1886 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A VERY ACTIVE STUDENT OF THE TILDEN FEMALE SEMINARY IN NORTH CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE

On offer is a fascinating diary authored by a 20-year old Mary D. Kibling, a student of the Tilden Female Seminary from a noted local family. The diary contains over 100 pages with an entry for every day of the year, with additional information for some of the days at the end in the memoranda section. It also includes an address book and lists of her expenses and Christmas gifts. The diary measures 6'2x4', the leather flap cover is slightly worn but otherwise it is in a very good condition. The handwriting is mostly legible, though slightly faded at some places. Mary was born in 1866, she belonged to a noted family of New England farmers and businessmen - her grandfather, Lorenzo D. Kibling, was a merino sheep farmer, and her father, Asahel, - a wool merchant. At the time when she was writing her diary Mary studied at the Tilden Ladies Seminary, founded in 1854 and serving students living in West Lebanon. Named after its largest contributor William Tilden, it had among its founders professor Allen H. Weld and Charles Brickett Haddock, then well-known educators and authors, Haddock was also a politician. Though most of the entries are brief, as a whole they create an excellent picture of what was middle class young women's life like at the end of the 19th century. Mary Kibling spends time writes with her family and friends, shopping, dancing, taking small trips. Many entries mention painting and practising music. Here are some of the typical entries: "Went to Seminary. German ok. Practiced. Got ready about five and went up to Nell Smiths and went to the oyster supper with that crowd. Began to dance at nine. I danced thirteen out of eighteen. Chet Rio brought Nell and I home and Frank Foote took Minnie King of course. We all went in big teams." [Jan 22]; "Dance till about three. Got home at 5 [five in the morning]. Found door open and hall full of snow. Slept about an hour. ..." [Feb. 27]; "Went to Seminary at 8. Studied this P.M. Will O. came about 7. We went to ride most to West Hartford then around the Glen. He did not act gentlemanly and I was disgusted. Got home about 10. He came in and staid a few moments." Some entries mention visits to a dentist, though short, they give a pretty good idea about the state of dentistry at that time: "Wore rubber between my front teeth all forenoon and had three filled in P.M. Hurt awfully. Mr. Brown said, "Too bad" and laughed so I cried. ...." During one visit she had seven of her teeth pulled: "Had to wait for Dr. Manchester. Another woman had 13 teeth out and then I took the chair. Took ether and was four minutes going off. When I came to my teeth were gone, (7), except one root." The diary contains many names of local residents and students. One of the entries mentions Charles Alexander Eastman, a Santee Dakota physician educated at Boston University: "Memorial Day. Eastman, the Indian student, called this P.M. ..." [May 31st]. In the early 20th century, Eastman was one of the most prolific authors and speakers on Sioux ethnohistory and American Indian affairs. In 1886 he studied at the Dartmouth College on an Indian scholarship, and possibly that he might know Mary's brother Curtis who was a Dartmouth graduate, spent several years in Dakota as a high school principal and in 1880s served as a superintendent of schools in Strafford.; Manuscript; 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, LATE 19TH CENTURY, 1880s, GILDED AGE, WOMEN EDUCATION IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICA, FEMALE SEMINARIES, TILDEN FEMALE SEMINARY, TILDEN LADIES' SEMINARY, WEST LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, VERMONT, MARY KIBLING, NEW ENGLAND BUSINESSMEN, ENTERTAINMENT IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, 1890s LIFESTYLE, WOMEN'S STUDIES, COURTSHIP AND DATING IN THE 19TH CENTURY AMERICA, VERMONT GENEALOGY, NEW HAMPSHIRE GENEALOGY, 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