The University of Iowa Libraries

Carrie Talcott, farmer, writer, and clubwoman, was born Carrie Violet Johnson on February 22, 1890, to Elwood and Laura Hinshaw Johnson in Jefferson County, Iowa. Her family moved to Poweshiek and later to Fayette County during her childhood. She graduated from Maynard High School in Fayette County in 1908 and took the teacher training program at Upper Iowa University in Fayette that summer. She taught rural school briefly in the northern Minnesota town of Aiken, returning to Fayette County to marry Myron Talcott on March 10, 1909. They lived and worked at the Talcott farm, Tall Oaks, and raised five children, Leonard, Charles, Gladys, Margaret, and Wesley.

Carrie Talcott was involved in many community activities. She served six years in the American Home Department of the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs, including two years as chairman of its Home Making Division. Talcott was a member of the Methodist church, joining in Grinnell in1899. She retired to West Friendship Haven in Fort Dodge in 1962 and became an active member of the First United Methodist Church and its Women's Society of Christian Service (now United Methodist Women). At Ft. Dodge, she served as an officer of the Friendship Haven Home Service Society Committee and was an active member of its writing class. In May 1981, Talcott moved to Tompkins Memorial Center. She died on July 15, 1981.

The Carrie Talcott papers date from 1913 to 1981 and measure 1.25 linear feet.  The papers are arranged in seven series:  Biographical; Correspondence; Diaries; Personal Planners; Friendship Haven Home for the Retired (Ft. Dodge, IA); Religious Activities; Travel; Writings; and Photographs.
 
The Diaries series constitutes the bulk of the collection and consists of daily diary entries covering intermittent years from 1913 to 1975 (see box list).  The diaries detail daily tasks and social events of a farmer and clubwoman.
 
The Writings series includes her original poems, plays, and letters to the editor.
 
The Friendship Haven Home for the Retired (Ft. Dodge, IA) series consists of committee records, scrapbooks, and writing class publications that document the social and creative activities of its residents.

Alternate Extent Statement: Photographs in Box 3.

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 nos. 387 and 570) were donated by Gladys Rife in 1996 and Margaret Talcott Boedeker in 1999.

Preferred Citation: Carrie V. Talcott 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.

Geographic Names:
Fayette County (Iowa)
Fort Dodge (Iowa)

Browse:
Rural and Farm Women