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The Edward P. Smith journal pertains to Smith's experiences in Massachusetts and England from 1871-1872. He discussed his social activities, job offers, guest sermons he delivered after becoming a licensed preacher, and his intention to visit France. He also described fellow passengers from his voyage to England in the spring of 1872, including General Daniel Sickles and the explorer Paul du Chaillu.

The Edward P. Smith journal (82 pages), written in London on May 9, 1872, contains Smith's retrospective account of his experiences in Massachusetts and England between October 1871 and the spring of 1872.

The volume begins with Smith's recollections about his voyage from England to the United States on the Aleppo in October 1871. After arriving in Massachusetts, he mentioned his theological studies, which culminated with a license to preach (p. 7). Smith preached guest sermons in multiple Massachusetts churches while attempting to find a teaching job. During a visit to Concord, Massachusetts, he commented on the town's history and prominent residents, and drew a manuscript map of its landmarks (p. 38). The Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science hired Smith to teach modern languages. He desired to improve his knowledge of French by travelling to Paris and he solicited advice from Harvard professors such as James Russell Lowell and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (pp. 42-43).

Smith sailed for Liverpool onboard the Adriatic in late April 1872 and described some of his fellow passengers, including General Daniel Sickles and the explorer Paul Du Chaillu, who shared stories of his travels in Africa and Scandinavia. After arriving in Liverpool, Smith continued to London, where he attended a concert at Royal Albert Hall, also attended by members of the British royal family (pp. 78-80). The journal ends mid-sentence. A 7-page manuscript essay, "Decline and Fall of the Merovingian," is laid into the volume.

This collection contains 9 letters that Robert Emery of Salem and Springfield, Massachusetts, wrote to his daughter Margaret from 1808-1833, as well as 1 letter that Robert Emery received from a friend and 2 letters that Margaret Emery received from family members. The letters pertain to Massachusetts social life in the early 19th century.

This collection (12 items) contains 9 letters that Robert Emery of Salem and Springfield, Massachusetts, wrote to his daughter Margaret from 1808-1833, as well as 1 letter that Robert Emery received from a friend and 2 letters that Margaret Emery received from family members. The letters pertain to Massachusetts social life in the early 19thcentury. While writing to his daughter, Robert Emery provided news of family members and acquaintances, commented on his travels through Massachusetts, and shared his impressions of unfamiliar local customs. His incoming letter from Ann Bromfield of Andover, Massachusetts, pertains to the importance of housework to a woman's self-image (October 12, 1814). Margaret Emery also received letters from a nephew, R. Emery, about intemperance (August 5, 1827) and from an aunt and uncle about their disappointment after being neglected in a newspaper's society column (April 10, 1823).

This notebook was used to record purchases of books and other materials while publisher George Merriam visited locations like Southwick, Granville, Sandisfield, Tyringham, and Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 1839.

Merriam sometimes included comments about the towns, schools, and types of books wanted. For example, he declared Granville as "a very un-business-like place--where can they get books." He also occasionally included notes on clients, encounters with people, and business transactions.

This collection is made up of correspondence related to the Hubbard family of Vermont and Massachusetts. The letters concern aspects of life in mid-19th century New England, such as education, travel, and social activities.

This collection (31 items) contains correspondence related to the Hubbard family of Vermont and Massachusetts. The letters concern aspects of life in mid-19th century New England, such as education, travel, and social activities.

The first item is a letter from Silas Wright of Weybridge, Vermont, to Caleb Hubbard of Sunderland, Massachusetts (August 31, 1809). Wright discussed local political issues and expressed his support for Jonas Galusha in the gubernatorial race. The majority of the remaining correspondence is dated 1846-1862, and pertains to family and social news from Massachusetts and Vermont. Caleb P. Marsh wrote 2 letters to his cousin Nancy H. Hubbard ("Nannie") about life in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nancy Hubbard wrote to her siblings about her teaching career, and later received a letter from a potential employer who inquired about her desired salary. Other family members wrote about life at Plumbtrees (or Plumtrees), an estate near Sunderland, Massachusetts. Charles Alvord of Winsted, Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Hubbard's husband, George Alvord of Boston, Massachusetts, received 3 letters. In one of them, the Alvords' friend Charles W. Bunce mentioned the possibility of moving to California (June 14, 1849). On May 26, 1861, Stephen Ashley Hubbard's wife, Elizabeth Boyd, wrote about her concern for, and efforts to assist, Union Army soldiers, and expressed her fear that he would join the army himself. In addition to correspondence, the collection contains a poem about marriage (undated) and a bill related to the Western Rail Road (1842).

