Ilia A. Cowie-Freitas family papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll 1073

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of papers of and relating to Ilia A. Cowie-Freitas, a nurse from Vancouver, Washington, and her family. Most papers about Cowie-Freitas in the collection relate to her nursing career. These include pages from a scrapbook of ephemera, correspondence, photographs, and clippings that she kept while attending nursing school at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon; and certificates, photographs, correspondence, and souvenir publications. Family papers in the collection include photographs; correspondence; the marriage certificate for Ilia A. Cowie-Freitas and her first husband, Marshall B. Cowie; and a self-published family history by Nadine A. Mikesell. Family photographs consist of loose prints, two albums, and a few negatives. Most materials in the collection identify Cowie-Freitas either by her first married name, Ilia A. Cowie, or her maiden name, Ilia A. Young. The collection also includes some notes and transcriptions by Cowie-Freitas's granddaughter, Denise Latonis.

Dates

Creation: circa 1886-2024
Creation: Majority of material found within 1897-1995

Creator

Cowie-Freitas, Ilia A. (Ilia Alice), 1912-2001 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

Ilia Alice Cowie-Freitas (née Young) was born in 1912 in Vancouver, Washington. She earned a nursing degree from the nursing school at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon. She then worked at the Barnes Veterans Hospital and Vancouver Memorial Hospital before moving to Arizona. While living in Arizona, she earned a degree in education from Grand Canyon University.

Cowie-Freitas married Marshall B. Cowie (1909-1975) in 1935. The couple had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood. Her second husband was Izaias Freitas (1901-1988). Ilia Cowie-Freitas died in 2001.

Sources: Obituary in the Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), March 15, 2001, page C4; obituary in the Arizona Republic, March 3, 2001, Page B4; vital records via Ancestry.com.

Extent

1.26 Cubic Feet (2 legal document cases and 1 flat box (13x16))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of Ilia Alice Cowie-Freitas (née Young), a nurse from Vancouver, Washington, and her family. Cowie-Freitas attended nursing school at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and worked in Vancouver and then in Arizona. Papers include pages from a scrapbook that Cowie-Freitas kept while attending nursing school, photographs, correspondence, and a family history.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Researcher access to negatives in the collection is limited for preservation purposes; contact library staff to inquire about viewing.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Denise Latonis and Sue Hoffman, May 2024 (RL2024-042).

Processing Information

Scrapbook kept by Ilia A. Cowie-Freitas during her time at Emanuel Hospital Nursing School was disassembled for preservation purposes prior to its donation to the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.