Jane Hoover Hill guestbook
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Language of Materials
Abstract
Guestbook kept by Jane (Hoover) Hill, daughter of the president of the Hoover Company, vacuum cleaner manufacturers, recording names and inscriptions of friends and relatives who attended dinner parties and social gatherings in her New York City and Ohio homes, 1936–1949.
Biographical note
Jane Steele "Polly" Hoover (1912–1991), was born in North Canton, Ohio, to Herbert W. Hoover Sr. (1877–1954), president of the Hoover Company of vacuum cleaner fame, and Grace Louise Steele (1882–1949). Jane married at Canton on June 17, 1936 Dr. Eugene Scott Hill (1907–1959). She died in New York City on January 22, 1991.
Scope and Contents
Just before their June 1936 marriage, Dr. Eugene Scott Hill gave his fiancée, Jane Steele "Polly" Hoover, the present guestbook, a blank, leather-bound volume embossed "Guests," with the inscription "Realizing that I am the most fortunate man in the world and that your loveliness and charming personality will bring many attractive people to our home, this book may serve as a record of those people and events that you wish to remember. Scott." The earliest entry dates from April 1, 1936. The last, from August 11, 1949. Although the Hills had homes in Canton (1940 census), and Hills and Dales, Stark County, Ohio (1950 census), a number of the entries in Jane's guestbook note a New York City address of 1100 Park Avenue, Manhattan. Some entries are headed with the occasion for the gathering, e.g., "April 20, 1937, Going away party for family at Waldorf" or "Aug. 1938, Party for Dad—going to Europe," and many bear humorous inscriptions from attendees along with their signatures.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
This item is stored offsite. To arrange to consult it, please go to www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282. Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/rights-and-reproductions.
Preferred Citation
This item should be cited as "Jane Hoover Hill guestbook, MS 3224, The New-York Historical Society."
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This volume was discovered in the N-YHS library stacks in 2023, during a project to prepare items for offsite storage. No acquisition information accompanied it.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta processed this volume in June 2023.