This volume contains a journal and two essays composed by New Hampshire native John Wheeler in 1859. He kept the journal between December 1858 and September 1859, detailing his experiences after moving to Albemarle County, Virginia, to teach school. He later wrote an essay in which he reflected on the cultural differences between New England and Virginia. In a second essay, he discussed "the three learned professions": law, medicine, and divinity.

This volume (205 pages) contains a journal and two essays composed by New Hampshire native John Wheeler in 1859. He kept a journal of his travel to, and experiences teaching in, Albemarle County, Virginia, between December 1858 and October 1859 (pp. 1-137); wrote an essay based on his experiences, focusing on cultural differences between New England and Virginia (pp. 139-174); and composed an essay on the professions of law, medicine, and divinity (pp. 187-216).

The first, and largest, portion of the volume is the journal Wheeler kept between December 1858 and October 1859, while he traveled to Albemarle County, Virginia, to teach school. The first two pages contain an introductory essay on the virtues of traveling, and pages 3 through 21 recount his journey from New Hampshire to Virginia, beginning on December 21, 1858. He mentioned multiple sightseeing destinations along the way, including Plymouth Rock (p. 5), and arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia, on December 31 (pp. 16-17). There, he made the acquaintance of the Durrett family, with whom he remained close throughout his stay in the South.

Wheeler began to keep regular journal entries on January 1, 1859 (p. 21), and thoroughly described his life as a schoolteacher, as well as his impressions of southern scenery and customs. Many entries mention the violent treatment of slaves, including men being lashed for stealing a pig (p. 77) and a legal case that ended with the sentence of execution (p. 84). Wheeler often attended religious services, commented on southern hospitality, and described the scenery, particularly the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wheeler did not keep his journal between January 23 (p. 67) and July 4 (p. 70), though he recorded the dates of planting and ripening of several crops (p. 68).

Wheeler left Albemarle County on September 26 (p. 121) and traveled to Luray, Virginia, where he witnessed the hanging of a female slave (pp. 123-126). From there, he traveled to Alexandria, where he provided a detailed account of a visit to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington (October 8, pp. 132-137). The journal concludes with a brief closing statement on page 137.

In the second section is an essay that Wheeler composed after he returned to his home in New Hampshire (pp. 139-174). He wrote about his impressions of the South and his experiences, often commenting on the differences between customs in Virginia and in New England.

The third part of the volume contains an essay about the history and characteristics of "the three learned professions": law, medicine, and divinity. It begins on page 197 and continues through page 216, though pages 176 to 184 are blank.

Three clippings from published works are laid into the journal: an image of King Umberto I of Italy, recently assassinated (pp. 174-175); and two pages of poetry (pp. 180-181).

John Williams, a farm laborer in Chester, Massachusetts, composed 183 pages of daily, one-line journal entries from January 1, 1814, to October 9, 1836. He recorded news about his own family and neighbors, such as births, marriages, and deaths; wrote about his labor on farms and travel to nearby towns; and provided brief remarks on local events and politics.

John Williams, a farm laborer in Chester, Massachusetts, composed 183 pages of daily, one-line journal entries from January 1, 1814, to October 9, 1836. The volume (16” x 6 ½”) holds 3 additional pages of his financial accounts, kept in 1830.

Journal entries document the author's daily labor on farms around Chester, Massachusetts, and his travels to nearby towns. Williams performed a variety of different tasks including planting, tending, harvesting, and processing crops (wheat, hay, potatoes, corn, flax, and others); shoeing horses; fixing fences and buildings; boiling sap; sawing, chopping, and transporting lumber; raising houses and barns; attending to household chores; and other work. Williams regularly attended church services and often recorded the names of preachers. He also visited general elections, town meetings, and meetings of the school board.

John Williams recorded news about his family and others in Chester, Massachusetts, and also documented events such as births, marriages, sicknesses, deaths, and the movements of family members and neighbors. Other local news included floods, droughts, an execution (November 9, 1815), the burial of an African American woman of questionable repute (February 13, 1827), and the mustering of soldiers during the War of 1812 (September 12, 1814). Williams also periodically attended musters (see October 8, 1821 for an example).

Many entries are annotated by F. W. Moore, a grandson of John Williams, who later owned the volume.

