Eleanor Wormley Perrin (1883-1975) was born at Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of John Tayloe Perrin (1836-1904) and Maud Prosser Tabb (1836-1925) (or Evelina Matilda Tabb, 1848-1925). During the early 1920s Eleanor worked as a secretary in Baltimore, but in the latter 1920s she moved to"Goshen," Gloucester County, Virginia. ( In 1922, at age 39, Eleanor began keeping a diary of her daily life which she continued until age 84, when illness and dementia took her ability to continue writing. She lived for another eight years in a nursing home before passing away in 1975 at Pinero, Gloucester County, Va.
Gift
Processed by Ellen Strong in 2000.
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Eleanor W. Perrin Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
See also:
John T. Perrin Papers, 1770-1931. 11 boxes. Collection number: Mss. 65 P42
Perrin Family Bibles Collection, ca. 1740-1938. 3 items. Collection number: Mss. 93 P42
William K. Perrin Papers Mss. 95 P42
Diaries; 1922-1967, of Eleanor Wormley Perrin of "Goshen," Gloucester County, Va. These forty-five diaries span nearly a half century, from 1922 to 1967, and document life in 20th century Virginia. Perrin's diaries discuss local events, female social life, national events such as wars and politics, hurricanes, the death of family and friends, and other topics. Toward the end of Perrins's life her diary entries increase in length and intimateness, often expressing loneliness and reflecting upon the complexities of life.
Diaries