Category: 19th Century Diary

1862 HANDWRITTEN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT CIVIL WAR ERA DIARY OF AN OBSERVANT MANUFACTURER OF COTS AND BEDS FOR THE UNION SIDE, WHO WOULD ONE DAY BECOME A NOTED MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATOR

Price: $2,855.99

Publisher: CAMBRIDGE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS MA, : 1862

Seller ID: 0009086

Condition: Good

On offer is the 1862 diary of Isaac S. Pear, owner of a Massachusetts factory and business manufacturing spring and cot beds and specialties in folding furniture. Pear speaks often of his day-to-day activities and his business, which he writes have been negatively affected by the ongoing and bloody Civil War. The entries range from short, concise entries of the weather to longer ones directly related to his business activities at the time. There are also reports of the Civil War battles won and lost and the general feeling of the people around him, usually a mixture of exhaustion and anxiety. ...
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1881-1883 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LOG BOOK AND JOURNAL OF THE USS QUINNEBAUG HANDWRITTEN BY ITS NAVAL CONSTRUCTOR, AS IT TRAVELS TO EUROPE TO PROTECT AMERICAN INTERESTS, INCLUDING PARTICIPATING IN THE BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA

By: J. J. WOODWARD

Price: $8,895.99

Publisher: U.S. NAVY EUROPEAN STATION, ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, : 1881

Seller ID: 0009157

Condition: Very Good

On offer is a thoroughly interesting and unique ship’s journal, from the U.S. Navy Corvette, the USS Quinnebaug and handwritten by it’s Naval Constructor, a man named J.J. Woodward. The period covered is between June 24, 1881 and March 14, 1883. The journal begins with the Quinnebaug being outfitted in the New York Navy Yard. It sets sail on July 14, 1881, sailing across the Atlantic and reaching the Strait of Gibraltar on August 9, 1881, joining the U.S. Navy’s European Station. The ship makes numerous European ports of call, including locations in France, Algeria, Tunis, Tripoli, Egypt, Turk...
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1870s ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL RETELLING ONE INTREPID HUNTER'S 'BATTLES WITH BEARS'

By: J.D. BARNES

Price: $955.99

Publisher: RUSSIA [?], : 1870

Seller ID: 0001959

Condition: Fair

On offer is a very interesting, original c1870 manuscript account of some bear hunting trips handwritten By J. D. Barnes. Titled "Battles with Bears" there are 12 9" x 14" folio sheets with narrative and it seems that each trip involves a particular bear. The accounts are rather detailed and on one occasion it appears to be with his Lordship - Lord Woodhause[?] and his party, with mentions of muzzle loader no. 10, walking with snowshoes, shooting details, etc. [It should be noted that we list separately by the same author a handwritten travel diary describing Mr. Barnes trip fr...
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1876 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT TRIP DIARY COVERING A UNIQUE JOURNEY FROM RUSSIA TO ITALY

By: J.D. BARNES

Price: $1,485.99

Publisher: RUSSIA TO ITALY, : 1876

Seller ID: 0001958

Condition: Fair

On offer is a fascinating, original 1876 manuscript bound memoir relating a journey from Russia to Italy handwritten by J.D. Barnes. The front cover title plate states: St. Petersburg J.D. Barnes Souvenir of Journey to Italy Dec. 1875 - Jan 1876. The last page in another hand looks notarial, perhaps governmental as it has an official looking wax seal boasting a crest having 2 crossed anchors. The journey departs from St. Petersburg Russia, travels through Poland and onwards to Italy. In total the 9" x 14" folio sized book has 15 pages, 13 of narrative and then two pages in another hand...
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1870 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT TRAVEL DIARY STARTING FROM ENGLAND ON TO AMERICA

By: J.F. SMITH

Price: $665.99

Publisher: Monroe Michigan MI Wakefield/Barnsby UK, : 1870

Seller ID: 000662

Binding: Original Cloth

Condition: Poor

On offer is an unusual and intriguing 1870 travel diary penned, research suggest, by Mr. J.F. Smith who begins the book in the Wakefield/Barnsby area of England. Beginning January 1st the diarist fully writes up until the day his trip ends on April 20th when it seems he returns home to the shores of the USA. In fact it almost comes as a surprise that he boards ship. Also very interesting this diary which is in poor shape has a one page insert from an old November 1869 journal stuck in among the 1870 book. Book has pulled away from the binding and title page is torn and overall in rough shape b...
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Image for 1884 - 1889 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY AND LOG BOOKS [2] HANDWRITTEN FROM THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF THE COMMANDER'S STEWARD OF THE RENOWNED HMS DREADNOUGHT

