Item Detail
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Davis, Magdalena Wilhelmina Lena Hollermann
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1899-1976
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MSS SC 1456
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Autobiography
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Magdalena Wilhelmina Lena Hollermann Davis was born January 26, 1899 to Mary M. Walter and Henry M.C. Hollermann in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was seven, she began attending kindergarten. At age twelve, she worked briefly for a pregnant woman, and also helped the wife of her father's boss. The family moved a few times, and in 1913, Magdalena entered central school. When she was in the eighth grade, her family received missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into their home, and they joined the queer assortment of church members. Magdalena graduated at age fifteen and began work at a department store, as a wrapper girl. She was later promoted to sales. After working there for seven years, she began work at a theater as a ticket-seller. After that, she began a new job in the office of the Haynes Automobile Company. On July 12, 1920, she moved to Provo, Utah, where she began work at a department store. She met Owen Marion Davis at a choir practice, and they were married on December 15, 1920. They lived on a farm and had two children. Magdalena died December 25, 1976.
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This is a thirty-seven page typescript autobiography. Magdalena begins by writing of her ancestors, the first whom she can remember being her great grandmother, Anna Maria Moehferd. Her ancestors were German immigrants who settled in St. Louis in the late 1850s. Magdalena goes on to describe some of the homes there, and various ethnicities and neighborhoods. She also writes of some instances that involved her relatives, such as when her uncle could sleepwalk, or when a tornado hit the city. She also describes some typical German meals and her family's general supper schedule. Magdalena writes extensively about some members of her family, describing her Grandfather and some of her cousins and aunts. Magdalena also writes about particular incidents she recalls, such as when she broke her collarbone and dislocated her shoulder. She mentions the panic of 1906 and writes some details of her life during that time. She describes some of her memories of her neighbors, her first years of school, and her house and school building. She mentions several more memories and includes a list of boys she dated. She describes some of her jobs and coworkers and, after her marriage, describes the houses she lived in and several of her neighbors.