Dear Home: the 1901 and 1902 Diaries of Mabel Lila Wait

Jacket Description/Back: As the new century dawns, Mabel Lila Wait's world falls apart. The death of both parents within one year seems to mean the certain loss of her home and economic security. Her diary records her determined efforts to pull herself out of this "terrible desolation" and rebuild her life. With new-found independence and business acumen, she succeeds in purchasing and managing the family farm. Ardently pursued by two suitors - one near and one far - she records her anguished indecision about the choices facing her. Publisher Marketing: As the new century dawns, Mabel Lila Wait's world falls apart. The death of both parents within one year seems to mean the certain loss of her home and economic security. Her diary records her determined efforts to pull herself out of this "terrible desolation" and rebuild her life. With new-found independence and business acumen, she succeeds in purchasing and managing the family farm. Ardently pursued by two suitors - one near and one far - she records her anguished indecision about the choices facing her. Publisher Marketing: In 1901, Mabel Lila Wait did an extraordinary thing - she took out a mortgage and bought the family farm. These diaries reveal her internal strife as she endeavours to negotiate business matters, and they offer much detail about early 20th-century family life, health, and work patterns.