Mary “Burdine” Brooks Bartling papers
Scope and Contents
The Mary “Burdine” Brooks Bartling papers date from 2013 to 2015 and measure 1 linear inch. The collection includes a spiral bound collection of memoirs Bartling wrote about her life titled “My Memoirs: My First 91 Years of Life.” This collection of memoirs includes writings on her life growing up on a rural Iowa farm, being a “war bride” during WWII, teaching, and her family. Copies of her published works, recipes, and poetry are also included. Also in this collection is a memoir from her daughter, Janis Myers, on her father’s deployment in Italy during WWII, as well as Burdine Bartling’s obituary.
Dates
- Creation: 2013 - 2015
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The papers are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The donor retains full ownership of copyright they hold in the donated materials, but grants the university a nonexclusive right to use and to authorize all non-commercial uses of these materials for research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to a Creative Commons Attribution, Noncommercial license.
However, copyright status for 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 University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives as the source of the material. For further information, visit the Special Collections and Archives website.
Biographical / Historical
Mary “Burdine” Brooks was born February 3, 1922, to Floy Brightwell Brooks and Mortimer Brooks. She grew up on the family farm outside of Iowa Falls, Iowa, and attended country schools until high school. She graduated from Ellsworth Junior College and received a teaching certificate from the Iowa State Teacher’s College (now the University of Northern Iowa).
She married William Harold Bartling on March 15, 1943, before his deployment to Italy in World War II. During this time, many employers in the United States has “marriage bars” where they would not hire married women or retain women as employees after marriage. Due to this, Bartling stopped teaching until after her husband left for Italy, when the marriage bars were lifted due to staffing shortages during the war.
When her husband returned in 1945, they moved to Black Hawk County, Iowa, to start their family. They lived in Evansdale, Iowa, and Cedar Falls, Iowa, and eventually settled in Waterloo, Iowa. During the 1950s and 1960s Bartling was a substitute teacher while being a homemaker and raising her children.
In her later years, Bartling wrote and published several articles in magazines. She also wrote recipes and poetry.
Full Extent
1 linear inch
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Teacher, WWII wife, homemaker, and writer in Waterloo, Iowa, who grew up on an Iowa farm. Collection includes memoirs about her life and her family, as well as her obituary.
Arrangement
One folder, shelved in SCVF.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers (donor no. 1668) were donated by Janis Myers in 2022.
- Author
- Kaitlyn Evers, 2025
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)
lib-women@uiowa.edu