Lelia Ackley and Helen Ackley Diaries

The diary of Lelia Ackley from July-August 1905 documents her family's move to Idaho, first to a cabin near Big Rock. The Ackleys would later move to Caldwell, Idaho and operate a general merchandise store. The Ackleys traveled via horse and wagon in July 1905 searching for a claim to stake for gold mining in the mountains southeast of Boise, Idaho. The Ackleys were searching for a cabin near Big Rock; along the way they stopped at a place called the Golden Eagle for water. Lelia Ackley describes the cabin as filthy and infested with rats, while the baby was sunburned badly on the trip. She mentions the Bender Creek property where her husband and another man went to search for a claim. They also mention a location called the Flat Creek property. Eventually Orville chose to establish a general merchandise store. There are 14 pages of entries for a store from 1927. They appeared to be doing very well. Their daughter Helen is listed as one of the payees.

The diary of Helen W. Ackley, daughter of Lelia and Orville Ackley, is from her time as a nursing student at Berkeley Hospital in California in 1933-1934. The diary shares discusses her experiences while training to be a nurse. She was excited to work in the obstetrics and maternity department helping to deliver babies. She also writes about her unpleasant experiences including the death of at least one patient, meningitis, and other diseases and conditions. She also writes about local events including the lynching of a man who kidnapped and murdered Brooke Hart of San Jose, visiting Chinatown, a boat ride on San Francisco Bay, and a large street car strike that resulted in the National Guard moving into the city with tanks and over 4,000 troops.

The description here is based on information provided by the seller.

New material added on November 4, 2022: Helen Ackley Diary and Expense Journal. This diary or journal of Helen Ackley from 1924 is 109 handwritten pages in a small flip top notebook. The 1932 memorandum-style book is labeled on the front cover as the estate expenses of the estate of O.R. Ackley by Helen Ackley. The book contains 3 pages of estate expenses, one page poem "My Brother" by Hugh Randall Ackley, and one page listing the guests at George (1907-1975) and Jackie Ackley's wedding on May 24, 1932, at the Compton Baptist Parsonage. George was Helen's younger brother and Orville was her father.