Nellie Bishop oral history

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: IWA0092

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Videocassette [V169] was made December 1995. The videocassette addresses events from 1904 to 1997. The setting is somebody's kitchen. Bishop is celebrating her ninety-first birthday and is sitting at a table, talking with three women in their mid-forties, who are mostly off-camera, named Dorothy, Danielle, and her granddaughter, Sharon Gamble. They ask questions and make astute comments; she replies and makes connections. Throughout the exchange the four eat Chinese food and drink homemade German wine, possibly made by Bishop. Videocassette #182 is a celebration of Bishop's ninety-fourth birthday. The setting is the dining room of a retirement center in Lanark, Illinois. Bishop's pastor plays the guitar and sings, occasionally soliciting comments from Bishop and others present. Videocassette [V183] is a celebration of Bishop's ninety-third birthday and is attended by her grandchildren and friends. It is filmed in Bishop's apartment. A transcript is available.

Dates

Creation: 1995-1998

Creator

Bishop, Nellie, 1904-1999 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The videocassettes are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Nellie Bishop was born March 18, 1904, near Walker in Buchanan County, Iowa, the daughter of Howard Wilbur and Mary Mariah (Cook) Fay. In 1913 her parents moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where they operated a fruit farm, raising pear, peach and apricot trees and several fields of red, white and purple grapes. Later her parents moved to Charles City, Iowa where she attended school. On February 22, 1921 she married William Bishop in Galena, Illinois. They had one child, Betty. From the time she began cleaning chickens for her Dad as a young girl Bishop always was employed. She worked at Hart-Parr Tractor Company and Burnham Manufacturing Company. As a young woman she was a waitress, then with her husband operated a greenhouse and a hardware store, and rented rooms to tourists. In 1959 Bishop divorced her husband.