Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Accession No. RARE.2026.0056: Purchased, 2026 January
[identification of item], Edyth Shaw Diaries, SPEC.RARE.0393, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.
Processed by: Sierra Sales, 2026 May; Finding aid written by: Sierra Sales, 2026 May
Edyth Shaw (1886-1976) was a seamstress and Red Cross volunteer from Dayton, Ohio. In 1942, Shaw was employed at the Elder and Johnston Company department store as an alteration clerk. In 1943, she became a volunteer for the American Red Cross, and she began taking home nursing courses. As an American Red Cross volunteer, she was tasked with cutting bandages. Shaw also frequently hosted friends at her home for lunch and dinner, and traveled to Troy and Columbus, Ohio, for church and to visit friends.
The Edyth Shaw Diaries, dated 1942-1945, are four diaries containing daily entries from Edyth Shaw. Shaw documented her personal life by writing about the weather, people, and places she visited, her job, appointments, and her health. In addition to those personal anecdotes, Shaw documented the changes that World War II brought to the United States and the city of Dayton. She shared details about how her work hours were changed so employees could get home before the mandated “blackout.” Beginning in her 1943 diary, Shaw wrote about her volunteer work at the American Red Cross and her friend Ann, who was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps. The diaries also include entries about food and clothing rationing, paying war bonds, and changing the clocks to “Eastern War Time.”