Research and article by Sue Maciorowski, HHM volunteer
As part of the Digital Volunteers, Sue transcribed the diary she writes about here, and has done stellar research into the Jandzinski family history connected to this item.
 Click here to read Sue's full report on Dorothy, Mary Ann, their family, their home, and what the world was like in Hatfield when the diary was written. | The Diary The Diary, or Scrapbook, of Dorothy Jandzinski was found and donated to the Hatfield Historical Society when the Jandzinski homestead at 88 Bridge Street, Hatfield, Massachusetts was sold. The diary contains handwritten entries from 5 November 1927 to 17 March 1933, about daily life in Hatfield. This includes notes about the weather, working the farm, local deaths, weddings, shopping trips, school activities, etc. The diary also includes random poems and news clippings from 1930-1964, with the majority of the clippings from the 1930’s about school activities and obituaries of family members and friends. Upon close examination, it appears that the handwritten sections of the diary had two different authors: Dorothy Jandzinski and her younger sister Mary Ann Jandzinski. So, the “Diary of Dorothy Jandzinski” might best be labeled the “Diary of the Jandzinski Sisters: Dorothy and Mary Ann." The Diary Authors Dorothy Jandzinski Dorothy Jandzinski was born in Hatfield on 9 November 1912, the daughter of Ignace and Katherine Jandzinski. She made her first entry in the diary shortly before her 15th birthday as she undertook her freshman year at Smith Academy. Dorothy continued writing in the diary throughout her years at Smith Academy, including her 1931 graduation, the first one to be held in the new Hatfield Town Hall. While Dorothy had four older siblings, she was the first of her siblings to graduate from high school, and the only Polish girl to do so in the class of 1931.... |