Diaries, Journals, Logs, and Blogs
A journal is also a personal record kept on a regular basis. Although diaries and journals are periodic records, many people don't make daily entries. Some people use their diary as a daybook recording transactions or factual information. The word log has been used by ship captains to record events of navigational importance. Logs are also used by aircraft pilots, maintenance workers, and computer technicians. Although many people consider their diary private, an increasing number are posting their thoughts and reflections on the Internet. Electronic diaries or journals are sometimes called web logs or blogs. Some of the oldest diarists were from Asian cultures. For example, women of the Japanese Court kept diaries. In addition, many people kept travel journals. Explore a list of Diarists from Wikipedia. |
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Working with Diaries Although it's interesting to read a diary, it really comes alive when you start exploring the context and connections related to this primary source. What was life like when this person was writing? What did their clothing look like? What did they see walking to school or work? We purchased a diary and traced the process of this exploration. Read the Louise Hancock Diary to follow the exploration of a diary from the early 1900s. Digital Reproduction & Transcription Although diaries may look sturdy, antique materials can be very fragile. Glue, string, and paper can easily disintegrate before your eyes. Before you begin working with an old diary, it's a good idea to create a digital reproduction. Then, store the original diary to keep it from becoming worn. Use the digital reproduction to create a digital transcription of the diary. If you have difficulties reading the transcription, go back to the original. The digital reproduction and transcriptions can then be shared with the world! Let's use the diary of Ruth West as an example. Below is a sample diary entry from 1920. |
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 (Ruth diary entry, 1920. Click image to enlarge.) |
Sunday July 18, 1920 Mama went to Ethel's. Steve over early & we went out in the canoe. Wore my pink organdy dress & hat Nearly rained & spoiled my clothes but it didn't. Had supper at the casino then paddled sown the canal to Kohomo lake, over the river & home. |
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Identification Examine the entire diary carefully and look for clues about the person whose life you are exploring. Background information can often be found by reading the entry pages and last few pages. Many diaries have a page containing personal information. For example, let's analyze the diary of Ruth West. We knew nothing about this person when we acquired the diary. Be started our exploration with the personal information page show below. With only this information we were able to find out that she was born and lived in Detroit when the diary was written in 1920.
Annotation One of the most interesting aspects of working with a primary resource is annotation. It's sometimes necessary to include a note along with an entry. These annotations can be used to provide a clarification, explanation, or supplemental resource. Some of the following situations may demand an annotation:
Let's examine the sample entry from Ruth's diary. This entry provides interesting information and generates many questions.
Many techniques that can be used to display these annotations:
Interpretation Once you've created a digital reproduction, written a transcription, identified the item, and developed an annotated file, it's time to decide what other interpretation might be interesting or useful. Some people choose to go back and expand their annotations, while others use the diary as part of a larger product that combines the diary with other primary resources to tell a larger story.
The photo on the left (click the enlarge) is from the 1920s and shows the Scott Memorial Fountain near the casino on Belle Isle where Ruth and Steve paddled down the canal. Next, we explored online materials that might help tell Ruth's story.
Use the following materials to locate resources that might be useful in your interpretation activities: People. If you're seeking information about people, examine census data available every ten years. If you're unsure about names, consider the Connecticut State Library Listing of 18th and 19th Century American Nicknames page. Places. Use the maps at the Library of Congress for place information. Read the article Entering Place in Time and Text by Robert Root to gain understandings about the "nonfiction of place." Things. Use the search tool at Library of Congress locate photos of objects. Food. Many diaries mention meals, food, and drink. Go to All Recipes or Historic American Recipes for ideas. Check the Twentieth Century Timeline of Edibles and Quaffables to see when food products were introduced. Books. What were teenagers reading? Explore the following resources: |
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Time Periods This section contains a listing of diaries that are available on the Web. Some are digital reproductions from the original diary and others are transcriptions. They are listed chronologically by date of first entry.
