mshm041 Bird papers, 1934-1953. Finding Aid Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections

South Hadley, MA

Finding aid generated in MARC format from database, then encoded using Perl scripts and XSL stylesheet. 2003-05-20 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mshm041 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Bird papers, 1934-1953. Finding Aid MS 0551 Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Bird, Jeanne P. (Jeanne Pinard), 1914-1953. Bird papers 1934-1953. MS 0551 LD 7096.6 1935 Pinard 1 box (2.5 linear in.) Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections

South Hadley, MA

Bird, Jeanne Yvonne Pinard, 1914-1953; Housewife. Mount Holyoke College graduate, 1935 and M.A., 1936. Papers consist of professional records, photographs, newspaper articles, a small watercolor, and a travel diary. Primarily focusing on her experiences while accompanying her husband in Europe at the beginning of World War II. English. Biographical Note

Jeanne Yvonne Pinard was born on March 14, 1914 in South Hadley, Mass. She was the only child of Joseph A. and Elvina F. (Maigret) Pinard. After graduating from South Hadley High School in 1931, Pinard entered Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in French. She graduated in 1935 then remained at Mount Holyoke to complete an M.A. in Education in 1936. From September 1936 through July 1937, she worked in South Hadley and in Syracuse, N.Y. as a research assistant for the National Research Project of the Work Projects Administration (WPA). She married George L. Bird of Syracuse, N.Y. in September 1937. In 1950 she and her husband had a son. She died on June 5, 1953 at the age of 39.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Jeanne Yvonne Pinard Bird Papers consist chiefly of a diary kept during a trip to Europe with her husband in from June to September 1939. The diary contains descriptions of the voyage to Liverpool and subsequent travels in Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, England and Scotland. Of particular interest are comments about events and public opinion in Germany and England just before and soon after the outbreak of World War II. Diary entries are frequently accompanied by Bird's pen-and-ink sketches of sights, statues, architectural details and other travelers. Other material in this collection consists of biographical information about Bird, notably newspaper clippings about her and forms that she returned to the Alumnae Association at Mount Holyoke College dating from 1935-1953; an undated watercolor portrait of her (possibly a self-portrait); and several photographs of her taken between 1934 and circa 1939.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

Unrestricted

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Jeanne Pinard Bird Papers, Mount Holyoke College, Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Search Terms Voyages and travels. World War, 1939-1945 - Personal narratives, American. World War, 1939-1945 - Great Britain. World War, 1939-1945 - Germany. Women travelers. Europe - Description and travel. Europe - Social conditions - 20th century. Scandinavia - Description and travel. Germany - Description and travel. Italy - Description and travel. Switzerland - Description and travel. France - Description and travel. England - Description and travel. Scotland - Description and travel. Diaries