Next up in our parade of newly processed Spring collections are two fascinating manuscript pieces. The first is a lovely set of diaries from a young New York girl in the 1870s, and would be perfect source material for scholarship on the history of girlhood or childhood in the late 19th century, or on American recreation, tourism, or vacationing. It would also be a great resource for anyone studying early photography in Minnesota or in the upper Midwest.The second collection is an exciting piece of California history, and is a vital resource for studying the settlement and development of California, the history of the Chinese in California, or post-Gold Rush transportation history. Check out these finding aids for more details!
Hattie French Diaries, 1874-1878 (MS-0435)
Hattie French was born in Buffalo, New York in 1859, and died 28 December 1923. Her parents were Edward French and Abigail Furman, and she had one sister, Abbie. This collection consists of two diaries kept by Hattie French on two separate family summer vacations. The first volume dates from July 9-August 13, 1874, and chronicles a beachside holiday on the Atlantic coast when Hattie is 15 years old. The second diary details Hattie's summer trip from July to September in 1878. This journey was undertaken "for her health." Hattie writes about a variety of travel adventures, including getting stranded briefly on a sandbank in the low Mississippi River, dancing with other passengers on the boat while entertained by African-American musicians, and seeing a number of attractions, such as the chapel at the Shattuck-St.Mary's School, and the local asylum for the deaf and dumb.
California Stage Company Register, 1864-1868 (MS-0443)
The California Stage Company was founded by James E. Birch and was one of the principal stagecoach lines carrying passengers during the California Gold Rush during the 1850s. The company became a Wells Fargo line later in that decade, carrying mail, money, and passengers, and by the early 1860s was operating a huge network of stage lines out of three main hubs: Sacramento, Folsom, and Marysville. The ledger begins on January 1, 1864 and ends on August 3, 1868, and is a log of the daily stagecoach run between North San Juan (the line stop where the book was based), Sacramento, Nevada (CA), and Virginia City (NV). Passenger names, residence, destination, fare paid, and cashier name are all detailed for each day; other details such as extra or special baggage, driver name, and special directions are also given.
