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| Format | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author, Analytic | Wegner, Gregory Paul |
| Title, Analytic | The Anna Ruedy Diary: A Young Girl's Life among the 'Bangor Swiss,' 1874-1884 |
| Journal Title | Wisconsin Magazine of History |
| Date of Publication | Autumn 2010 |
| Volume ID | 94 |
| Issue ID | 1 |
| Location in Work | 40-53, ill. |
| Abstract | Born to a family of Swiss Germans who had originally settled in Honey Creek in Sauk County, Anna Ruedy belonged to one of Bangor, Wisconsin's wealthiest and most influential families (her father owned a 170-acre farm and a woolen mill on Dutch Creek). Her diary, began when she was 12 years old and written between 1874 and 1884, contains a wealth of information about immigrant history, the agrarian culture of western Wisconsin in general, and life in Bangor specifically during this period. The Ruedy family, like many immigrants in the area, was multilingual, and about half of Anna’s diary is in Swiss German and High German, switching to English as she grew older and fluent in that language. Her entries reflect a variety of cultural activities and farming practices of the time, mentioning how she drove a new Marsh Harvester reaping machine in 1874 at age 14, the flood of 1899, concerts and plays at Concordia Hall, English and German language classes, a literary society, gymnastics programs, and public lectures. She also noted births and deaths among the town’s residents and occasionally mentioned young men who were either the object of her affection or who sought her attention. In an effort to keep such relationships secret, Anna made some entries in Morse code. Anna lived into her 80s, dying in Glendale, Calif., during World War II. |
| Call Number | MKI P2011-8 |
| MKI Terms | Swiss Americans -- Wisconsin/ Bangor (Wis.)/ Diaries/ 19th century/ Farm life/ Rural life & conditions/ Ruedy/ Bosshard |