Mildred Hunting Wheeler
(1894 - 1933)
Mildred's archival evidence indicates that she traveled in 1922 with a group of friends to Europe. Her lifelong friend Marjorie as well as Adele and Annabel accompanied her. They traveled to France, the Swiss Alps and Italy.
(1894 - 1933)
Mildred's archival evidence indicates that she traveled in 1922 with a group of friends to Europe. Her lifelong friend Marjorie as well as Adele and Annabel accompanied her. They traveled to France, the Swiss Alps and Italy.
Mildred sent several postcards from many of the locations traveled to family member, Christine Davendorf in Watertown, New York.
The most substantial evidence of Mildred's tour of Europe is found in this photo album, which shows her traveling to Versailles, Venice, and southern France. The presence of a "chaperone" may indicate that this was a "finishing" trip for the young girls to become more cultured before marriage, accompanied by a governess or unmarried aunt. Transcriptions of her captions accompany each photograph.
After serving in the Red Cross during World War I, Mildred became interested in Near East Relief work done in Persia. The Near East Relief is a nation-wide philanthropic group based out of Syracuse, New York which assists families in the Middle East and Africa. She worked for the NER for several years with friend Marjorie Wilson. She was in Persia from 1926 until 1928, spending the last 18 months in Tabriz, Syria. Mildred would make many trips back to Persia in her lifetime.
This photo album titled "Tabriz Life" is of the last 18 months Mildred spent in Persia with the Near East Relief group. Traveling to the Middle East alone is a bold decision for any young woman, let alone in 1928. Inside the photo album were various documents concerning Mildred's time in Tabriz and Persia with the Near East Relief.