The University of Iowa Libraries

Mary (also known as Maria or Marie) Ungerer, the sixth of thirteen children in the family of John Frederick and Magdalena Schlatter Ungerer, was born on November 12, 1890, at the family farm south of Hawkeye, Iowa. She attended a country school near her homeand received a Common School diploma in 1905. Later, she enrolled in the nursing school of the German Lutheran Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa.

After graduating from nursing school in 1912, Ungerer did private home nursing. Her duties often included preparing specially prescribed food. Many of her patients were children. During this time, she lived in a small apartment with as many as six nurses. In 1917, she married Henry F. Hauth, a pharmacist from Hawkeye. After her marriage, she eventually discontinued regular nursing because a doctor told her that her pregnancy was in danger. Later in life, she acted as companion and nurse for an elderly woman. Mary Ungerer died in June 1963.

The Mary Ungerer Hauth papers date from 1905 to 1948 and measure 2.75 linear inches. The papers are arranged in three series: Biography, School documents, and Photographs. The Mary Ungerer Hauth papers provide insight into both the professional and social dimensions of nursing and, more specifically, nursing school as experienced in the early twentieth century. Additionally, Ungerer's student notes are a rich source of information about medical practices of the period.

The Biography series (undated) consists of a two-page, typed life history (1890-1963) presumably written by Hauth's daughter, Gretchen Brayton. It provides brief insight into Hauth's career and family life.

The School documents series (1905-1913) includes a report card and diploma from a public school in Hawkeye, Iowa, and Hauth's nursing exam scores and certificate. It also contains a leather-bound book which Hauthused during nursing school. The contents include lecture notes and prescribed treatments for a variety of ailments.

The Photographs series (1910s-1948) primarily documents Hauth's experiences at nursing school. There are several class photos, snapshots from a trip taken with nursing friends around 1914, and several pictures of people (apparently the nursing students) in costume. The series also contains a few photographs of patients treated by Hauth and some of the family of her close friend, Clara Kapin Lemke.

Access: The papers are open for research.

Use: Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to The University of Iowa.

Acquisition: The papers (donor no. 270) were donated by Gretchen Brayton in 1995.

Preferred Citation: Mary Ungerer Hauth papers, 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:
Hauth, Mary Ungerer, 1890-1963

Corporate Names:
German Lutheran Hospital (Sioux City, Iowa), Nursing School

Dates:
20th century

Topics:
Women in medicine
Nursing
Family life

Occupations:
Nurses
Nursing students

Geographic Names:
Sioux City (Iowa)

Genre/Form of Materials:
Archives
Personal papers
Photographs

Browse:
Nurses and Nursing Education