Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson Diaries, 1933-1972

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Thompson, Lucetta S.(Mary Lucetta Shumway), 1883-1976
Title
Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson Diaries
Dates
1933-1972 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 boxes, (1.75 linear feet)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 52
Summary
This collection contains the diaries of Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson was born on November 13, 1883 in Clarkston, Utah, to Charles M. and Agnes Jardine Shumway. She was raised and educated in Cache County, Utah. On February 4, 1902, she was married to James J. Thompson in the Logan LDS Temple. Mrs. Thompson was a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and with her husband, raised eight children in Garland, Utah. The children, three boys (J. Delos, Odell S., and W. Blaine Thompson) and five girls (Agnes, Blanche, Melba, Laura, and Lola Ruth) remained close to their mother until her death on February 29, 1976 at the age of 92. (Biographical information obtained through obituary contained in the March 4, 1976 issue of the Tremonton Leader/Garland Times.)

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Exemplifying a senior woman's life in rural Utah from the 1930s to the 1970s, the Shumway Thompson collection focuses on the daily activities of Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson, including what she termed in her diaries as “Mormon handicraft,” or netting and sewing, and her daily interactions with her family members, particularly her daughters. Mrs. Thompson was constantly surrounded by family, and she noted in her 1958 journal that until her husband's death that year, she had spent only a few nights alone. The collection also contains routine events Thompson encountered as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, including her weekly attendance of Sunday School, and her interactions with local ecclesiastical leaders.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson Diaries must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson Diaries USU_Coll MSS 52, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_Coll MSS 52, USUSCA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Diaries arranged by date.

Processing Note

Processed in January of 2003.

Acquisition Information

Received from the James Joseph Thompson Family Organizations in 1979.

Related Materials

The burgs on the Bear : reflections on two small town relief societies 1900-1978 (Item MSS 116)

A digital copy can be found in the Digital Library CollectionsCache Valley Diaries

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Journals 1933-1945Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
14 Journals
1933 January to 1945 December
Folder
1 1
Letter to Mary Lucetta Shumway Thompson from sister Maud
1936

Journals 1946 to 1957 Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
2
12 Journals
1946 January to 1957 December

Journals 1958 to 1966Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
3
9 Journals
1958 January to 1966 December

Journals, 1967-1972Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
4
6 Journals
1967 January to 1972 December

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Housekeeping--Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho)
  • Women--Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho)--Diaries
  • Housewives--Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho)--Diaries
  • Mormon women--Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho)--Diaries

Personal Names

  • Thompson, James, 1878-1958
  • Thompson, Lucetta S.(Mary Lucetta Shumway), 1883-1976
  • Thompson, Blaine, 1911

Family Names

  • Shumway family.
  • Thompson family.

Geographical Names

  • Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho)--Biography
  • Garland (Utah)--Biography

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries--Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho)