Time Period

1878 Diary of a 15-Year-Old Girl in Gorham, ME

This is the 1878 daily diary of Alice A. Shurtleff, a 15-year-old girl living in Gorham, Maine. Table of Contents Background Selected Images The Diary Comments Background According to a note at the beginning of the diary, 15-year-old Alice A. Shurtleff of Gorham, Maine received this 1878 diary as a […]

Second Boer War Diary by an Officer of the Imperial Yeomanry

This is a diary of letters written by an officer of the British Army’s Imperial Yeomanry who was stationed at Fort Wonderboom in Pretoria, South Africa in 1900 during the Second Boer War. Table of Contents Background Selected Images The Diary Comments Background The identify of the author of this […]

Diary of a Union POW after the Battle of Sabine Pass II

This is the diary of Stephen H. Wright, a soldier in the New York 75th Infantry during the American Civil War (1861-1865) who was captured during the Second Battle of Sabine Pass on September 8, 1863. This battle was part of a failed attempt by the Union Army to invade […]

1863 Diary of a 17-Year-Old Teacher in Upstate New York

This is the 1863 diary of Hulda Comstock, a 17-year-old teacher in Albion, NY. Table of Contents Background Selected Images The Diary Comments Background Hulda Comstock was born in 1846. In this 1863 diary, she lists her location as both Albion, NY and Carlton, NY. Hulda kept this daily diary […]

The Diary of Silent Film Actress Clara Kimball Young

This articles details a diary that Clara Kimball Young kept during the year 1921. Clara Kimball Young was a hugely popular American actress during the early silent film era. A 1914 poll showed that she was the most popular actress in America at the time. Clara appeared in over 150 […]

1874 Diary of a Young School Teacher in Liberty, NY

This is the 1874 diary of Flora Emaretta Parsons, who turns 20 on July 18 during the diary year. At the beginning of the diary, she is finishing her last year of schooling. In May 1874, she begins working as a school teacher and boarding near the school, sharing with […]

Diary of an 1852 Voyage from India to Boston

This is the 1852 diary of Minerva Sears who was born in 1819 and was in her early thirties at the time of writing. Minerva is accompanying her husband, Captain Joshua Sears, on a voyage from Boston to the Isle de France, then to Calcutta, and back to Boston. They […]

Civil War Diary of a Lisbon, OH Boy

Background This is the 1861 diary of a teenage boy living in New Lisbon, the seat of Columbiana County, Ohio. His job doing various tasks at a local newspaper ensures that he is well-informed of current events as the American Civil War breaks out. Like any teenager, he is fascinated […]

Diary of an 1829 Visit to Coastal Maine

Background This is a journal written by Edgar J. Doolittle in the summer of 1829 as he visits a small island off the coast of Maine, explores Thomaston on the mainland nearby, and visits Boston on his way back home to Wallingford, CT. Though only 19 years old, he is […]