1884 - 1889 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY AND LOG BOOKS [2] HANDWRITTEN FROM THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF THE COMMANDER'S STEWARD OF THE RENOWNED HMS DREADNOUGHT

By: J.W. SYKES

Price: $5,855.99

Publisher: ASEA ABOARD HMS DREADNOUGHT and PORTS OF CALL, : 1884

Seller ID: 0002431

Condition: Good

On offer is a super pair [2] of original manuscript diaries handwritten by J.W. Sykes of Greenwich Park while on service with the British Royal Navy, Mediterranean Fleet, 1884 to 1889 aboard the HMS DREADNOUGHT. Our writer has a unique perspective of life both aboard ship and ashore being the steward of the ship's senior officer Commander Bourke [Captain THE HONOURABLE Maurice Archibald Bourke, C.M.G., Royal Navy (22 December 1853 - 16 September 1900) was an officer in the Royal Navy and Captain of the ill-fated HMS Victoria. Sykes at times is a shadow for the Commander as his Steward [think P...
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1862 - 1863 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY AN OFFICER ABOARD THE NAVAL RUN MERCHANT CLIPPER 'THE ELLEN STUART' FROM LIVERPOOL ENGLAND TO CALCUTTA INDIA

By: JAMES DALTON [?]

Price: $4,855.99

Publisher: ASEA ABOARD THE ELLEN STUART, : 1862

Seller ID: 0002220

Condition: Good+

On offer is a super, very intriguing, original 1862 - 1863 journal handwritten on board the noted clipper ship 'Ellen Stuart' part of the fleet owned and operated by storied merchant Peter Stuart. The ship was a formidable presence on the oceans between England, Africa and Southeast Asia during the 1850s. The log written by a mariner, likely a first or second officer, perhaps James Dalton, precisely describing the set of sails and changes to the set, weather, position, working or setting 'the people' to task or 'the people employed holystoning the deck, flying fish coming aboard to 'the monkey...
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1869 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A YOUNG MAN STRUGGLING TO SUCCEED IN POST CIVIL WAR RECONSTRUCTION MISSISSIPPI

By: JAMES L. COUSAR

Price: $6,855.99

Publisher: ABBEVILLE MISSISSIPPI, : 1869

Seller ID: 0002601

Condition: Fair

On offer is an original, significant post-Civil War manuscript relic handwritten in 1869 through 1878 by James L. Cousar of Abbeville Mississippi. Cousar was growing cotton, and running a small farming operation on his own. Even a casual read of his diary entries give a sense to the struggles to keep his operation afloat. Cousar leads a rough life at times and seems quite depressed. He was likely a veteran of the War and we note a poem related to the war tucked in the journal. The diary is very well filled with approx 100 double folio sized sheets in a journal measuring 12 x 6 inches. Cousar f...
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1854 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARY AND STUDY OF ASTRONOMY OF JAMES LIKELY

By: James Likely

Price: $1,649.99

Publisher: New Hampshire, : 1854

Seller ID: 000404

Binding: Cloth

Condition: Good

This is an amazing diary that has so many wonderful qualities. Dated 1854, the original owner's name is James Likely. There is also the name Mary Likely written on the back inside cover. This is not really a handwritten diary of our gentleman's daily routine, but actually a journal full of his thoughts on the universe, religion, our bodies, animal life and other miscellaneous subjects. There are almost 100 pages of script and a few wonderful drawings too. The first part of the diary is all about the celestial universe; Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun, the different stars and our Earth. He's drawn a p...
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Image for Sensational 1895-1903 Original Handwritten Diary Collection Rich with Detail about Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Years At Groton School from the Perspective of His Closest Friend

Sensational 1895-1903 Original Handwritten Diary Collection Rich with Detail about Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Years At Groton School from the Perspective of His Closest Friend

By: James Lippincott Goodwin

Price: $32,887.99

Publisher: GROTON MASSACHUSETTS HYDE PARK CHICAGO, : 1895

Seller ID: 0002437

Binding: Full-Leather

Condition: Good

On offer is an extraordinary collection of diaries that give incredible insight into young Franklin Delano Roosevelts years at Groton--one of the most exclusive preparatory schools in the United States at the time--from the perspective of his closest schoolmate, James Lippincott Goodwin. In these six diaries, a young J. L. Goodwin chronicles his daily life from 1895 to 1898 and 1903, and features a cast of characters whose family legacies live on to this day. Classmates mentioned include Robert Rutherford "Colonel" McCormick, who went on to become owner and publisher of the Chicago Tribune; J....
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1868 ARCHIVE OF TWO [2] NOTEBOOKS AND JOURNALS OF MIDSHIPMAN AND NAVIGATOR OF THE STEAMER ‘DACOTAH’, INCLUDING A LOG BOOK OF A TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA, AND A BOOK OF IMPRESSIVELY DETAILED NOTES AND IMMACULATELY DRAWN ENGINE DIAGRAMS

