oakley ~ Dr. Della Pierce ~ Esther DeWater ~ Marian Taft ~ Pricilla Smith ~ Mrs. Rogers ~ Harold Smith ~ Florence Tompson ~ Mrs. Taft ~ Ardith Claire ~ Mr. Starkweather ~ Fred Adams ~ May Drake ~ Elma Furst ~ Lyman Howes ~ Cecille Hamm ~ Florence Dewey ~ Lola Kazzer ~ Don Adams ~ and others. Some of the places she mentions in the diaries are: Kalamazoo ~ Chautauqua ~ Battle Creek ~ Gull Lake ~ White Lake ~ Long Lake ~ Grand Rapids and others.