Diaries
The Diaries collection provides access to more than thirty fully transcribed and searchable diaries from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century. The collection includes diaries documenting student life at UVM in different eras, the 1918-1919 flu epidemic, the civil war, life in Italy in the early 1860’s, courtship and marriage, social life, religious life, employment opportunities for women, travel, life at a summer cottage, and more.
Showing 1 - 6 of 6 Records
Caroline Crane Marsh Diary, January 1 - March 7, 1862
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- Creator: Marsh, Caroline Crane, 1816-1901.
- Date Created: 1862
- Description: The international political climate remains unsettled in this diary: political unrest continues across Europe and war seems imminent between England and the United States in the wake of the Trent Affair. The Italian political scene, however, becomes quite turbulent during the period: demonstrations in favor of national unification break out across Italy, the Italian ministry is dissolved, Bettino Ricasoli steps down, and Urbano Rattazzi becomes the new prime minister. Throughout all of this, the Marshes stay in Turin and continue to meet Italian elites and foreign nationals, including Rosa Arbesser, governess to Princess Margherita of Savoy. They also renew their acquaintance with Hungarian exile Lajos Kossuth and his family. The Marshes attend several political and social gatherings during this period and play their part in the Doria-Benedetti feud, “the social revolt against France” by the Torinese elites. Topics in this diary include the status and problems of Italian women, the role of women in marriage and society in the 19th century, Italian marriages and the influence of the Catholic church on marriage, education in Italy, the etiquette of Italian royalty and elites, Catholicism, and the celebration of Carnival in Italy.
- Parent Collections: Caroline Crane Marsh Diaries, Vermont Diaries
Caroline Crane Marsh Diary, July 24 - October 10, 1862
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- Creator: Marsh, Caroline Crane, 1816-1901.
- Date Created: 1862
- Description: Political unrest in Italy punctuates the events in this diary: Garibaldi’s failed attack on Rome (the Battle of Aspromonte) ends with his injury and surrender and the arrest of Ferenc Pulszky; demonstrations break out across Italy and martial law is declared in Sicily, and France refuses to give a definitive answer on the “Roman Question.” In the United States, President Lincoln announces that he will issue the Emancipation Proclamation in early 1863. These months prove eventful for the Marshes, as well. They move out of the Casa d’Angennes and take a trip to Switzerland, passing in and out of the Alps as they tour the country. After a quick trip to London to see his publishers, George Perkins Marsh rejoins his wife and niece in Switzerland and returns with them to Italy, stopping for a time in Como. Topics in this diary include education at Italian universities, political sentiments among Italian elites, relations between the Italian social classes, Italian etiquette, agriculture and rural industry in Italy and Switzerland, tourism and hospitality in Italy and Switzerland, Alpine avalanches, the English Colonial Society and English church services in Switzerland, the Fugitive Slave Law, and the marriage of Princess Maria Pia.
- Parent Collections: Caroline Crane Marsh Diaries, Vermont Diaries
Caroline Crane Marsh Diary, October 10, 1862 - January 20, 1863
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- Creator: Marsh, Caroline Crane, 1816-1901.
- Date Created: 1862-1863
- Description: This diary records the events leading up to the resignation of Urbano Rattazzi and his ministry in Italy, as well as the events that follow the 1862 elections and the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in the United States. While the Marshes search for a new place to live, they sightsee in Como, hike Mount Bisbino, and settle into a temporary residence in Pegli (a seaside neighborhood in Genoa), where they befriend the Tebbs and Strettell families. Topics in this diary include Giuseppe Garibaldi, renting and occupying real estate in Italy, Italian art and architecture, Italian etiquette, Italian marriages, the education of women in the 19th century, tourism in Italy, the culture, climate, and industries in Genoa; Italian agricultural practices, public religious celebrations, the “Roman Question,” Christianity among the English and their attitudes towards Catholicism, crime and punishment in Italy, and Caroline Crane Marsh’s reasons for keeping a diary.
- Parent Collections: Caroline Crane Marsh Diaries, Vermont Diaries
Mary Farnham Diary, 1862-1863
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- Creator: Farnham, Mary Elizabeth Johnson, 1828-1913.
