Skip to content

Albert H. Prescott diaries | Collections | The Huntington

Membership

Donate

Store

OPEN TODAY: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Home
Collections
Search
Albert H. Prescott diaries

Manuscripts

Albert H. Prescott diaries

Image not available

Description: Two diaries kept by Albert Prescott from 1869-1870. The 1869 diary covers Prescott's dissatisfaction with working in Hamilton, and his opening entry notes "I'm sick & tired of my job [at the S.F. Restaurant] it's too hard work" (he quit the next day and worked a series of odd jobs). The 1870 diary records Prescott's trip to San Francisco and subsequent departure, accompanied by a man named McCord, for Lima on board the French bark Glaneur, which was loaded with railroad ties. Prescott gives a detailed account of the voyage ("it being my first voyage at sea I had but a faint idea of the Ocean," he noted), including descriptions of a fistfight between two crewmen, the sighting of a whale, his distress at the monotony of ship life ("it is rather hard not being able to talk French when among Frenchmen"), and his first glimpse of the Andes Mountains. After disembarking in Peru on August 2 Prescott writes of meeting Mr. Heath, an "American from Ohio in charge of the Railroad being constructed at this place," witnessing bull fights, and his impressions of native Peruvians. Prescott and McCord stayed in San Jose and also traveled to Pacasmayo, Trujillo, and the Guanape Islands. Also included with the diaries is a cardboard sheet with penciled genealogical information on the Prescott family.
Type

Subscribe to our e-newsletter

About
Accessibility
Land Acknowledgment
Using the Library
Careers
Host an Event
Volunteer

Filming/Photography

Opening Hours

Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Closed on Tuesdays

Admission Info and Tickets

1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108

Privacy Policy
Social Media Guidelines and User Policy

©2026 The Huntington

Charity Navigator

Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)

Production date

1869-1870.

Call number

mssHM 75051-75053

Creator

Prescott, Albert H (1845-1893)(Opens in new tab)

Provenance

Purchased from Mrs. Zella Chaffey, February 21, 1956.

Find out more

View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

You might also be interested in

Image not available
Allie Prescott Correspondence
Manuscripts
The correspondence of Allie Prescott consists of 48 handwritten letters addressed primarily to her mother and her sister, Emma. They are arranged chronologically from Jan. 11, 1870 to Apr. 4, 1891. Six undated letters have been placed at the end of the collection. The letters in the collection deal primarily with Prescott family history and Allie Prescott's struggles with loneliness, teaching, and living in Los Angeles. The letters include descriptions of wildfires, oil wells, Chinese and Mexican cultures, and churchgoing. In addition, the collection includes anecdotal information concerning late 19th century fashion.
mssHM 74433-74480
Image not available
Prescott, Allie 1 letters to [unknown]
Manuscripts
The correspondence of Allie Prescott consists of 48 handwritten letters addressed primarily to her mother and her sister, Emma. They are arranged chronologically from Jan. 11, 1870 to Apr. 4, 1891. Six undated letters have been placed at the end of the collection. The letters in the collection deal primarily with Prescott family history and Allie Prescott's struggles with loneliness, teaching, and living in Los Angeles. The letters include descriptions of wildfires, oil wells, Chinese and Mexican cultures, and churchgoing. In addition, the collection includes anecdotal information concerning late 19th century fashion.
HM 74480
Image not available
Prescott, Allie 1 letters to [unknown]
Manuscripts
The correspondence of Allie Prescott consists of 48 handwritten letters addressed primarily to her mother and her sister, Emma. They are arranged chronologically from Jan. 11, 1870 to Apr. 4, 1891. Six undated letters have been placed at the end of the collection. The letters in the collection deal primarily with Prescott family history and Allie Prescott's struggles with loneliness, teaching, and living in Los Angeles. The letters include descriptions of wildfires, oil wells, Chinese and Mexican cultures, and churchgoing. In addition, the collection includes anecdotal information concerning late 19th century fashion.
HM 74476
Image not available
Prescott, Allie 1 letters to [unknown]
Manuscripts
The correspondence of Allie Prescott consists of 48 handwritten letters addressed primarily to her mother and her sister, Emma. They are arranged chronologically from Jan. 11, 1870 to Apr. 4, 1891. Six undated letters have been placed at the end of the collection. The letters in the collection deal primarily with Prescott family history and Allie Prescott's struggles with loneliness, teaching, and living in Los Angeles. The letters include descriptions of wildfires, oil wells, Chinese and Mexican cultures, and churchgoing. In addition, the collection includes anecdotal information concerning late 19th century fashion.
HM 74478
Image not available
Prescott, Allie 1 letters to [unknown]
Manuscripts
The correspondence of Allie Prescott consists of 48 handwritten letters addressed primarily to her mother and her sister, Emma. They are arranged chronologically from Jan. 11, 1870 to Apr. 4, 1891. Six undated letters have been placed at the end of the collection. The letters in the collection deal primarily with Prescott family history and Allie Prescott's struggles with loneliness, teaching, and living in Los Angeles. The letters include descriptions of wildfires, oil wells, Chinese and Mexican cultures, and churchgoing. In addition, the collection includes anecdotal information concerning late 19th century fashion.
HM 74477
Image not available
Prescott, Allie 1 letters to [unknown]
Manuscripts
The correspondence of Allie Prescott consists of 48 handwritten letters addressed primarily to her mother and her sister, Emma. They are arranged chronologically from Jan. 11, 1870 to Apr. 4, 1891. Six undated letters have been placed at the end of the collection. The letters in the collection deal primarily with Prescott family history and Allie Prescott's struggles with loneliness, teaching, and living in Los Angeles. The letters include descriptions of wildfires, oil wells, Chinese and Mexican cultures, and churchgoing. In addition, the collection includes anecdotal information concerning late 19th century fashion.
HM 74479