IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES

IOWA CITY, IOWA

TITLE:»HER OWN STORY: TEN BENTON COUNTY WOMEN

SUBTITLE:»

»ORAL HISTORIES, DATES:»1983-1992

QUANTITY:»10 linear inches

ACQUISITION:	The »papers (donor no. 199) were donated by »Bettie McKenzie and the Benton County AAUW in 1994.
ACCESS:	The »papers are open for research.
COPYRIGHT:	Copyright is held by the Vinton Branch of the American Association of University Women.
PROCESSED BY:	Your name, year»Natalie S. Brody, 1994.

»History

Begin text here:»Her Own Story: Ten Benton County Women is a women's oral history project of the Vinton, Iowa, American Association of University Women (AAUW). In 1984 members of the AAUW interviewed and taped the histories of ten Benton County women. In 1985 the tapes were transcribed, resulting in over 900 pages of typescript. To put the transcripts into a more accessible form, Bettie McKenzie of Red Oak, Iowa, volunteered in 1988 to edit them. In 1992 the book, Her Own Story: Two Benton County Women, was completed. Two bound copies were placed in the Vinton Public Library and are available on inter-library loan. A slide-tape show was produced based on these interviews and is also available at the Vinton library. All of the women, who were born at the turn of the twentieth century, were asked questions about family background, education, work history, personal memories and historical events. Their stories reveal ten individuals of varying backgrounds and experiences, yet who are typical of women on farms and in small towns of the Midwest. The project was supported with grants from the Iowa Humanities Board and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Scope and Content Note

Begin text here:» The interviews that make up Her Own Story: Ten Benton County Women were conducted in 1984, and the manuscript completed in 1992. The transcripts, manuscript, and related material together measure 10 linear inches. The papers are arranged in three series: Correspondence, Transcripts, and Manuscript. The Correspondence series (1992) includes communications relating to the publication of the project. The second series Transcripts (1984) contains transcripts of the original taped interviews. The Manuscript series consists of the preliminary draft and the final copy of Her Own Story: Ten Benton County Women edited by Bettie McKenzie.

Box no. Description

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Box 1

Correspondence, 1992

Transcripts, 1984

Beck, Jennie (teacher)

Burrows, Bess (nurse)

Geiger, Nira (clerk)

Geiken, Freida (farming)

Mumford, Ruth (homemaker and farm manager)

Sallee, Dorothy (postal worker)

Schroeder, Alvena (housekeeper and hairdresser)

Schueler, Allegra (teacher)

Smith, Gertrude (farming)

Williams, Esther (office worker) (2 folders)

Box 2

Manuscript: Her Own Story: Ten Benton County Women

Draft

Preface/biographies

Beck, Jennie

Burrows, Bess

Geiger, Nira

Geiken, Freida

Mumford, Ruth

Sallee, Dorothy

Schroeder, Alvena

Schueler, Allegra

Smith, Gertrude

Williams, Esther

Final copy (unbound, 3 folders)