• Eleazar Porter partially printed DS to Anna Williams; Hampshire County, Massachusetts. January 1, 1782, 1p. Granting Anna Williams guardianship of minors Larkin and Louisa Williams.
• Zephaniah Keith and Salmon Keith DS to Oliver Keith; Bridgewater, Massachusetts. January 8, 1821, 3pp. Sale of land in Bridgewater.
• Zephaniah Keith and Salmon Keith DS to Oliver Keith; Bridgewater, Massachusetts. January 23, 1821, 1p. Sale of land in Bridgewater.
• Nathan Mitchell DS to Oliver Keith; Bridgewater, Massachusetts. November 17, 1821, 1p. Administrator of the estate of Cary Mitchell completes the sale of land in Bridgewater.
• David H. Daniels partially printed DS to Oliver Keith; Hampshire County, Massachusetts. February 7, 1832, 2pp. Sale of a farm in Prescott.
• David Colton partially printed DS to Oliver Keith; Hampshire County, Massachusetts. May 13, 1845, 1p. Sale of a pew and interest in the Congregational meeting house in Prescott.
• Oliver Keith partially printed DS to Oliver Keith, Jr.; Prescott, Massachusetts. May 8, 1849, 1p. Sale of land in Prescott.

This collection contains 20 pre-printed daily diaries by Maria Jennings Barnard née Gibbs of East Wareham and Onset, Massachusetts, for the years 1865, 1866, 1867, 1869, 1872, 1873, 1876, 1880, 1881, 1914, and 1924-1932. Maria J. Gibbs' diaries pertain to home life (especially cooking, cleaning, sewing, and other housework). In the 1860s and 1870s, while in her 20s, she remarked on her work at cotton mills and sewing establishments in Plymouth and Middlesex Counties as well as her experiences living at various boarding houses. At the end of 1876, she married Nantucket sailor Benjamin A. Barnard and the diaries of 1880 and 1881 include content on household labor, child rearing, visits to other areas in the state, and loneliness from her husband's absences. Barnard wrote her later diaries, 1914 and 1924-1932, following the death of her husband in 1895, from Onset, Massachusetts, where she wrote about time with her daughter Nellie Barnard Robbins and grandson Lloyd Robbins, trips around Eastern Massachusetts, annual trips to Florida for the winter, cooking, cleaning, and visiting friends. The remainder of the collection is comprised of eight diaries, account books, address books, memoranda books, and wallets pertaining to the family of Maria Barnard's granddaughter Mildred Grace Robbins née Adams of Attleboro, Massachusetts, between 1913 and the 1950s.

This collection contains 20 pre-printed daily diaries by Maria Jennings Barnard née Gibbs of East Wareham and Onset, Massachusetts, for the years 1865, 1866, 1867, 1869, 1872, 1873, 1876, 1880, 1881, 1914, and 1924-1932. Maria J. Gibbs' diaries pertain to home life (especially cooking, cleaning, sewing, and other housework). In the 1860s and 1870s, while in her 20s, she remarked on her work at cotton mills and sewing establishments in Plymouth and Middlesex Counties as well as her experiences living at various boarding houses. Her 1872 diary includes a two-month trip to Chicago to visit relatives, with content on the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1871. Maria suffered from regular headaches and frequent nearly debilitating sicknesses. At the end of 1876, she married Nantucket sailor Benjamin A. Barnard and the diaries of 1880 and 1881 include content on household labor, child rearing, visits to other areas in the state, and loneliness from her husband's absences. Bernard wrote her later diaries, 1914 and 1924-1932, following the death of her husband in 1895, from Onset, Massachusetts, where she wrote about time with her daughter Nellie Barnard Robbins and grandson Lloyd Robbins, trips around Eastern Massachusetts, annual trips to Florida for the winter, cooking, cleaning, and visiting friends. When the 1932 diary concluded, Maria was 86 years old. The remainder of the collection is comprised of eight diaries, account books, address books, memoranda books, and wallets pertaining to the family of Maria Barnard's granddaughter Mildred Grace Robbins née Adams of Attleboro, Massachusetts, between 1913 and the 1950s.

These 3 volumes pertain to the McKelligett family's annual automobile trips from their home in Warren, Massachusetts, to Québec, by way of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, and Ontario. The scrapbooks contain manuscript descriptions of the family's travels, occasionally accompanied by photographs, maps, and ephemera.

These 3 volumes (approximately 110 pages, 110 pages, and 65 pages, respectively) pertain to the McKelligett family's annual automobile trips from their home in Warren, Massachusetts, to the province of Québec, by way of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, and Ontario. The scrapbooks contain manuscript descriptions of the family's travels, occasionally accompanied by photographs, maps, and ephemera. The volumes are dated August 17, 1922-August 28, 1922; July 17, 1923-July 29, 1923; and August 14, 1924-August 20, 1924.

