Nancy De Vries Blom papers

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: IWA0387

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Nancy DeVries Blom papers consist of a memoir written in 1982, newspaper clippings about the writing workshop she attended in Sioux Center, and a transcribed "page from Mother's diary, October 26, 1963" describing the marriage of a son. Blom's memoir, "My Story," concerns her journey to Doon, Iowa, from the Netherlands in 1915 and her family's struggle to survive on prairie farms in western Iowa and South Dakota in the decade surrounding World War One. In "My Story" Blom recalls in great detail the customs of a working-class Dutch family, the move to Iowa, the family's efforts to succeed at the unfamiliar enterprise of prairie farming, and the chores she performed, especially after her mother's death. She also recounts her courtship and marriage. A story about her egg business is also included.

My Story by Nancy Blom is shelved in the Iowa Women's Archives printed works collection.

Dates

Creation: 1982-1986

Creator

Blom, Nancy De Vries, 1907-1993 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers 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

Nancy DeVries Blom was born in the Netherlands in 1907. Her older brothers had immigrated to the United States and, in 1915, as World War One made life in Europe increasingly difficult, the brothers sent passage money for their parents and six siblings to come to Iowa. The Bloms came through Ellis Island in New York and traveled by train to Doon, Iowa where they supported themselves by farming. They rented a succession of farms in Sioux County Iowa and nearby South Dakota.

Nancy's mother died of tuberculosis when Nancy was thirteen and Nancy assumed responsibilities for the household chores. Within five years, her father went bankrupt and he moved to town while Nancy supported herself as a hired girl with a family in town. On the day that she turned eighteen, she married Walter Blom. Nancy and Walter Blom subsequently farmed in near Sioux Center and raised five children. In 1982, Nancy Blom enrolled in a writing workshop where she composed "My Story," a vivid account of her life until marriage.