Cushman Family Papers, 1918-1985

This collection is divided into four series.

Series I: Correspondence (1919-1985) The bulk of the correspondence is letters to Clarice Cushman from her husband, William Cushman, when he was away from home in the U.S. Navy during WWII, in Liberia for four years, in the Warm Springs mental health facility in Montana, and in the Veterans Hospital in Sheridan, Wyoming. The letters chronicle the family’s daily lives, the centrality of religious beliefs, marital discord, and four decades of Clarice Cushman’s attempts to find medical and education assistance for their son, Roger Cushman, who had severe disabilities. The correspondence also includes letters from relatives, friends and institutions, letters received by William Cushman, and letters received by Roger Cushman.

Series II: Diaries and Scrapbooks (1920-1971) includes Clarice Cushman’s diaries, that begin a few years before her marriage to William Cushman in 1935 and end during WWII. Her sometimes daily brief entries reveal her daily activities, social contacts, and later interactions with her husband. The more sporadic entries in William Cushman’s diaries describe his work and include one lengthier examination of his feelings about his marriage and his wife while they are apart. Clarice Cushman’s scrapbook (1920-1925) contains photos and memorabilia of her school years beginning in high school and ending when she is awarded a teaching certificate. The other two scrapbooks of local music and school events may have been done as an exercise with the Cushman’s son, Roger.

Series III: Financial Records (1928-1968) consists of a few scattered bank records and some daily and weekly income and expenditure lists.

Series IV: Miscellaneous (1918-1974) consists of memorabilia from high school, weddings, and births as well as various types of personal identification, a genealogy, church programs, and religious tracts. The few identified photos are of the Cushmans around the late 1930s.