The University of Iowa Libraries

Nellie Bishop was born March 18, 1904, near Walker in Buchanan County, Iowa, the daughter of Howard Wilbur and Mary Mariah (Cook) Fay. In 1913 her parents moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where they operated a fruit farm, raising pear, peach and apricot trees and several fields of red, white and purple grapes. Later her parents moved to Charles City, Iowa where she attended school. On February 22, 1921 she married William Bishop in Galena, Illinois. They had one child, Betty. From the time she began cleaning chickens for her Dad as a young girl Bishop always was employed. She worked at Hart-Parr Tractor Company and Burnham Manufacturing Company. As a young woman she was a waitress, then with her husband operated a greenhouse and a hardware store, and rented rooms to tourists. In 1959 Bishop divorced her husband.

Videocassette [V169] was made December 1995. The videocassette addresses events from 1904 to 1997. The setting is somebody's kitchen. Bishop is celebrating her ninety-first birthday and is sitting at a table, talking with three women in their mid-forties, who are mostly off-camera, named Dorothy, Danielle, and her granddaughter, Sharon Gamble. They ask questions and make astute comments; she replies and makes connections. Throughout the exchange the four eat Chinese food and drink homemade German wine, possibly made by Bishop. Videocassette #182 is a celebration of Bishop's ninety-fourth birthday. The setting is the dining room of a retirement center in Lanark, Illinois. Bishop's pastor plays the guitar and sings, occasionally soliciting comments from Bishop and others present. Videocassette [V183] is a celebration of Bishop's ninety-third birthday and is attended by her grandchildren and friends. It is filmed in Bishop's apartment.

Alternate Extent Statement: 3 videocassettes [V169, V182, V183].

Arrangement: One folder, shelved in SCVF; two videocassettes [V169 and V183] shelved in videocassette collection.

Access: The videocassettes are open for research.

Use: Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

Acquisition: The videocassettes (donor no. 397) were donated by Sharon Gamble in 1997 and in succeeding years.

Preferred Citation: Nellie Bishop oral history, Iowa Women's Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.

Repository:	Iowa Women's Archives
Address:	100 Main Library University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:	319-335-5068
Curator:	Kären Mason
Email:	lib-women@uiowa.edu
Website:	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.

Personal Names:
Bishop, Nellie, 1904-

Dates:
1990-1999

Topics:
Twentieth century
Women in agriculture
Women
Farm life

Occupations:
Farmers
Homemakers

Geographic Names:
Buchanan County (Iowa)
Cedar Rapids (Iowa)
Charles City (Iowa)

Genre/Form of Materials:
Archives
Oral histories (Document genres)
Video recordings

Browse:
Rural and Farm Women