By: JAMES MCFADDEN GRIMES

Price: $5,455.99

Publisher: PANAMA BAY, ARICA PERU, VALPARAISO, CHILE, : 1868

Seller ID: 0009033

Condition: Good+

On offer are two amazing books kept by the Midshipman James McFadden Grimes aboard the U.S.S. steamer ship ‘Dacotah’. The first is a journal on a cruise from Panama Bay down the Coast of South America to Peru and then Chile, and the other is an extraordinary notebook of detailed drawings, comprehensive diagrams, mathematical figures, and many other notes dealing with his time aboard the ship and the knowledge that he possessed to be a part of the crew. The first book (the journal) begins at anchor in Panama Bay with the ship under orders to sail to Arica, Peru. Grimes is a “Midshipman,” and wa...
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Image for 1895-1915 Handwritten Diaries Chronicling Scotland to USA Immigration and the Subsequent Daily Life of a Politically and Religiously Involved Immigrant in New Hampshire, USA

1895-1915 Handwritten Diaries Chronicling Scotland to USA Immigration and the Subsequent Daily Life of a Politically and Religiously Involved Immigrant in New Hampshire, USA

By: James Roger

Price: $998.95

Publisher: Edinburgh, Scotland And New Hampshire, Usa, United States Immigrant From Scotland, SS Nebraska Voyage : 1895-1915

Seller ID: 0011042

Binding: Softcover

Condition: Good

On offer is a set of three diaries of James Roger, a British immigrant to the United States in the late 19th century. Roger was born in England in 1841. He was a clerk in Birmingham, England, and entered the railway service in 1866, becoming the station master at Rosslyn Castle near Edinburgh for 31 years. He was married in 1867 and he and his wife Margaret had six children. He was ordained an elder in the Established Church (Presbyterian) of Scotland in 1878 and elected a member of the General Assembly in 1896. He came to America in 1897 and settled in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, where he had...
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1846 - 1849 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY DETAILING THIS YOUNG TEACHER'S EDUCATION TO BECOME A MEDICAL DOCTOR

By: JAMES ROSS

Price: $1,455.99

Publisher: CASTLETON VERMONT ELIZABETHTOWN NEW JERSEY NJ, : 1846

Seller ID: 0001734

Condition: Poor

On offer is a very interesting, original 1846 - 1849 manuscript diary handwritten by James Ross a hardworking, young teacher turned medical student. James at some point moved to Castleton, Vermont in Rutland County and worked in the area while teaching school. He then goes on to study medicine with a local doctor and eventually moves to Elizabethtown New Jersey [69 Canal Street] where he matriculates at New York City College. His daily life is on every page of this small leather bound journal that he easily carried in his pocket and took it everywhere with him it seems. We learn in Castleton, ...
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1885 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL HAND WRITTEN BY A 20 YEAR OLD ST. STEPHEN'S COLLEGE MAN WELL ON HIS WAY TO HARVARD, CAMBRIDGE AND THE PRIESTHOOD

By: JAMES SHEERIN

Price: $2,255.99

Publisher: NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, : 1885

Seller ID: 0008088

Condition: Good

On offer is a very well-written journal of a young man who went on to play a significant role in the Episcopal Church in New England in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Dating from 1885, the hard-bound journal measures 7 1/2 by 4 ¾, has about 180 pages and is about 50% complete. The binding on the spine is broken but all pages are intact. The writing is legible. James Sheerin was born in Scotland in 1865. Brought to the United States at age five by his parents, he enrolled at St. Stephen's College NY (now Bard College) in 1885. Graduating in 1888, he filled several roles in the Ep...
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1860 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A PIOUS, INTELLIGENT MASSACHUSETTS MAN FROM A PROMINENT MID-STATE FAMILY

By: JAMES TORF WHITON [sometimes Whitin]

Price: $895.99

Publisher: WHITINSVILLE WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS MASS MA, : 1860

Seller ID: 0001598

Condition: Good

On offer is an interesting original 1860 manuscript artefact of pre Civil War Americana being the handwritten diary of James Torf Whiton [sometimes Whitin] from Whitinsville, Massachusetts. In a fine hand James, who is not identified in the book but through other related ephemera, writes of his daily life and doings. Never missing a daily entry he writes of going to Worcester and Boston, mentions the Lawrence calamity at Pemberton Mills Massachusetts, visitors including Israel and Marianna Saunders, C.P. Whiton, Elsaphon Tafts, an evening exhibition of Uncle Tom's Cabin: 'it was rather a hoot ...
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1876-1879 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARY DETAILING THE PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS OF THE DAY - THE CONTESTED RUTHERFORD HAYES SAMUEL TILDEN ELECTION

