Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin Journals

Collection Title: Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin Journals

Collection Number: MS Coll 262

Dates of Collection: 1918 – 1977

Extent: 3 boxes; 1.2 linear feet

Repository: Chester County History Center, West Chester, PA

Language: English

Project Archivist: William Powers

Biography:

Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin (1900-1979) was a longtime Chester County resident. The eldest daughter of John and Grace Newlin, Mary was the valedictorian of her 1918 graduating class at Coatesville High School and married former Chester County treasurer Walter D. Carlin in 1923.

Mrs. Carlin was a deeply religious woman and devoted to her church, Doe Run Presbyterian Church in Coatesville. She was equally devoted to her family, which grew to include three sons: Walter, Jr., William, and Richard. Mrs. Carlin passed away in 1979 and is buried at her childhood church, Hephzibah Baptist Church in East Fallowfield Township.

Abstract:

The journals of Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1918 to 1977. Found within the journals are entries about Mrs. Carlin’s adult life, from her senior year of high school in 1918 until her old age. The topic of each entry varies from day-to-day, ranging from daily happenings to reflections on historical events, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the ends of both World Wars, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Collection Scope:

The journals of Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1918-1977. With Carlin’s first entry at age 18, the journals offer a window into the joys and sorrows of her adult life as she starts a family and observes the goings-on of her local community. Carlin documents both milestones in her life along with local events, such as her marriage, the births of her children, and becoming a grandmother. As a member of Doe Run Presbyterian Church, she also describes her time as treasurer and Sunday school teacher.

Carlin also experiences and documents her reactions to traumatic personal and historical events, such as the death of her husband in 1965, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the deaths of Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy. Other entries reflect her reactions towards technological innovations like films and electric refrigerators, descriptions of her time living on a farm, and knowledge of her own family genealogy going back to her great-great grandparents, James and Sara Newlin, based on conversations with other family members.

While there are gaps in time among the journals due to breaks in the writing process (#8, #9, and #14 were each written over five-to-six-year periods), the 25 journals in the collection appear as a relatively comprehensive guide to her life.

Information For Researchers:

Access: Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights/Terms of Use: The Chester County History Center makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational, and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. CCHC makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions, and it is the user’s responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce, and publish materials from the collections.
Preferred Citation: Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin Journals, 1918-1977. Chester County History Center, West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Acquisition Information: Donated by Walter W. Carlin, Jr. in 2011.
Processing History: The collection was processed and a finding aid was prepared by William Powers in 2023.

Names and Subject Terms:

Subjects:
- Bereavement
- Chester County (Pa.)—Social life and customs
- Country life—Pennsylvania—Chester County
- Doe Run Presbyterian Church (Coatesville, Pa)
- Mothers—Diaries
- Technological innovations
- Women—Diaries—20th century
Types of Materials:
- Diaries
Names, Personal:
- Carlin, Mary Elizabeth Newlin, 1900-1979

Collection Arrangement:

Manuscripts are arranged in 1 Series:

Series I: Journals, 1918-1977 (1.2 linear feet, Box 1-3)

Related Material:

The Chester County History Center holds The Journal of Mary Elizabeth Newlin Carlin, a two-volume typed transcription of the journals with photographs, in the Library’s book collection.
The Chester County History Center also holds additional materials related to the Carlins, including newspaper clippings that feature Mrs. Carlin’s children.

Collection Contents:

Series 1: Journals, 1918-1977 (Box 1 – Box 3)

Box 1: 1918 – 1941

Folder 1 Journal 1, 1918 January – September

Folder 2 Journal 2, 1918 September – 1919 April

Folder 3 Journal 3, 1919 April – October

Folder 4 Journal 4, 1919 October – 1920 March

Folder 5 Journal 5, 1920 March – 1921 January

Folder 6 Journal 6, 1921 January – 1922 September

Folder 7 Journal 7, 1922 September – 1925 December

Folder 8 Journal 8, 1926 January – 1932 December

Folder 9 Journal 9, 1933 January – 1938 March

Folder 10 Journal 10, 1938 April – 1940 July

Folder 11 Journal 11, 1940 July – 1941 September

Box 2: 1941 – 1963

Folder 1 Journal 12, 1941 September – 1946 January

Folder 2 Journal 13, 1946 January – 1949 June

Folder 3 Journal 14, 1949 July – 1954 August

Folder 4 Journal 15, 1954 October – 1957 July

Folder 5 Journal 16, 1957 August – 1959 December

Folder 6 Journal 17, 1960 January – 1961 May

Folder 7 Journal 18, 1961 July – 1962 March

Folder 8 Journal 19, 1962 April – 1963 April

Box 3: 1963 – 1977

Folder 1 Journal 20, 1963 April – 1964 August

Folder 2 Journal 21, 1964 September – 1966 November

Folder 3 Journal 22, 1966 December – 1968 September

Folder 4 Journal 23, 1968 September – 1971 October

Folder 5 Journal 24, 1971 October – 1974 December

Folder 6 Journal 25, 1975 January – 1977 September