Letters home, April 1918

The fifteenth folder in the Natalie Gookin papers contains letters written every day between Bryn Mawr College sophomore Natalie Gookin and her family in Chicago during April 1918. These letters have been arranged chronologically according to the date that they were written. In her letters, Natalie displays the close and intimate relationship she has with her father, mother, and aunt as she expresses her every desire and thought. Most often, she relates her every day schedule and thoughts on what she’s doing, such as her English, Latin, and geology courses, her friends, and various events in the Bryn Mawr community. She spends most of her time missing her friend Anne who was quarantined with German measles and planning for her parent’s visit in May. In addition, these letters portray an image of the war effort in America during World War I, as Natalie mentions her Red Cross work as well as her attendance of various lectures on the war and current events. These letters would be of interest to anyone studying women’s colleges, World War I, student life, and home relationships.