1909-1916 Charming French Diary of a Religious, Romantic Young Woman in Quebec’s Eastern Townships

On offer is an interesting journal written in rural Quebec, beginning in 1909 and concluding during World War One (WW1) in 1916. Despite the many time gaps in the entries, the author paints a picture of one young woman living in Quebec in the early 20th century.  

The author of this journal is unknown. French grammar as well as contextual clues indicate that the author is a young woman. She most likely lived in a region of the Canadian province of Quebec known as the Eastern Townships, close to the Vermont, USA border. There are references to the Vermont town of Richford, 3 miles/5 km south of the border with Canada..

Entries begin on May 3rd, 1909 and continue until July 16, 1916. There are many many time gaps in the entries. However, they do paint a picture of this young woman’s life.

Excerpts from the diary follow: 

“Suis aller a Richford aujourdhui j'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir avec Ernestine D, Emile B et M. Galipeau”

[Translation: I went to Richford today I had a lot of fun with Ernestine D, Emile B and M. Galipeau]. 

Religion plays an important part of her life and many of her passages reflect her deep beliefs. It also seems that she has strong feelings for a young man that she often feels are not reciprocated:

“Mais pourquois te plaindre pauvre coeur ne merites tu pas la souffrance et console toi en offerent les douleurs à Dieu”

[Translation: But why do you pity poor heart, do you not deserve suffering and console yourself in offering the pain to God]. 

For a social historian, this small notebook offers a fine look into the life of a young woman living in what was at that time, a very closed society that would remain so until a half century later when Quebec was swept with a new sense of openness. For a researcher in women's studies, this is an excellent look into the life experience of this woman in the closed and very narrow society that was rural Quebec in the early 20th century.

This soft cover notebook measures 9.75 inches by 7.25 inches and contains 44 pages. It is about 80% complete. The cover is in good condition and depicts a classic Canadian river log drive scene. The binding is in good shape and the pages are all intact. The handwriting is quite legible. The entries are written in French.