Manuscripts

Sara J. Ballard diary

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Description: The diary begins with Ballard's trip from Maine to California in September 1892. Along the way she stops in Chicago to see the World's Columbian Exposition and while in California she visits Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Palm Springs. In her entries, she gives details regarding the sights she sees, such as her visits to several of the Spanish missions, and the people she meets. She seems to have left to go back home in May 1893. The diary picks back up in 1894 when Ballard is back in San Francisco, and in the last entry dated August 26, 1895, she is still in northern California.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1892-1895.
Call number: mssHM 64275
Creator: Ballard, Sara J

Jean L. Shanklin diary

Manuscripts

Shanklin's diary begins August 26, 1902 as she is going to begin a teaching job in Nampa, Idaho. Jean talks about the other teachers, going to teaching meetings and conventions, attending church and lectures, the weather, trips home to Ohio for the summer and trips to Oregon and Washington. While on a trip to San Francisco, she visits Cooper Medical College and Lane Hospital and talks about her late uncle Elias Cooper. Shanklin wrote several times a year in her diary and her last entry is June 1, 1915.

mssHM 72321

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West coast travel diary of a woman

Manuscripts

A western train trip diary of a young woman as she traveled from Chicago to the west coast in 1915. On the front page it is written "For Neva from Carrie." On the cover of the leather diaries, "My Travels" is lettered in gold gilt. The author traveled from Chicago to southern California with a stopover at the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and San Diego where she celebrated her 32nd birthday. Then it was up the coast to Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Oregon and Washington, and then it was over to Yellowstone National Park and back home to Salina, Kansas. There is a photo which accompanies the diary of a young woman in a hammock, which could be either Carrie or Neva. Also at the rear of the diary are a number of people listed with their addresses.

mssHM 83415

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Harriet Hale Rix diaries

Manuscripts

The two diaries, which Harriet kept in 1882 and 1884, detail her life as a young single woman in San Francisco. She describes her social activities including parties, family camping trips, visits to the theater and her frequent trips to the library (she keeps lists of the books she reads in the back of the diaries); she also talks a lot about school and her family; she often mentions her sister Annie, who is away from home much of the time working as a teacher. Harriet often discusses the current political issues of the time including Chinese immigrants in California.

mssHM 66246-66247

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Margaret Jane Cooper diary

Manuscripts

Cooper's diary begins January 1, 1862 while she was living in Pennsylvania. In March 1862, her husband Adam left for the mining town Lincoln City, Colorado. In 1863, she joined him in Colorado. She talks about Denver and mining some. She specifically talks about Indians possibly attacking Denver and martial law being enacted in February 1865. In 1867, she talks about her family's trip back to Pennsylvania (although it seems they later returned to Colorado). She also talks about Lincoln's assassination and funeral. Throughout the whole diary she talks chiefly about her personal life: visits with family and friends; the weather; church going; etc. The diary ends in April 1873. With the diary are six loose pages of writing by Cooper. These include information about her family and some diary entries. There is also a program for "Centennial Federal Reception" in 1876 as well as a letter by J. F. Lewis, MD, to Adam Cooper, also from 1876.

mssHM 80588

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William T. Cook diary

Manuscripts

Cook's diary starts on March 12 when he leaves San Francisco for Alaska and ends September 23 after arriving back home in Lodi, California. Cook talks about traveling on ship, his arrival, his daily tasks, mining camps, etc. The diary also contains lists of supplies with prices and some accounting. With note found in diary.

mssHM 83409

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Rawley E. Dent diary

Manuscripts

Rawley E. Dent kept this diary the entire year of 1871. For the first few months of the year, the Dents were living in Santa Barbara. In April, the Dents traveled by railroad to San Francisco and then to Wenona, Illinois to visit family; they stay there for several months. In August, Dent traveled to Portland, Maine to visit more family and while in the east he traveled through Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. In November, the Dents returned to California and settled in Redwood City. Throughout his diary, Dent describes the places he visits in detail, and makes observations about his traveling companions, his social activities, his health, and the weather conditions. Also included are three newspaper clippings and a cabinet card photograph of Rawley E. Dent.

mssHM 66346

Sara J. Ballard diary

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Jean L. Shanklin diary

West coast travel diary of a woman

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Rawley E. Dent diary