Personal Diary From 1957 Reveals What Life Was Like As A Housewife

A housewife's journal from the 1950s, chronicling the activities she engaged in daily.

Paul

• Published in Interesting
• November 23, 2021

There's an exhilarating feeling that comes with shopping at a secondhand store. You know the sensation of anticipation and excitement when you locate a great deal at a discount store.

That's fine, but it doesn't necessarily have to be something that's both beautiful and useful. The item could also be a rarity, something you wouldn't have expected to discover in a thrift shop but did nevertheless.

And then there was this diary which belonged to a woman in the South Central United States from the 1950s that this TikToker came across. The internet, it turns out, is just as interested as they were in learning about what life was like in the past.

A very old diary from 1957 had already been filled to the brim with writings. The old diary was discovered in a thrift store by TikToker, who goes by the handle @otherworlddesign.

The TikToker was able to determine the owner after reading it. It turned out to be Nellie, a housewife from Oklahoma.

It's not clear how this diary came up on the shelves of a thrift store even though personal items such as this are commonplace at such establishments. A TikTok channel dedicated to exploring passages from the journal was shortly created.

It publishes a single entry from a specific day every few days or so. Because of the diary's small size, entries ranged from a few words to a few sentences.

Old diary

Keeping a diary is a way to keep track of the things that are important to you. For those who like to keep track of their thoughts and feelings, a diary is a good place to start.

You are free to write about whatever you want, whenever you want without fear of criticism from people around you.

Based on events

Nellie documented what she did or went through during the day. The more comprehensive and eventful comments include her attendance at a wedding, which she described as "just as gorgeous as the others," while others are more mood-driven, such as eating all day.

Thoughts and feelings

Keeping a diary might help you become more conscious of your thoughts and feelings. Understanding oneself in this way gives you a means of conveying your sentiments concretely.

Catching flies

Being Grateful

Outing cancelled

The first T.G.&Y. variety store opened in Oklahoma. Rural villages and small towns were the first to get the outlets, which then spread to the suburbs as shopping malls grew in the 1960s and 1970s.

Wedding bells

Many people find diaries to be an excellent tool for expressing one's feelings as well as recording dreams or thoughts.

Company of friends

Keeping track of events/shows attended

Through the use of Social media, the TikToker was able to obtain two more Nellie's journals, from around 20 years earlier. The channel itself also created a movement of sorts in which Nellie became the subject of an internet investigation.

Dropping off flowers

Gravesite

As a single mother of six children, Nellie turned to alcohol to make ends meet after her husband Samuel was hit by a train and admitted into an asylum. @otherworlddesign visited Nellie's gravesite to pay respects and hoped to find out more about Nellie.

Since the channel's inception, it's been a viral sensation. The videos have millions of views, with nearly 4 million likes and roughly 340,000 followers.

Paul