- Date Created: 1862-1863
- Description: Mary Elizabeth (Johnson) Farnham, the daughter of Ezekiel and Nancy (Rodgers) Johnson, was born in Bath, NH, on January 19, 1828. She came to Bradford with her parents at a young age and was educated at Bradford Academy and the Newbury Seminary. On December 25, 1849, she married Roswell Farnham (1827-1903) in St. Albans, Vt. They returned to Bradford to teach in the Bradford Academy, Farnham as the teacher of painting and French, and her husband as principal of the academy. The couple joined the Bradford Congregational Church in 1854 and participated in a number of its activities: both Farnhams taught in the church’s Sunday school, and Mary Farnham held a chair on its music committee and was active in its missionary efforts. Farnham spent several months during the winter of 1862-63 in Union camps near Fairfax Court House and Wolf Run Shoals, VA, with her husband, who had been appointed Lieutenant Colonel and placed in command of the 12th Vermont Volunteer Regiment. Farnham returned to Vermont in April 1863 and her husband was discharged later that year, after which he entered into a career in politics. When Roswell Farnham was elected governor of Vermont in 1880, Mary Farnham became the state’s first lady and played an active role in gubernatorial social events. Farnham was involved in a number of civic organizations in her town, including Bradford’s Relief Corps. She helped found the Ladies’ Public Library and was its librarian for many years. Her interest in literature led her to enroll in the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Course, from which she graduated in 1884. She went on to earn one hundred and forty seals on her diploma and was recognized for this achievement at the 1906 Chautauqua Assembly in Chautauqua, NY. Three of Farnham’s four children lived to adulthood: Charles Cyrus Farnham (1864–1937), Florence Mary Osgood (1866–1958), and William M. Farnham (1869–1927). Her first child, Roswell Phelps Farnham Jr., died in infancy in 1861. Mary Farnham died on June 13, 1913, having suffered a stroke two weeks prior. Topics in Farnham’s diary include living conditions in Union camps and towns near the front lines, the roles and expectations of women during the American Civil War, Washington D.C. in the 1860s, mid-century modes of travel, and health and medicine during the Civil War.
- Parent Collections: Diaries
Caroline Crane Marsh Diary, March 8 - May 14, 1862
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- Creator: Marsh, Caroline Crane, 1816-1901.
- Date Created: 1862
- Description: The threat of war between Italy and Austria, increasing opposition to Urbano Rattazzi and the new ministry, and new negotiations between France, Rome, and the Italian government regarding the “Roman Question” serve as the backdrop for the events in this diary. The Marshes receive a visit from sculptor Hiram Powers and his family, and Green Clay arrives to replace Romaine Dillon as Secretary of the U.S. Legation, serving George Perkins Marsh alongside Marsh’s Italian secretary, Giuseppe Artoni. George Perkins Marsh completes the manuscript for his latest book, The Origin and History of the English Language, and resumes working on Man and Nature: or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action. Throughout this diary, the Marshes take sightseeing drives in and around Turin, visiting Moncalieri, the gardens at Valentino Palace, Stupenigi, Franchetti Villa, Madonna di Campagna, and Venaria Reale, among other places. Topics in this diary include Rome and the Pope, Catholicism and the prejudice against Protestantism in Italy, Princess Maria Pia, the behavior and politics of Italian royalty and elites, court etiquette in Italy and the Ottoman Empire, labor practices in Italian agriculture, education and health in rural Italy, diplomatic relations between Italians and “Northern” countries, the role of women in marriage and society in the 19th century, spiritualism, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Bettino Ricasoli, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
- Parent Collections: Vermont Diaries, Caroline Crane Marsh Diaries
Caroline Crane Marsh Diary, May 16 - July 24, 1862
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- Creator: Marsh, Caroline Crane, 1816-1901.
- Date Created: 1862
- Description: The Marshes travel extensively in this diary, passing through Biella and other Alpine towns as they hike and explore the region. On a trip to Florence, the Marshes reconnect with Hiram Powers, who sculpts a bust of Caroline Crane Marsh over several sittings. At one point between trips, the Marshes receive a visit from Lady Caroline Estcourt and her sisters in Turin. Topics in this diary include tourism and hospitality in Italy and the Alps, agriculture and rural industry in Italy, Italian court etiquette, relations between the Italian social classes, Italian marriages, Mexican politics, the Crimean War, and the effects of the American Civil War on Italy. This diary also covers several topics relating to religion in Italy, including persecution, legal protection, religious neutrality in diplomacy, religious celebrations, charitable works, and religious orders.
- Parent Collections: Caroline Crane Marsh Diaries, Vermont Diaries