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Manuscript Group 231

Lucy Jane (Wagy) Ramsey, 1873-1959
Diaries, 1895-1959

2.5 cubic feet

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. They were processed by Judith Nielsen in August 1990. OCR 2/02

A Brief Biography Of Lucy Jane (Wagy) Ramsey, 1873-1959

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.

Introduction

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.

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.

Lucy Jane (Wagy) Ramsey

Inventory

Box Folder Description

I. Diaries, 1895-1959

1	1	May 4, 1895 to May 25, 1896
	2	May 26, 1896 to January 23, 1897
	3	January 24, 1897 to August 11, 1897
	4	August 12, 1897 to February 28, 1898
	5	March 1, 1898 to May 31, 1889

	6	June 1, 1898 to December 31, 1899
	7	January 1, 1900 to December 31, 1900
	8	January 1, 1901 to May 31, 1902
	9	June 1, 1902 to June-14, 1903 
	10	June 15, 1903 to October 31, 1903

	11	November 1, 1903 to December 17, 1904
	12	December 18, 1904 to September 27, 1906
	13	September 28, 1906 to November 27, 1907
	14	November 28, 1907 to April 28, 1918 
	15	April 29, 1918 to September 25, 1918

	16	September 26, 1918 to November 30, 1919
	17	December 1, 1919 to June 18, 1922
	18	June 19, 1922 to April 20, 1923
	19	April 21, 1923 to March 31, 1924
	20	April 1, 1924 to April 17, 1925

	21	April 18, 1925 to February 20, 1926
	22	Account Book, January 1925 to March 1926
	23	February 21, 1926 to July 31, 1927

2	24	August 1, 1927 to December 31, 1927
	25	Account Book, April 1927 to June 1929
	26	January 1, 1928 to February 19, 1929
	27	February 20, 1929 to March 9, 1930
	28	March 10, 1930 to October 25, 1930

	29	October 26, 1930 to July 9, 1931
	30	July 10, 1931 to March 17, 1932
	31	March 18, 1932 to November 18, 1932
	 32	November 19, 1932 to August 26, 1933
	 33	August 27, 1933 to April 4, 1934

	 34	April 5, 1934 to October 31, 1934
	 35	November 1, 1934 to May 31, 1935
	 36	June 1, 1935 to December 24, 1935
	 37	December 25, 1935 to July 26, 1936
	 38	July 27, 1936 to April 12, 1937

	 39	April 13, 1937 to December 12, 1937
	 40	December 13, 1937 to September 5, 1938
	 41	September 6, 1938 to November 24, 1939
	 42	November 25, 1939 to July 25, 1940
	 43	July 26, 1940 to January 10, 1941

	 44	Account Book, 1940
	 45	January 1, 1941 to December 31, 1941
	 46	Account Book, 1941
	 47	January 1, 1942 to August 25, 1942
	 48	Account Book, 1942

	 49	Account Book, 1942
	 50	August 26, 1942 to December 31, 1943
	 51	Account Book, 1943
	 52	January 1, 1944 to September 24, 1944
	 53	September 25, 1944 to February 16, 1945

	 54	February 17, 1945 to June 30, 1945
	 55	July 1, 1945 to October 12, 1945
	 56	Account Book, 1945
	 57	Account Book, June 1945 to September 1947
	 58	October 13, 1945 to April 6, 1947

	 59	April 7, 1947 to September 16, 1947
	 60	September 17, 1947 to July 25, 1948
	 61	Account Book, 1947 to 1951
	 62	July 26, 1948 to November 30, 1948
	 63	December 1, 1948 to April 30, 1949

	 64	May 1, 1949 to August 21, 1949
	 65	August 22, 1949 to December 25, 1949
	 66	December 26, 1949 to May 13, 1950
	 67	May 14, 1950 to September 21, 1950
	 68	September 22, 1950 to June 18, 1951

	 69	June 19, 1951 to October 31, 1951
	 70	November 1, 1951 to June 12, 1952
	3	71	June 13, 1952 to September 27, 1952
	 72	September 28, 1952 to April 14, 1953
	 73	April 15, 1953 to October 18, 1953

	 74	October 19, 1953 to January 31, 1954
	 75	February 1, 1954 to July 23, 1954
	 76	July 24, 1954 to January 18, 1955
	 77	January 19, 1955 to September 28, 1955
	 78	September 29, 1955 to August 8, 1956

	 79	August 9, 1956 to October 15, 1956
	 80	October 16, 1956 to December 21, 1956
	 81	December 22, 1956 to October 15, 1957
	 82	October 16, 1957 to March 31, 1958
	 83	April 1, 1958 to May 10, 1958

	 84	May 11, 1958 to December 31, 1958
	 85	January 1, 1959 to January 31, 1959
	 86	Account Book, 1952 to 1959


II. Other Items, 1895 to 1988

87 Correspondence, 1947-1988 4 88 Photographs, ca.1895 to 1965 16

February 2002 / mg231.htm

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