Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CLOTH DIAPER

Date Range From

1947

Date Range To

1950

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.5

Length

28.3

Width

25.2

Description

PAIR OF WHITE CLOTH DIAPERS. EACH SIDE HAS TWO STEEL SNAPS (1 SIDE IS MISSING HALF A SNAP). THERE IS A PLAIN, WHITE TAG ON INSIDE BACK OF WAISTLINE. BACK OF WAISTLINE IS ELASTICIZED. FABRIC IS FRAYED AND WORN IN A NUMBER OF PLACES, ESPECIALLY ALONG EDGES. THERE IS AN EXTRA LAYER OF FABRIC BETWEEN LEG HOLES. THERE ARE TWO YELLOWISH-BROWN STAINS ON INSIDE OF DIAPERS.

Subjects

CLOTHING-UNDERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

SEE P20000066001-GA FOR HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING MITTENS, GLOVES, AND DIAPERS DONATED BY DELOIS LITTLE. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. DELOIS LEAVITT LITTLE (NEE NEILSON, ALSO SOMETIMES SPELT NIELSON) WAS BORN ON MARCH 30, 1915 IN LETHBRIDGE, AB. SHE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF CLARENCE WALDAMER NIELSEN AND CARRIE ROSE NIELSEN (NEE LEAVITT). DELOIS PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 92 ON FEBRUARY 19, 2008. DELOIS SERVED AS A WREN IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND WAS MARRIED WHILE SERVING OVERSEAS. AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JUNE 1945 GIVES THE DETAILS: “A LETHBRIDGE COUPLE WERE MARRIED IN GLASGOW SCOTLAND RECENTLY WHEN WREN DELOIS NEILSON, DAUGHTER OF MR. AND MRS. C. W. NIELSON OF THIS CITY, AND PTE. ALEXANDER LITTLE, ALSO OF LETHBRIDGE, WERE UNITED IN MATRIMONY ON APRIL 4. THE BRIDE IS STATIONED WITH THE WOMEN’S ROYAL CANADIAN NAVAL SERVICE AT HMCS NIOBE IN GREENOCK, SCOTLAND. PTE. LITTLE HAD RETURNED FROM ITALY TO BRITAIN ON LEAVE AT THE TIME OF HIS MARRIAGE AND LEFT FOR HOLLAND SHORTLY AFTER.” ANOTHER ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON NOVEMBER 10, 2003 GIVES MORE DETAILS ABOUT DELOIS’S TIME IN THE NAVY: “IN OCTOBER 1942, SHE WENT TO CALGARY WITH HER SISTER AND JOINED THE NAVY … IT WASN’T COMMON FOR WOMEN TO ENTER THE SERVICES AT THE TIME OF THE TWO WORLD WARS – LEAVITT WAS W152 – AND SHE BELIEVES SHE AND HER SISTER WERE AMONG FEW FROM THE LETHBRIDGE AREA … PRIOR TO JOINING THE WRCNS, LEAVITT HAD NEVER LEFT ALBERTA. THE EXPERIENCE SENT HER TO OTTAWA FOR TRAINING AND THEN TO SCOTLAND WHERE SHE WAS STATIONED FOR MOST OF THE WAR … HER HUSBAND ALEXANDER LITTLE SERVED IN THE ARMY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR – THE COUPLE WERE MARRIED OVERSEAS, ALTHOUGH THEY’D KNOWN ONE ANOTHER MOST OF THEIR LIVES.” ALEXANDER B. LITTLE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 53 ON MARCH 5, 1962. ANNETTE DELOIS CLIFTON (NEE LITTLE) WAS THE DAUGHTER OF ALEXANDER AND DELOIS LITTLE (NEE NEILSON). SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 59 ON APRIL 21, 2007. CARRIE ROSE NEILSON (NEE LEAVITT) WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 28, 1892 IN CARDSTON, AB, THE DAUGHTER OF JEREMIAH AND RHODA LEAVITT (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). SHE WAS MARRIED TO CLARENCE WALDAMER NIELSON ON DECEMBER 2, 1913. SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 94 ON MARCH 15, 1986. CLARENCE WALDAMER NIELSON WAS BORN ON MAY 6, 1867 IN MOUNTAIN DALE, UTAH. HE MOVED TO STIRLING, AB IN 1902 AND THEN TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1913. ACCORDING TO HIS OBITUARY, CLARENCE WAS “ONE OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA’S MOST COLORFUL PIONEERS.” HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 72 IN APRIL 1959. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

Catalogue Number

P20000066006

Acquisition Date

2001-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail