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Local History
Journals, Diaries, and Personal Correspondence
Journals, diaries, and personal correspondence can be helpful in researching the everyday lives of a variety of people in history. The authors of journals, diaries, and letters include men, women, and children of varying socioeconomic backgrounds.
Journals, diaries, and personal correspondence have the ability to paint a more vivid picture of everyday life than a standard work, as they give us a sense of the past from the author’s point of view. However, just because someone wrote down the information in journals, diaries, or letters does not make these items fact. Be certain to verify any dates or events before they are recorded as fact. Also, through reading a journal, diary, or letter, one may encounter opinions on topics that are contrary to their own or to contemporary thought.
The journals and diaries listed below have been scanned and digitized as pdf files. The files have been optimized for the web, meaning the resolution has been reduced because monitors show less detail than print does. The file sizes are still extremely large and will be slow to load. Scholars who wish to study the diaries may wish to use a high resolution file which would provide a good print copy. Anyone interested in a high resolution file is invited to contact the library for more information.
Journals and Diaries
Journal of James Sperry, a Journey from Henrietta, NY through Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, beginning October 27, 1835 (24 megabytes)
Frankie Northrop Journal of 1874 (24 megabytes)
Frankie Northrop Journal of 1879 (26 megabytes)
Winslow Gunn Daily Diary 1862 (29 megabytes)
Winslow Gunn Daily Diary 1863 (28 megabytes)
Winslow Gunn Daily Diary 1864 (24 megabytes)
Winslow Gunn Accounting Book for 1865 (9 megabytes)
Daily Diary of 1904, Anonymous
Daily Journal of George M. Roberts, April 30, 1853 – May 3, 1859
M.S. Southworth Diary of 1867