Freida M. Ligibel papers

The Freida Ligibel collection is particularly interesting because it describes the life of an early-mid twentieth century northwest Ohio woman who is unmarried, educated, and an avid traveler; three aspects which were quite uncommon in the day. Even though she did become a nurse, which was a common female occupation, her extensive travels around North America are impressive, even in today’s standards.

While she only started keeping her correspondence later in her later years, Freida took and kept hundreds of photographs during her lifetime. These images, nearly all black and white, chronicle Freida’s life from childhood, through her later years leading up to her death. The photographs depict not only Freida and her family, but also nursing environments throughout the mid-1900s, several classmates in high school (Wauseon, OH), and her travels across the country.

Her travel photographs are of particular interest in the collection. Three photo albums located in the oversized box recount her travels to Hawaii, California, Niagara Falls, Yosemite National Park, Chicago, and Ohio. Probably the most historically significant photographs in the collection are not directly related to Freida at all. In 1929, the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin I completed a “round-the-world” trip flying starting from Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey. After traveling for nearly 20 days, the Graf flew over Chicago at dusk. Freida was able to take four photographs depicting the event; two of which show the Zeppelin directly over the Chicago skyline. The voyage was sponsored by newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and took 21 days to complete. Onboard the Zeppelin at the time was Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins and his new wife. The voyage was a wedding gift to the couple from Hearst.

The photographs taken in Hawaii and Yosemite are also intriguing. Many include Freida with historic or naturally significant sights in the background. Some of these landmarks include Yosemite Falls, Boulder Dam, Lake Mead, the Grand Canyon, Santa Monica Beach, Niagara Falls, the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.

Numerous nursing photographs also accompany the collection in both albums and loose images. Freida is depicted with fellow nurses outside various hospitals as well as in professional nursing portraits.

In addition to her photograph collection, Freida’s schoolwork, legal documents, journals, and printed materials are also of important consideration. Her biology and arithmetic workbooks from grade school are included. Additionally, several written assignments, more than likely from an English class, are also available.

It appears that in 1926, Freida purchased a piece of property in San Mateo, California. Interestingly, Freida was also apparently residing in Honolulu, Hawaii during this time, working as a nurse. It is unclear whether or not a home already existed on the property. It is also uncertain if Freida maintained the property after moving to Illinois in 1936. Regardless, two deeds exist within the collection describing her purchase and the property discussed. Another interesting legal document included within Freida’s papers is a petition to the courts of Fulton County, Ohio to legally change her birth record. Apparently, both her father and mother’s surnames were misspelled. Also, her actual birth date was changed from February 27th to February 25th, 1901.

Freida also maintained a journal throughout her senior year of high school in Wauseon. She describes memorable moments, friendships, and classes. Several photographs depicting fellow classmates are also included. Of key interest is a dance book included in the back of the journal. These small books, with a tiny pencil attached, were used to assign partners for each dance of the evening. Each of Freida’s dances was accounted for.

Also of special consideration within the collection are Freida’s nurse handbooks from the mid-1920s and 1930s. These manuscripts describe common medicine practices during the time, including medications, treatments for illness, calorie counting, etc.

Additionally, Freida was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. The order is only open to men who are Masons or women who have a direct family affiliation. Therefore, it can be assumed that Freida came from a family with at least one male relative in the Masons. It is unclear which male relative this is and only 1 certificate even indicates that Freida was a member herself. She was awarded a certificate commemorating 25 years of service to the organization in 1963, when she was 62 years old.

One of the few disadvantages of this collection is the lack of personal correspondence. Freida seems to have only begun keeping her letters once she became elderly. Considering most of these letters are in regards to her retirement, will, and allocations of funds to charities and churches, it can be assumed that this was in preparation of her eventual death. However, two interesting correspondence are included in the collection. One of which is a letter written by Freida’s father, John (or, “Johannes”), to announce her birth to family in Alsace Loraine, France. The letter, written in German, describes Freida as “healthy and beautiful” and also asks for relatives to forward some money. The other piece of interesting correspondence is in relation to the purchasing of Freida’s tombstone. She bought the tombstone herself in the mid-1970s, over 20 years before her death.

In order to gain a better understanding of Freida’s life and how it related to American women during the time, researchers should also consult other family collections from the time period. While Freida did pursue a common career for women during the early twentieth century, her single lifestyle and avid travels make her an intriguing figure for the day, especially since she was born to a farming family in northwest Ohio.