Women’s Travel Diaries 1827-1991

Thanks to FamilyTreeMagazine for posting that Duke University has a digital collection of historic women's travel diaries available online. 

The diaries in this digital collection were written by British and American women who documented their travels to places around the globe, including India, the West Indies, countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as around the United States. 

There are over 100 diaries of varying length, selected from several archival collections at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University.

Account Books, Journals and Diaries 1772 ~ 1925

Did you know that AncestorsAtRest.com has online Account Books, Journals and Diaries 1772 ~ 1925

Over the years Brian has rescued original Ledger Books, Journals and Diaries from stores, schools, and individuals. These old books are a wealth of great genealogy data. The ledgers can act as a census substitute, letting you know if your ancestors were there in the years between census. They also contain the kind of personal Genealogy data that often can not be found any other way by giving you a window into the daily lives of your ancestors. It is often quite amazing what one can find in some of the books. Store owners might record the death of a customer who owes money to the store. A farmer may note the birth of a neighbor's child. You just never know what you will find.

These wonderful Ledger Books are being scanned and published on AncestorsAtRest.com. Each book will be published as a downloadable PDF file on AncestorsAtRest website so that genealogists and historians can access them freely.

Go to the Index to List of available Ledger Books

Genealogy Tip: Search Account Books, Journals & Diaries

Account Books, Journals and Diaries 1772 ~ 1925

Shoemaker's Ledger Boook

AncestorsAtRest.com has compiled a unique collection of original Ledger Books, Journals and Diaries from stores, schools, and individuals. These old books are a wealth of great genealogy data.
Over the years Brian of

The ledgers can act as a census substitute, letting you know if your ancestors were there in the years between census. They also contain the kind of personal Genealogy data that often can not be found any other way by giving you a window into the daily lives of your ancestors. It is often quite amazing what one can find in some of the books. Store owners might record the death of a customer who owes money to the store. A farmer may note the birth of a neighbor's child. You just never know what you will find.

Brian has begun a project to scan all of these wonderful Ledger Books. Each book will be published as a downloadable PDF file on AncestorsAtRest website so that genealogists and historians can access them freely.

