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NOT IDENTIFIED : 1881 - 1884 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A HARD TOILING EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA WOMAN RICHLY DETAILING A FARM FAMILY'S LIFE AND THE COMMUNITY THEY LIVE IN

On offer is the detailed diary of an unidentified woman. Covering the period from June 1881 through June 1884, it describes in rich detail daily life on a farm in rural America, likely situated somewhere in the eastern Pennsylvania - Washington DC area. The diary has 46 pages and is 100% complete. Her first entry recounts, among other things: "Father planted cucumber and squashes and Alice and I sowed beets and parsnips and re-set some lettuce" [June 1, 1881]; "Brought home a barrel of flour" [June 4th]. Farm tasks were never-ending. "Father had a cold. He sent David down to get his saw filed." [Feb 15, 1882]; "Alice had a long tramp after berries but came home with two or three quarts" [June 2, 1881]; "They threshed out 118 bushels of oats". [Oct 14, 1881]. Weather was commented on virtually daily with remarks like "Cold north east rain storm. It has rained quite steadily the greater part of the day" [June 10, 1881]. There are many references to friends and neighbours who drop in to visit such as this entry from May 8, 1882: "Just before dark, two ladies drove up and who should come in but Alice and ask if we would keep a [ ] tonight. Of course we consented and were very much delighted of an opportunity to keep it here" or this one from July 25, 1882: "Mr B and Eliner came by this morning. and Lucy got me a calico dress." [June 12, 1882]. The entries are full of comments about friends and neighbours and their comings and goings. Letters from friends were received with pleasure and in turn she maintained a regular correspondence with them. News from the world beyond their small farming community rarely seeped in. However, she noted the death of President James Garfield, the second of four Presidents to be assassinated: "They moved the President to Long Branch (a famous beach community in New Jersey)" [Sept 7, 1881]. Two weeks later, she noted: "... President Garfield died from some trouble with his heart" [Sept 21, 1881]. There is no sense that she knew he had been murdered. Each May 30th is noted as Decoration Day - the forerunner to today's Memorial Day. This is an excellent window into the detailed, day-to-day life on a small American farm and a small farming community in the late 1800s. It is an outstanding historical record well documented by a woman who lived it daily. For a student of the history of women in the development of early America, this diary is a treasure trove offering a first-hand view of the role of women through the eyes of a keen observer.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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