By: James William E. Spooner

Price: $625.99

Publisher: Boston, New Bedford, Roxbury MASS, : 1876

Seller ID: 000712

Condition: Very Good

On offer is the 1876 handwritten manuscript diary of 'Jas William E Spooner' as evidenced by his writing on the front endpaper. This book will be of particular interest to historians of the Boston/New Bedford where Mr. Spooner resided and presidential history. The diary begins October 1876 through April 1879. While he does write of personal and business matters the political history in the book are from Mr. Spooner's many entries regarding the contested presidential election of 1876 between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford Hayes. Here are some brief highlights: October 24 entry describes the Grant...
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1866 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT EUROPEAN TRAVEL DIARY OF A YOUNG WOMAN INCLUDING 20 PAGES OF RIBALD AND HUMOROUS POETRY

By: JEANIE L. MILES

Price: $1,235.99

Publisher: England Paris France The Alps, : 1866

Seller ID: 000758

Binding: Leather

Condition: Very Good

On offer is the charming travel journal and diary of Jeanie L. Miles dated Paris, France, August 14, 1866. Miss Miles writes in a dark green leather journal style book which measures 4" by 6". The actual first entry is dated Sunday July 29th, 1866 and the writing ends August 7th. It appears they are in England in the first entries and then later dates mention the Alps. It also appears she was traveling with her companion Nellie. Jeanie is a very spunky, bright young woman as is evidenced in her 22 pages wherein she details her day to day activities and with great personality and observ...
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1886 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HAND WRITTEN BY A HARDWORKING UPSTATE NEW YORK TEENAGE GIRL

By: JENNIE BACON

Price: $1,355.99

Publisher: Boonville, NY, : 1886

Seller ID: 0008048

Condition: Good

On offer is a very interesting diary kept by a young woman in upstate New York in 1886. Measuring 5 3/4 inches by 3 1/2 inches, the slim volume contains about 150 pages including memoranda. The diary portion is 100% complete. The covers, binding and pages are all in good condition. The handwriting is legible. Tucked into the diary are three newspaper clippings. These are obituaries published in the local papers. Two refer to the death of her mother in 1914. The third refers to a man who is possibly related to her by marriage. There are also 2 photographs in the diary - 1 is a family grouping ...
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Image for 1849 - 1854 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A KEEN EYED, INTROSPECTIVE INDIANA SURVEYOR DETAILING HIS LIFE AND FAMILY HARDSHIPS OF TRAGIC ILLNESS WHO STILL SEES THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD WHILE VISITING THE NEW YORK CRYSTAL PALACE EXPOSITION

1849 - 1854 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A KEEN EYED, INTROSPECTIVE INDIANA SURVEYOR DETAILING HIS LIFE AND FAMILY HARDSHIPS OF TRAGIC ILLNESS WHO STILL SEES THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD WHILE VISITING THE NEW YORK CRYSTAL PALACE EXPOSITION

By: JEREMIAH GOULD [?]

Price: $3,355.99

Publisher: MISHAWAKA, WOLF CREEK, MARSHALL COUNTY INDIANA IN, : 1849

Seller ID: 0002366

Condition: Fair

Offered is a super, original manuscript diary dated August, 1849 through to a final tragic entry in April, 1854. The diary was handwritten by an Indiana surveyor, farmer, politician and engineer who worked throughout Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. [While the 64 page book lacks any identifying signatures or inscription a tucked in scrap of what appears to be original poetry dated 1840 bears the name of Jeremiah Gould. The final 1854 entry is signed in a different hand with the initials V.G. likely the son Vernon which we believe adds credence to Jeremiah's authorship though more research should be...
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1886 - 1908 ARCHIVE OF HANDWRITTEN AND TYPESCRIPT LETTERS BACK HOME FROM AN INTELLIGENT, OBSERVANT SENIOR MINER WRITING HOME FROM THE WILDS OF IDAHO AND SOUTH AFRICA AND THE HORRORS OF THE BOER WAR

By: JIM MILLER

Price: $2,485.99

Publisher: COUR D'LENE IDAHO JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA, : 1886

Seller ID: 0001060

Condition: Very Good+

On offer is a sensational archive of 18 multi page letters, most handwritten and some typescript, from Jim Miller to his mother and sister. Mr. Miller was a senior gold and silver miner who had worked in the western United States and in Africa mostly. The letters, some on company letterhead, date from 1886 to 1908 and each are several pages long and diary-like having great content. Mr. Miller is an intelligent and charismatic writer detailing his work and adventures and the archive is especially rich regarding his times working for one of the largest mining operations in Southern Africa during...
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Category: 19th Century Diary