Week 36: Margetta Hirsch Doyle
A week in 1940s New York, as experienced by an eighteen year old girl.
For this week’s post I wanted to return once again to one of Margetta Hirsch Doyle’s diaries. I’ve previously featured one of her journal entries from June 21st, 1943, one from July 11th, 1945 and another one from August 7th, 1945.
Margetta was born in 1925 in New York City. She went to William & Mary college during World War II, when the campus was mostly populated by women.
Her father was an avid diary writer, and gave Margetta empty diaries for her own use from a young age. Seven of her journals have been preserved and digitised, spanning from 1942 to 1944. When she wrote the entries below, she was eighteen years old.
4 September 1944
Labor Day, as I gasp to think that the summer is officially over and done with.
Talk about moving and our usual problems marked the day, along with dinner at Howard Johnson’s.1
The war is going very well, as the Allies advance with incredible speed. Today Brussels was the fourth capital to be liberated, following Rome, Paris and Bucharest, and rumor hath it that fighting is being done on German soil, for the first time.
5 September
Mother and I dashed around today in search of a house, without having too much success, though it is admitted that we have a few leads. That air conditioned bench does threaten to become an actuality. - We took time out to go to Dr. Weiss’ for my second injection: more reaction, but no results.
I went into the city this Evening to meet Gloria Worrall. We hashed over old times over supper at Schrafft’s2 and “Wing and a Prayer”3, the documentary movie of life on an aircraft carrier. It was Excellent.
New York is talking about last night’s Earthquake: I slept through it!
6 September
Another day of moseying around the house, still feeling a little shot after yesterday’s injection.
This evening some of the gals from Crossley: Elayne Ginnie Dorothy and Idris, came out for supper. They’re such a completely grand bunch of girls - about the best I’ve known in a long time! - After dinner we went to the Queensboro Theater to see “Ladies in Retirement”4 with Fritzi Scheff, Alexander Kimbland, and Elaine Barrie. It was indeed scarey, but good.
Today’s letter from Bill was real good. He’s just waiting around for orders now. I hope he gets that furlough soon.
7 September
An interlude of some accomplishment! Louise came over late this morning and we made out name tags and the like for the shindig Sunday, which looms heavy on the horizon.
I went down to Ozone Park5 to have my hair set and then this Evening I helped Mother can peaches, until I developed a severe case of dishpan hands.
Another potent letter from Bill. Everything must be all right again for awhile.
8 September
Mother and I went into New York and after wandering in and out of a series of stores finally bought a smooth black afternoon dress in Bussek’s, and a black and flesh Evening dress in Oppenheim’s. They’re both real pretty and I’m impressed with them.
We had lunch at the Campus, and then drove out to Garden City.6 I was pleased at driving back all by myself.
9 September
A day of busy hubbub, featuring a series of sandwich-making festivals for tomorrow’s tea, as refreshments were the order of the day.
I took time out for a driving lesson this morning, but plugged the rest of the day!
10 September
Home was never like this! At 2:30, with Jean Huber’s entrance, the avalanche began and lasted until well after 6:30. Forty arrived in all and the house was filled to overflowing. The group of Freshmen all seemed very smooth; and were properly appreciative of our attempts - Mother and Dad were bricks with their door-to-subway bus service, and fixing the table et. al.
It was an undertaking indeed, but I’m terribly glad that we did it. Nice gesture and everything!
See here for some scans and transcripts of Margetta’s diaries.
In The Doyle Diary Project, a group of students transcribed Margetta’s 1944 diary (so, the one I shared from today) and added helpful contextual notes to it - definitely worth a read!
Thanks for reading today’s post! If you enjoy diary diving with me, please consider subscribing to the newsletter or sharing it with other history-loving and/or nosy people. Also, stay tuned for an exciting bit of diary-research I’ve been doing! I’m not sure yet when I can share some findings, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know.
(Full credit for this footnote and all of the following ones goes to the Doyle Diary Project, see Further Reading.) Howard Johnson’s began as an ice cream shop and became the largest restaurant chain in the 1960s-1970s. They expanded into hotels in 1954 and now are owned by Wyndham Worldwide.
Schrafft’s served sandwiches, ice cream, and even alcohol (after Prohibition was lifted) for almost 50 years, catering to shoppers and theater-goers until the chain’s better days had passed and stores shut down in the 1970s.
Synopsis: In WW2, an American aircraft carrier sails around the Pacific on a decoy mission until it joins the battle of Midway against the Japanese forces.
Directed by Henry Hathaway, Wing and a Prayer was an action film released in 1944.
Synopsis: The housekeeper to a retired actress tries at the same time to look after her own two emotionally disturbed sisters, with dramatic results.
Directed by Charles Vidor, Ladies in Retirement was a crime, drama film released in 1941.
A neighborhood founded in the 1840s located in the southwestern section of Queens, New York.
Garden City is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York founded in 1869.
A wonderful glimpse into the past as ever. I always wonder how many diaries will survive from the era we are living through now as paper somehow seems more permanent in truth. A very delightful read.