An American in Vienna on the Outbreak of the First World War: Jane Abbott’s Diary
On 15 April 1914, Jane Abbott and her husband, Dr. Donald Putnam Abbott, travelled from New York to Europe aboard the steam ship Kaiser Franz Joseph I. A graduate of the Rush Medical College in Chicago, Donald intended to study in Vienna as part of his medical training. Several other American doctors, such as Dr. Russell M. Wilder, accompanied by his wife and infant son, were also studying in Vienna in the spring and summer of that year. In many respects the Abbotts were typical well-to-do tourists.