Between the pages: Brucemore transcribes more diaries for their collection

Between the years of 1909 and 1930, Ella McDannel, nanny at Brucemore for the Douglas family, would sit down and write about her days living at Brucemore in a journal.

That journal, with about 30 other diaries, has been transcribed and archived at the mansion to help preserve the history of the house and its former owners. The collection includes those of family members and their servants.

'(The diaries]) are a window into the entire reason we are here,” said Jessica Peel-Austin, museum program manager at Brucemore. 'They give us insights into the thoughts and the daily lives of the families who built this estate and who left it here for the community.”

A majority of the diaries have made their way back to the house by donation from the ancestors of the families. Other artifacts have been donated by businesses and organizations that have been affiliated with Brucemore's history.

After the diary is acquired, Peel-Austin's staff makes sure it's in good condition and has the proper packaging to be stored. Staff then take digital images of the pages using either a high resolution camera or scanner. A volunteer then types out each of the diary entries for record.

One volunteer typed out all 143 pages of McDannel's diary, known as Danny the Nanny. The volunteer came several days a week for months in order to complete the project.

'We use (artifacts and diaries) for primarily the tours because that's our main vehicle of sharing our history - the tours people come on a daily basis,” Peel-Austin said. 'Our guides have access to these materials and we create guide scripts and tour scripts that they can use.”

The museum also has used the information to help support exhibits. After transcribing one of the 1926 diaries of Irene Douglas, staff used the information in a display on the Grant Wood Sleeping Porch.

Danny the Nanny's diary describes life at Brucemore from a different perspective - one from a servant. The Douglas family moved into Brucemore in 1906. Danny, who was in her 30s was hired in 1909. She cared for the three Douglas daughters, primarily Ellen and Barbara. When George Douglas, head of the household, died, Danny became a close friend of Irene Douglas.

'We get a picture of what it was like raising the girls, what it was like when they were young, the type of work (Danny) did and kind of an unusual relationship that she had with the family,” Peel-Austin said. 'She was more than just a servant.”

Her personality and interest showed through in her diary. Originally from Elgin, Danny remained close to her family. She was a trained nurse and often wrote about the medical progress of the young daughters.

However, one of Peel-Austin's favorite stories from the transcription is when the family traveled abroad to Scotland in 1913.

'We got to read about the museums and all the places they went to visit while they were there and what their daily life was like while they were taking this fabulous trip across Europe,” Peel-Austin said.

Danny, though, stayed professional, no matter how close to the family she was. She always refers to Irene Douglas as Mrs. Douglas, even in her journal.

'It gives you an idea the kind of social relationship that they had,” Peel-Austin said. 'They were living in this house, but not on the same social level.”

The transcripts are not public, but they are trying to digitize them and there is potential for it to be publicized later. Meanwhile, the museum will continue to take artifacts and apply them to Brucemore exhibits as best they can.

'One thing that comes across in all of the diaries that we have is how important life in Cedar Rapids was to the families and all of the things they were involved in,” Peel-Austin said. '(The diaries) encapsulate the reasons we are here and the basis for Brucemore today.