Anne E. W. Kierstead papers

The Anne E.W. Kierstead papers house the personal and family papers of Anne Kierstead, Bryn Mawr class of 1943. The collection, which ranges from 1884 to 1998, presents the travel accounts of both Kierstead and her mother.

The collection is organized into three series: “Series I: Travel Accounts of Helen Elizabeth Jones Williams,” “Series II: Travel Accounts of Anne Elizabeth Williams Kierstead,” and “Series III: The History of a Welsh-American Family.”

“Series I: Travel Accounts of Helen Elizabeth Jones Williams” contains a postcard diary chronicling the European trip made by Williams and her sister Dorothy May Jones in the summer of 1914. It also includes Williams' short memoir, ‘Experiences in the War Zone,’ written just after their travels, in which she describes their efforts to leave Germany after the outbreak of World War I. “Series II: Travel Accounts of Anne Elizabeth Williams Kierstead” consists of materials documenting Kierstead's experience as a teacher in Turkey during the years 1946 - 1948. Arranged chronologically, it includes Kierstead's diaries from the years 1947 and 1948, nineteen pages of shipboard notes written as she crossed the Atlantic, letters she sent to her family, a collection of Turkish Anecdotes written in later life for her children, photographs from her travels, and miscellaneous materials relating to her life both in Turkey and in the United States. “Series III: The History of a Welsh-American Family” is a genealogical account compiled by Anne Kierstead in 1976 as a gift to her children in commemoration of the Bicentennial of the United States. This account spans the years 1791 - 1976, describing Kierstead's paternal and maternal family lines since they came to America from Wales.

This collection highlights both Kierstead’s experience teaching mathematics in Turkey and the experiences of her mother, Helen Elizabeth Jones ’06, during the summer of 1914 in Europe. It showcases two unique narratives, and would be of value to anyone interested in WWI history and Turkey during the late forties. It would also be of additional value to any remaining relatives of Kierstead, as it contains an extensive genealogical history.