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Preferred Citation:

Mae Alvan Belt Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information:

Purchase.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally processed in April 2010 by Ute Schechter, Warren E. Burger Archivist.

Biographical Information:

Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .

Scope and Contents

3 Diaries, 1933, 1936-1940 and 1941-1943 of Mae Alvan Belt of Rockville, Maryland. The 1933 girl scout diary was written while Mae Belt was a teenager and contains brief entries that mention school, house work, and social life. The 1936-1940 diary contains brief daily entries. Mae Belt seems to live with her parents and mentions going to work, working some evenings, helping with Red Cross work, doing house hold chores, but also comments on her social life and particular her courtship with a man named Frank, whom she should marry in the early 1940s.

The 1941-1943 volume also contains brief daily entries relating to her work, her relationship with Frank, and social activities. At some time she was enrolled in Red Cross nursing classes and also mentions her engagement to Frank and moving into a room of her own.

The following description was provided by the seller:

"The diaries represent the years 1933 (Girl Scout diary), 1936-1940 (5 year diary) and 1941-1943 (Another 5 year diary but only 3 years written on). By the time the 1936 diary begins, Mae is in her early 20's, dating a man by the name of Frank, either is in or has been to college and wonders if Frank and her will be married before he gets drafted. They also take a 2 week road trip at the end of summer in 1940 to Yellowstone Park and I believe that is where she buys her Yellowstone diary. I've taken most of my quotes from that particular trip. The Girl Scout diary has entries from March 17th through November 1st. The entries have to do with her time as a teenage girl but there are no entries about the girl scouts. There were also 6 postcards with this lot and 1 photo (found in one of the diaries). All of the postcards date between 1937-1941 [addressed to Mae Belt."

For selected excerpts, also provided by the seller, see finding aid link below.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Clippings (information artifacts)
• Courtship--United States--History--20th century
• Diaries
• Maryland--Social life and customs--20th century
• Photographs
• Postcards
• Women--Diaries