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Introduction | Biographical Sketch | Scope and Contents | Inventory
Introduction
The Alice Tapp Williams Diaries were transferred to the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University in
February 1981 with the cooperation of Blake Tyson of Wayne, Ohio to whom the originals have been returned. The collection
consists of two volumes spanning the time between July 1, 1914 and October 5, 1918.
The register for the Alice Tapp Williams Diaries was prepared by Jare R. Cardinal, graduate assistant, History Department,
Bowling Green State University.
Biographical Sketch
Alice Tapp Williams, daughter of Walter (Louis) and Florence Stannard Tapp was born on November 24, 1893. Nothing is known
of her early life. In 1911, she, along with her widowed mother and her brothers Lewis Preston (born December 7, 1891) and
Bert, moved to Toledo, Ohio. Both Alice and her mother worked intermittently, she as a clerk at various clothing stores (including
A. S. Hickok and Milners) and her mother as a seamstress. Preston worked as an assembler, but was employed only occasionally
due to poor health.
On July 6, 1915, Alice and her mother moved to Prairie Depot, Wood County, Ohio to live with the Stannards because of financial
difficulties. Florence Tapp continued to work while Alice kept house. Alice lived in Prairie Depot until February 19, 1916
when she married Clyde O. Williams, a plumber in Toledo. They had one son, James Stannard Williams, born December 21, 1917.
The Williams family rented a house on Point Place Road, Toledo and resided there until Alice's death on December 28, 1918.
Both she and her brother Preston (who died on January 1, 1917) suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis. Her husband, Clyde, eventually
remarried and continued to reside in Toledo until his death on June 17, 1972.
Scope and Content
The Alice Tapp Williams Diaries record the daily occurrences of a young woman living in Toledo, Ohio from 1914 until her death
from tuberculosis in 1918. They not only give excellent insight into the busy social life of an unmarried woman and her friends,
but how that life changed after her marriage. The diaries express Alice's views on men, dating, work, marriage, concern over
finances, her brother's failing health from tuberculosis, and her psychological dependence on her mother. Researchers will
find it helpful not only for these reasons but also for its information about Toledo, Ohio in the early 20th century.
Order of Microfilming
Roll 1
- Diary, July 1, 1914-November 9, 1915
- Diary, November 23, 1915-October 5, 1918
MS 168 - Alice Tapp Williams Transcript List
Manuscripts by Subject | Women's Studies Collections
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