Go to the Links to available Ledger Books listed below

• Staunton, Macoupin County Illinois 1930 ~ 1957 Court Records.
• Orono, Lagrange, Howland, Penobscot County, Maine 1923 to 1925 Store Ledger.
• Maine Store Ledger 1922-1927 PDF files available for download Index, P. 1, P. 23, P. 43, P. 63, P. 85, P. 105, P. 123, P. 215, P. 241, P. 273
• Lubec, Washington County, Maine 1894 to 1995 Store Ledger. Over 4000 entries.
• Lincoln County, Maine 1832 Samuel Hinds Ledger.
• Clear Spring, Washington County Maryland 1861 to 1874 Store Ledger. Hundreds of names from North West Maryland and West Virgina
• Salem and area Essex County, Massachusetts 1772 to 1780 Student Work Book And Store Ledger. MANY LOCAL NAMES
• Townsend Middlesex County Massachusetts 1868 General Store Ledger. OVER 3850 NAMES
• Massachusetts Boston Environs Ledger 1892-1894. PDF Files available for download Start p. 2, Start p. 20, Start p. 39, Start p. 63, Start p. 89, Start p. 109, Start p. 129, Start p. 151, Start p. 177, Start p. 200
• Wheeling, Livingston County, Missouri 1879 to 1889 Ledger Book Of Edward Moore. OVER 300 LOCAL NAMES PDF file available for download
• Fillmore Village, Andrews County, Missouri. Town Council Minutes 1900-1913 PDF file available for download
• Grafton County, New Hampshire 1841 ~ 1877 Account Book Of William Thissel.
• Rushford and area, Allegany County, New York 1868 ~ 1872 Stacy And Kyes Ledger Book. FULL INDEX ONLINE.
• Oswego, Oswego County, New York 1858 ~ 1859 Samuel Stevenson Saw Mill Ledger Book. PDF file available for download
• Oswego, Oswego County, New York 1875 Samuel Stevenson Saw Mill Ledger Book Money Owed . PDF file available for download
• Oswego, Oswego County, New York Samuel Stevenson Saw Mill Ledger Book List of Electors . PDF file available for download
• West Winfield, Herkimer County, New York 1865 ~ 1866 West Winfield Academy Cash Book. OVER 400 NAMES
• Richfield, Otsego County, New York Auction sale 1880 ~ 1890. Found in the West Winfield Academy Cash Book. OVER 200 NAMES
• Lubec, Washington County, Maine 1894 to 1995 Store Ledger. Over 4000 entries, many from New Brunswick, Canada
• Rose Bay and River Port, Lunenburg County Shoemakers Ledger Book 1897 ~ 1918
• Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio 1889 Store Ledger.
• Marietta, Washington County, Ohio 1837~1838 Store Ledger.
• Frederick, Miami County, Ohio 1869~1877 Blacksmith Ledger, Over 4500 names. Online For FREE.
• 1858 Bucks County Ledger PDF files available for download
• Bernville, Berks County, Pennsylvania 1867 to 1877 Haag, Kline & Co Ledger. Over 1000 names.
• Bernville, Berks County, Pennsylvania 1863 to 1870 Haag, Kline & Co Ledger. Over 300 names. PDF file available for download
• Mill Creek Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania 1885 to 1890 Mountain Spring Mills Ledger. Over 800 entries with names. PDF file available for download
• Elk Creek Township, Erie County 1876 to 1878 General Store Ledger. Over 4000 entries with names.
• Lower Heidelberg Township, Berks County 1874 to 1903 Farm Ledger of John W Gaul. Many Local Names.
• New Hanover Township, Montgomery County 1858 to 1904 Farm Ledger. Also includes some names from Berks County and Bucks County.
• Muncy, Lycoming County, PA 1831 to 1865 Docket Ledger of General William A Petrikin. OVER 250 NAMES.
• Lebanon County, PA 1887 Heilman Dale Creamery Milk Book.
• Hopewell Township, York County, PA 1890 Tax Collectors Book. (OVER 500 NAMES)
• Schuykill, Pennsylvania Tax Collection Ledger 1913-1922 PDF files available for download Part 1, Part 2, Miscellaneous Papers
• Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas 1908 to 1915 Jackson McFarland Store Ledger . PDF file available for download
• S. R. Turley Ledger Book, Culpeper Virginia. 1896 PDF files available for download Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
• Wytheville, Wythe County, Virginia Court Records Ledger. ALL PAGES ONLINE
• History Of Tazewell County Virginia Book Sales Ledger. ALL PAGES ONLINE
• Clear Spring, Washington County Maryland 1861 to 1874 Store Ledger. Hundreds of names from North West Maryland and West Virgina

Newly Discovered Diary Describes Halifax Explosion

Dec. 6, 1917. Royal Navy sailor Frank Baker wrote in his diary

"We...had just drawn soap and powder and the necessary utensils for cleaning paint work,” he wrote, “when the most awful explosion I ever heard or want to hear again occurred.”

What Baker heard was the largest explosion since before the Atomic Bomb. Sailors 150 miles out to sea heard the blast. On land, people felt the jolt 300 miles away. The shock wave demolished almost everything within a half-mile.

An outbound Belgian ship, the Imo, collided with an inbound French freighter, the Mont-Blanc. The freighter carried 2,925 tons of high explosives, including 246 tons of benzol, a highly flammable motor fuel, in drums lashed to its deck.

Passersby stopped to watch the fire but when the explosion occurred the town of Halifax was devastated. There were 2000 known fatalities and over 9000 people were injured.

Baker's diary is now in an exhibit in the Dartmouth Heritage Musuem. Read the entire diary on the Smithsonian 

The Diaries Of John E. Lewis 1880-1956

John E. Lewis was a New York resident who wrote in his diaries every day for seventy-seven years and captured life in New York during the era. 

Mr. Lewis began writing his diaries on January 1, 1880, as a nineteen-year old young man, and continued to write until his eyesight was too poor to continue, at age 96. [New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Blog]

Continue reading The Diaries Of John E. Lewis 1880-1956 

You may also be interested in reading old letters on Past Voices

Don't Miss the Rural Diary Archive

This is a very fascinating site online! From the website:

Would you like to experience daily life in the 1800s? Now you can. For several years I have used rural diaries in my research on Upper Canada (the province of Ontario). These precious old documents, often fading and brittle, are scattered in various archives. Now they have been gathered together in the Rural Diary Archive for researchers to access and enjoy online. The website showcases over 130 diarists from across Ontario from 1800-1960. The full texts of selected nineteenth-century diaries are available to read, search, and transcribe and more are continuously being added

Continue reading at Rural Diaries Online: Experience Daily Life in the Backwoods

Diary and Letters of the Nile Expedition of 1884 now online

The Canadian Military Heritage Project recently added a Diary and Letters kept by Moise Godin during the Nile Expedition of 1884. It's a fascinating account of a Canadian boatman who joined hundreds of Canadians to take barges down the Nile River.

