World War I scrapbook of Grace V. Hobson, 1918-1919
Overview
Scrapbook of nurse Grace V. Hobson documenting her tour of duty in France with the Army Nurse Corps during World War I.
Dates
- Creation: 1918-1919
Language of Materials
Materials in English and French.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Collection is open for research.
Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours in advance.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Grace V. Hobson as well as copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
.96 linear feet (1 folio box)The collection consists of a scrapbook kept by Grace V. Hobson during her service in France with the Army Nurse Corps during World War I. The scrapbook is titled, "A Scrap Book of the A.E.F" and has a dedication reading, "Dedicated - most lovingly to Mary F. Montgomery alias - 'Mont' my blackeyed ally who 'stood pat' by me through all the joys and glooms of a year with the American Expeditionary Forces in France - July 1918 - July 1919." The scrapbook documents Hobson's tour of duty and includes photographs (of Hobson with fellow nurses and with soldiers and patients, as well as images of the destruction caused by the war); postcards; fliers; military documents and identification cards; correspondence; and a report by Hobson critiquing the nurses who reported to her, one of whom she designated as "poor" due to "repeated disobedience." Also included in the scrapbook is a letter authorizing Hobson and Montgomery to visit occupied territory in Belgium. Hobson annotated most of the pages in the scrapbook with diary-like entries. The collection also includes a folder of loose correspondence removed from the front of the scrapbook.
BIOGRAPHY
Grace V. Hobson was born in Nebraska in 1888 or 1889, the daughter of Adelia Jane and Benjamin Franklin Hobson. She was living in Chicago, Illinois, when World War I broke out. She joined the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) with the Army Nurse Corps and completed her training at Base Hospital 14 in Mars-sur-Allier, France. She was then stationed at several smaller camp hospitals designed to support rear echelon units. She served as head nurse at one or more of these hospitals. Hobson left France in July, on USS George Washington. Upon her return to the United States, she worked as a nurse in Los Angeles, California.
Physical Location
Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number: 2021-M107
The scrapbook of Grace V. Hobson was acquired by the Schlesinger Library from Between the Covers in June 2021.
Processing Information
Processed: August 2021
By: Susan Earle
The Schlesinger Library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit. Finding aids may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was made possible by the Carl & Lily Pforzheimer Fund, Pforzheimer Fund for the Schlesinger Library, Sybil Shainwald Fund at the Schlesinger Library, and Class of 1955 Manuscript Processing Fund.
- EAD ID
- sch02080
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.