1000s Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan from University of Pennsylvania The Sarashina Diary (A.D. 1009-1059) from University of Pennsylvania 1600s Ralph Josselin's Diary - 1617 - UK Diary of John Evelyn (1657+) Diary of Samuel Pepys (1660+) Historic Diaries: Marquette & Joliet, 1673 Diary Links
Mid 1700s American Notes: Travels in America: 1750-1920 from Library of Congress Indians Coming From War from Library of Congress Late 1700s Introduction to the Diaries of George Washington from Library of Congress Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860 from the Library of Congress Archibald Thompson Diary, 1782 Maclay's Journal from the Library of Congress Early 1800s James Polk's Twenty-five Volume Diary from Library of Congress Samuel F B. Morse Papers from Library of Congress Library of Fur Trade Historical Source Documents Journeys in Time, 1809-1822: The Journals of Lachlan & Elizabeth Macquarie A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion (1820-1890) from Library of Congress Diary of Patrick Breen Diary of James Madison Coon and Nancy Iness Miller Coone, 1847 Diary of Susan Sherman of Brookfield, Connecticut, 1850-1851 Mormon Trail Diaries Oregon Trail Diaries and Emigrant Biographies Oregon Trail The Hudson Bay Co, 1842 The Diary of Alexander Machum Jr., 1845-1849 Trails to Utah and the Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869 from Library of Congress The Chinese in California, 1850-1925 from the Library of Congress Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight, 1853 Diary of Elizabeth Cowperthwaite of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1857-1858 American Civil War Era Diary of Mary Boykin Miller Chesnet (1823-1886) from Documenting the American South Everett Colby Banfield, 1846 Diaries of Fanny Ruschenberger of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1858-1881 First-Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920 from the Library of Congress Diary of a Confederate Woman: Betty Herndon Maury from Library of Congress Thomas Benton Alexander Diary, 1861-1865 David B. Arthur Diary, 1862-1863 Thomas J. Barb Diary, 1863 James Boardman Diary, 1863 The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft (1861-1865) from the Library of Congress John Wesley Culpepper, 1861 Transcript of Diaries of Stephen A. Kinnear, 1862-1879 The Diary of Private Joseph Allen Herrin, Company F, 1863 Alice Williamson Diary: An Online Archival Collection from Duke University Civil War Diary of Edward W. Hotchkiss, March 12, 1865 to April 27, 1865 Late 1800s Camping with the Sioux: Fieldwork diary of Alice Cunningham Fletcher from Smithsonian Diary of Margaret T. Spaulding of Riverdale-on-Hudson, New York, 1870-1874 Transcription of Diary Kept by Alfred Copley, 1874-1875 James Harrison Diary, 1878 George Q. Cannon, 1888 from Tutt Library Colorado College B.B. French's Diary from the Library of Congress Theodore Roosevelt Papers (1759-1919) from the Library of Congress Theodore Roosevelt's Pocket Diary from Library of Congress Theodore Roosevelt Wrote in This Diary February 3, 1880 from America's Story at LOC Helen Hunt Jackson, 1877 from Colorado College Tutt Library George Percival Scriven: An American in Bohol, The Philipines, 1899-1901 Turn of the Century 1900 Wynne's Diary - the life and times of an edwardian woman (1895+) Robert E. Peary's Diary, 1909 Wright Brother's Diaries (1888-1911) The Philippine Insurrection Diaries of Karl D. White, 1899-1901 Diary of Margaret A. Eadie of Flushing, New York, 1901-1919 The Diary of Private H.E. Broun, 1916 Diaries of Grace Gilchrist Frend of Hampstead, England, 1907-1941 World War I Era Soldier's Diaries from World War I World War II Era Diary of Anne Frank Center World War II
1970s Amy's Diary Diary entries during Blizzard of (19)'78 2000s Bosnia Buddha Home Page Middle East Middle School Teacher Diaries National Deaf Children's Society Reading Rockets: First Year Teacher: Diary of a First Year Teacher |
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Diary Collections Experiencing War (Voices of War): Stories from the Veterans History Project from the Library of Congress From the Home Front and the Front Lines WWI: Diaries, Bound Collection, and Albums from the Library of Congress Historic Diaries from Wisconsin Historical Society Keeping Memories from Library of Congress Letters and Diaries Online from History Matters |
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General Diary Resources Diarist.net Diaries, Journals, and Letters Related to Georgia Diaries, Memoirs, Letter, and Reports Along the Trails West Diary from Wikipedia Exploratoria Melrose Mirror: Storms Samuel Pepys Weblogs from Guardian Unlimited |
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Diaries and Journals in the Classroom Diary Writing Interpreting Diaries of American South Library of Congress: Collection Connections
Making Sense of Letters & Diaries by Steven Stowe at History Matters The Diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King from Library and Archives Canada Using Historical Journals in the Classroom from the Vermont Historical Society Printed Items from PBS History Detectives Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant Project Utah Education Network
What Kind of Historical Source are Letters and Diaries? from History Matters |
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Diaries in WebQuests Bernie Dodge describes the use of a Simulated Diary as a design pattern for WebQuests. History
Science
Literature
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Books for Children and Young Adults Dear Diary: Books for Teens Diary Fiction of Young Adults from Evanston Public Library Diaries/Letters/Journals for Young Adults from Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library Diaries, Real and Imagined from Berkeley Public Library Teen Services Diary Stories for Teens from Los Angeles Public Library Teens Reading Lists: Diaries and Letters |
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- Identifies an exceptional resource 
