1864 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HAND WRITTEN BY A SOUTH CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS WOMAN TOILING AWAY BUT NEVER LOSING HER JOIE DE VIVRE EVEN WITH THE DARK BACKDROP OF THE CIVIL WAR

On offer is an interesting diary written by a woman in 1864. She lives on a farm somewhere in south central Massachusetts, based on location references. The diary measures 4 1/2 inches by 4 inches and has about 200 pages. The diary is about 60% complete. The cover is leather and is in good condition as are the pages within. The handwriting is very tight but it is legible. The author is unknown. There is a severely faded inscription on the flyleaf but it is not legible. Context suggests she is a younger woman, living with her husband on a farm. She is a very literate woman and writes very well. She is close to her family who appear to live in the vicinity: "Rose this morning animated with the thought of going home to spend the day with Father and Mother. Delightful privilege. Thank God this family is mine to enjoy. May it long continue. Enjoyed a very pleasant visit with Parents, brother, sisters and cousins Hattie William and Mary being there" [April 1], "Rose very early this morning and went to Southbridge with Minerva as she wished to take the stage at 7 o'clock. We got there in time. I made a fare purchase and came home. Called at Mr. Thomas Corbin's a while and got home at half past ten. Had a delightful ride and did not come home so tired as usual" [May 23], "Work very hard this forenoon iron, bake, make cheese, wash floors, stairs, etc Rebecca comes tonight and stays with us. Glad she feels an interest in attending the meeting. There are 5 of us only so we try to be united in supplication. May we ever have the aid of the Spirit" [July 6]. She is a deeply religious woman and her faith permeates her daily life: "Have not attended meeting today as Newton had been gone all day. Feel that I lose a great deal of spiritual food by being absent from them. I think the attendance of prayer meetings has a tendency to lead us to self-examination and heart searchings especially if we feel a responsibility resting upon ourselves". [Jan 8], "Have been to Grandmothers to see Mr. & Mrs. Luther for the last time as they leave tomorrow morning early. After tea, Mr. Luther read the 14 th Chapter of John and offered a very appropriate prayer after which I bade them goodbye and reserved a promise of a letter from them" [Apr 15]. The last entry is October 14th. This is a delightful look inside the life and world of a woman who cares very deeply about her spiritual life and the well-being of her family and friends. Her descriptions are very well written. A historian looking at life in rural civil-war America would find this an excellent resource. Along with the diary is a completely unrelated school graduation certificate. Dated 1929, it was presented to Elinor Rabehl in Multnomah County, Oregon. There is no apparent connection between the diary and the certificate. As this is an elementary school diploma, we can infer that Elinor Rabehl was born likely in 1916, in Multnomah County. A cursory search of records for Multnomah County ot for Oregon generally did not produce any additional information on this person.; Manuscript; 32mo - over 4" - 5" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, RURAL MASSACHUSETTS, AMERICA DURING THE CIVIL WAR, RURAL LIFE IN NEW ENGLAND, WOMEN'S STUDIES, SOCIAL STUDIES, FARMERS, FARMING, ELINOR RABEHL, CIVIL WAR ERA, UNION STATES, NORTH OF THE MASON DIXON LINE, WAR BETWEEN BROTHERS, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL