Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The diaries and notebooks series is comprised 24 items, spanning 1825 to the 1880s. Townshend’s two school notebooks document his education at Bitteswell School in England, and are interesting in light of his strong emphasis on practical education later in life. They are also the only manuscript items in the collection representing Townshend’s childhood. The bulk of the subseries consists of Townshend’s diaries, which for the most part contain fairly short, terse entries describing his work, weather, and travel. The exception is his 1848-1853 "Memoranda Book," which is made up of long and fascinating entries on such topics as skepticism of Spiritualists, the funeral of Henry Clay, meeting and befriending the poet Grace Greeenwood, and other subjects. The diaries Townshend kept during the Civil War sometimes mention Thomas and Miriam Easterly, whom Townshend visited while stationed in St. Louis. Townshend also kept notebooks based on topics, and these are placed at the end of the series, and concern lessons that Townshend taught as a Sunday School teacher and thoughts on agricultural and veterinary topics.