The Nile Expedtiion was the first instance of overseas service of Canadians. In 1884, during the Battle of Khartoum in the Sudan, the British put out a call for Canadian volunteers to help guide British soldiers up the Nile River. The soldiers were to provide some relief to the isolated men stationed there. 

There are 3 pdf files available for download and several newspaper clippings

File 1: 32 pages from Moise Godin's Diary File 2: Drawings & Tickets File 3: 4 envelopes, 4 Letters to his wife Lucie dated 16, 17, 18, 20 Sept. 1884, 3 Letters to his wife early, middle & 30 of Oct 1884, 2 letters to his wife 25 Nov. 1884 & 16 Dec. 1884, Letters from his wife Lucie to Moise 22 Sept.1884 & 1 Nov. 1884 

Diary of Herbert Kearse, WW1 soldier

Olive Tree Genealogy has added the diary of WW1 soldier  Herbert Kearse to the Canadian Military Heritage Project website.

War Graves Register for Herbert Kearse

Herbert Kearse was born August 27, 1888 in Burford England. He moved to Burlington Ontario in October 1910. On September 3, 1915 he enlisted in the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force). His unit was the 86th Battalion. 

Herbert became a Lance Corporal in charge of a Lewis Gun Crew and was killed on April 28, 1917. He left a wife and two young songs.

His diary began September 13, 1915 and ends 6 days before his death in 1917. The complete diary is published with permission of the owner and is available online for your personal use.

Organizational Project Part 2 - Family Diaries

A few days ago I began my plan to sort, organize and digitize my family photos.  I ended up ordering archival boxes and sleeves from a company called GetSmartProducts. A friend in Colorado used them and was satisified and since it is difficult to find an online company that will ship such items to Canada, I took the leap. 

Storage Boxes from pfile.com

Although the items will be some time reaching me, I was impressed when the company phoned me to say they were out of stock on some items. I had a choice - they would ship as the items were available, or hold until they could send as one shipment.

Since it looks like it will be 4 to 6 weeks before my items arrive, I went on to my next organizational project which was sorting my mother's trip diaries, scanning them and sharing them with other family members.

Let me explain first that my mother began going on small trips the year she retired at age 55. She always was an adventurer. At age 65 she took flying lessons, and built an ultra-light with her partner. Then just before her 80th birthday she decided she was going to embark on some adventures. Her first big trip was to Australia where she backpacked around with only a small Barbie Doll backpack she picked up at a local Wal-Mart store in Canada. 

I compiled, as best I could, a list of her various trips and the years she took them. She usually travelled alone as she preferred not having to consult with anyone else about what to see and do each day. In her years of travel (her last trip was in 2001 at the age of 85) she visited many countries. I would not be surprised if the list below has some trips missing. She often impulsively took what she called "little trips" without telling any of her children!

Mother in Australia, 2001

1971: Age 55. Her first trip was to Florida and California, making a side trip to Hawaii

1974: Arizona

1975: Maritime Provinces, Canada

1976: New Mexico, Europe (Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy)

1977: Texas

1978: Florida

1996: Australia & New Zealand (backpacking)

1997: Florida, Salt Lake City Utah, Ireland

1998: China

1998: New York

1999: Britain, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany

2000: Australia (camping on safari in the Outback)

2001: Age 85. Alaska & British Columbia, South Africa, Australia

My first step was to go through her hand-written journals and photocopy the pages. Since she wrote in small day-planners I then had to cut and paste to put several days on to one page. Then I photocopied those cut and paste pages.

Next I created "cover" sheets which gave the date and the name of the trip. Mother had also typed up notes (not the same as her diary entries) and these were on her computer. I printed those off and figured out what went where, then sorted everything chronologically.

Mother on a bull, year unknown

This morning I used my document feed scanner, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner , and created 6 pdf files of Mother's trips -  20 pages each. This scanner is awesome. I can't praise it enough. It's one of the best technical items I ever purchased.

Next I will send the pdf files to my family members who want copies. I am going to mail the printed copies (after I bind them as a book) to my mother's younger sister who is 92 years old. I know she'll enjoy reading them especially because she accompanied my mother on two of her many trips.