Each of the scrapbooks consists primarily of a narrative account of the McKelligetts' daily experiences, including a record of the car's total mileage, daily mileage, daily gas consumption, and daily mileage per gallon of gas. Expenses are recorded at the time of payment and in itemized lists at the end of each volume. The family took different routes each year, but visited some locations on multiple occasions. They attended religious services and celebrations at Catholic churches and cathedrals, including the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Saint Joseph's Oratory in Québec, and visited natural landmarks such as the Old Man in the Mountain and Niagara Falls. The author often described the scenery and recorded brief stories about the family's activities, their campsites and hosts, and aspects of local culture, particularly in French-speaking areas. The travelogues also include mentions of encounters with other motorists and car maintenance issues such as flat tires.

Each of the volumes contains a printed map highlighting the McKelligett family's traveling route; the map in the first volume is extended by manuscript line drawings. Photographs include images of family members, their car, campsites, man-made landmarks, and natural scenery; most are personal photographs, though some commercial prints and newspaper clippings are also present. Additional items include souvenir scenes of New York lake regions and Toronto landmarks, a beer label from a Canadian brewery, a ticket for a trip across the Victoria Jubilee Bridge, and a receipt for a speeding ticket.

The Nathaniel Fuller journal is the daily journal of a member of a carpentry team from Boston that built ships on Lake Oneida and Lake Ontario for the British Army during the French and Indian War. The volume also contains miscellaneous entries of accounts for military supplies and payments of wages.

The Nathaniel Fuller journal (100 pages) contains a daily journal of a member of a carpentry team from Boston that built ships on Lake Oneida and Lake Ontario for the British Army during the French and Indian War, from March 13, 1760-October 28, 1760 (pages 1-75). The volume also contains miscellaneous entries of accounts for military supplies, numbers of days worked, and payments of wages spanning from August 1761 to September 1762 (pages 80-86), and throughout 1760 (pages 89-100).

Fuller kept daily entries of their labors, briefly describing distances traveled and their carpentry accomplishments. The group consisted of 20 carpenters and was led by Captain James Barton. They were paid in advance to walk from Boston to Albany. They averaged 20 miles per day and stayed in private homes and taverns at night (March 13-28, 1760). The commanding officer at Albany supplied them with tools and wagons and sent them to Schenectady, New York, where they spent most of April, working seven days a week, calking boats with oakum and pine tar, and building new "battoes" (bateaus). On board four bateaus, the group proceeded up the Mohawk River to the blockhouse on Lake Oneida (May 12, 1760), then to Oswego (May 13, 1760), and finally to the south shore of Lake Ontario to "Nyagary" (Niagara) (May 16, 1760). At the mouth of the river, they built a house for living quarters, a barge, a schooner, and a sloop. Construction involved locating suitable timber, bringing the logs down the river, and cutting them into planks.

On August 14, the group returned to Oswego and built another schooner. On October 3, a British vessel arrived at Oswego from “Swagocha” (Oswegatchie, now Ogdensburg), transporting a commodore and soldiers wounded in the Battle of Montreal. The entire company, including the commodore, wounded soldiers, and carpenters, traveled up the Oswego River to Lake Oneida and arrived at Schenectady on October 16, 1760. Fuller received three dollars from the commodore and received a pass for seven men to proceed on foot to Boston on October 22; they arrived sometime after the last entry of October 28.

The Northwest Territory Celebration letters chronicle the daily experiences of a group of re-enactors who traveled from Ipswich, Massachusetts, to Marietta, Ohio, by ox-driven Conestoga wagon and self-made flatboat in 1937-1938 to mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Northwest Territory.

The 64 Northwest Territory Celebration letters chronicle the daily experiences of a group of 36 historical reenactors who traveled from Ipswich, Massachusetts, to Marietta, Ohio, by ox-driven Conestoga wagon and self-made flatboat in 1937-1938, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Northwest Territory.

The party produced letters en route almost daily from December 3, 1937-January 20, 1938; weekly from January 20, 1938-March 29, 1938; and almost daily from March 29, 1938-April 7, 1938. These letters were sent to subscriber Fred G. Olson of Fulton, Illinois, and contain reports about towns in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. At some stops, local Boy Scout troops or other groups staged reenacted attacks by Native Americans; at other times, the travelers faced difficulties when crossing snowy landscapes and the Allegheny Mountains. The travelers mentioned their oxen, "Tom" and "Jerry," and other animals, such as horses and dogs. While at West Newton, Pennsylvania, they discussed their efforts to construct 18th-century flatboats for the final leg of their journey (February 10, 1938-March 29, 1938).

The Northwest Territory Celebration Commission authorized the journey, and postage was free. Each of the letters was folded, addressed, and sealed with wax in the style of 18th-century post. The address on each is accompanied by an illustration by party member Milo Scott. The illustrations depict scenes of the journey and of pioneer life.