Mildred Dvorak papers
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
The Mildred Dvorak papers date from 1947 to 2015 and measure 15 linear feet (3 boxes). The papers are arranged in two series: Personal and Financial records.
The Personal series consists primarily of ten diaries spanning 1956-1997, the majority of which are five-year diaries with brief daily entries. Dvorak recorded information about her daily routine, including farm work, childcare, church attendance, and social engagements. Diaries also document special events and trips, such as the family’s cross-country drive to California in the 1960s. Dvorak’s sense of humor is evident in various entries. This series also includes a program from Dvorak’s funeral service, with brief biographical details.
The Financial records series consists of sixty-one farm account books for 1947-1956 and 1960-1983. There are no account books for 1948 or 1953. These daily financial records break down farm expenses for fuel, seed, animal feed, equipment, and hired labor. The family typically had income from the sale of eggs, livestock, and crops such as oats, corn, and hay. Both the account books and the diaries offer evidence of Mildred Dvorak’s contributions to household income through labor and management of the farm.
Dates
- Creation: 1947-2015
Creator
- Dvorak, Mildred, 1926-2015 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The papers are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.
However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/
Biographical / Historical
Mildred Dvorak was born to Rudolph Vratisovsky and Charlotte (Melsa) Vratisovsky in Tama County, Iowa in 1926. She married Edward R. Dvorak, a soldier returning from service in World War II, in 1947 and the couple went on to have two children, Carol and Cindy. Dvorak valued education for her children, especially given the fact that she and her husband only had the opportunity to obtain an eighth-grade education. After their marriage, Edward Dvorak purchased the farm that had been in Mildred Dvorak’s family for two generations. The family lived there, raising crops and livestock, until Edward’s death in 1985. Mildred Dvorak later sold the farm and moved to Marion, Iowa, where she died in 2015.
Extent
15.00 linear inches
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Twentieth-century farm woman from Tama County, Iowa.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers (donor no. 1422) were donated by Cindy Dvorak and Carol Luke (Mildred’s daughters) in 2015.
- Author
- Erik Henderson and Heather Cooper, 2019
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)
lib-women@uiowa.edu