I plan on next copying mother's daily diaries that she kept when she was not on a trip. It feels good to finally bring some organization and preservation to these treasured family diaries.

WW2 Collection on Fold3 FREE until May 31, 2014

Find your family heroes in Fold3′s vast collection of WWII documents, records, and images, including draft registration cards, Army enlistment records, Navy muster rolls, “Old Man’s Draft” registration cards, missing air crew reports, casualty lists, and more. 

You can also explore records that provide historical context, such as Navy war diaries, submarine patrol reports, naval press clippings, JAG case files, European Theater Army records, US Air Force photos, and beyond. Also included are the extensive Holocaust Collection and the interactive USS Arizona Memorial.

Featured Database: Irish Emigration Database (IED)

If you have Irish ancestors this is a great database to check out. Irish Emigration Database (IED) is a free searchable set of records from various sources. The list of documents in this database are

  Diaries and Journals Family Papers Folklore, Song, Music Hansard Letters (Emigrants) Letters (Other) Newspapers (Births, Deaths, Marriages) Newspapers (Extracts) Newspapers (Shipping Advertisements) Newspapers (Shipping News) Official Documents Periodical Extracts Statistics Wills

Searching for various names and topics resulted in dozens of fascinating newspaper accounts, letters and diaries. 

Tweets From Beyond the Grave: Olive's Diary

"Olive Higgins was a 16-year-old English girl who began writing her diary as she set off to school in Paris in January 1914. Tragically, eight weeks later she died. Her last words echo here exactly a century on..." [Source: Tweets From Beyond the Grave - Olive's Diary]

To follow Olive's tweets see https://twitter.com/OlivesDiary1914 

Out of curiousity I had a brief look for Olive's family and found her grave. She is buried with other family members in Ladywell and Brockley Cemeteries in London England. You can see a photo of her gravestone on BillionGraves.com

The inscription on the stone reads

In Loving Memory of Victor Thomas beloved child of Thomas R. and Martha Higgins Aged 6 weeks 

Camelia Jones wife of the above aged 73 

Also Martha Emma wife of Thomas R. Higgins Aged ?? ?? of 

Olive Hilda daughter of above who died ?? school in Paris Aged ?6 [Lorine's note: the stone should read aged 16]

Elizabeth Vivian Higgins 

Thomas Richard Higgins Died at ?ourne?? Aged 88 years

The burial information allowed me to find Olive with her family in census records. In 1911 the family lived in Margate where her fatther owned a hotel

Olive's birth was recorded in the Parish registers of Deptford St. Mark in London. 

Further research indicates that Olive's parents were Thomas Richard Higgins son of Henry Jeremiah Higgins and Martha Emma Jones daughter of Samuel Jones. Thomas and Martha were married 17 Oct 1888 in Lewisham

Credits: The 1911 census, birth record and marriage record were all found on Ancestry.com

Diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King contain passenger names on ships

LAC (Library & Archives Canada, formerly National Archives of Canada) has the Diaries of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King online as a searchable database.

Using various search terms I was able to find entries for ships and passengers and voyages that King took. Many American as well as Canadian names appear in these diaries.

For instance, one 'hit' on the search terms "Passenger AND Ship" took me to the following entries for a voyage he was taking. Below is just a brief excerpt from the diary entries for those few days, which I've outlined just to give you the idea of what can be found:

Sept. 27/99. Mentions he sailed 'out of Boston" at 4:30 pm while bugles played Auld Lang Syne.

Sept. 28, 1899 Mentions a Mr. Street, a manufacturer in Beford and his little boy; Mr. Clough, connected with telephone work in Providence; Mr. Sturmay of Coventry England

Sept. 29, 1899: Mentions a Boston family named Bossom, Mr. W. Evans Darby, Mr Barry the first Officer, Mrs. Campbell.

Sept 30, 1899 On the Atlantic Ocean en route to England.Speaks in detail of a young girl, 25 years old, who died on board and was buried at sea

Oct. 1, 1899. He mentions various passengers, including

Miss Welder, Miss Minshall, Miss Saunders, Miss Clough

a 'little girl' Pauline Bossom (presumably of the Boston family mentioned earlier)

Minshall of Bristol England

Mrs. Schlosser

Mr. Street, Mr. Callender of Adam Black and Co. Publishing House in London Eng; Mr. Morton

Search the Diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King