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Village Life in America 1852 to 1872 Including the Period of the American Civil War as Told in the Diary of a School Girl
1913. The diary of Caroline Cowles Richards, who along with her sister Anna, was sent to the home of their mother's parents in Canandagua, New York following her death. There they were brought up in the simplicity and sweetness of a refined household, amid Puritan traditions. Whatever there was of gracious formality in the manners of aristocratic people of the period, came to them as their birthright, while the spirit of the truest democracy pervaded their home. Of this Diary it is not too much to say that it is a revelation of childhood in ideal conditions.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1908
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About the author
Caroline Cowles Richards
4 booksThe journal Caroline Cowles Richards Clarke started when she was 10, and parallels a young girl growing up as the nation did too. Although raised by a Puritan grandmother, she was blessed with both humor and the intelligence to think for herself. When Richards heard Susan B. Anthony speak, she signed a pledge to help bring about equal rights for women. And during the Civil War, she sent a letter of support to General McClellan when he was criticized.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 9, 2022
The thing that has always interested me about history is wondering about the day-to-day existence of regular people, and that is exactly what you have here. It isn’t exciting, but it is interesting to see the perspectives she had on things and what life was like. I especially enjoyed finding the clues and hints about the man she ended up marrying.
September 8, 2018
What a gem! I found this book free on Gutenburg. Carrie (Carolyn) was 10 yrs old when she started her diary at the urgings of her grandmother who thought it would be a useful way to record her life and be able to look back on it. Carrie's entries didn't consist of her innermost feelings and passions. Instead she chronicals what she participated in and what she observed about others living at the time.
When Carrie was seven, her mom died and she and her young sister, Anna, then four, went to live with her mother's parents while her dad continued in the Ministry. Her grandmother was mother, sister and daughter of Congregational ministers. Her grandfather was an attorney, public figure and banker. Carrie lived a very affluent life which intersected often with well known historical figures. She was highly educated and devoted to the principles of Victorian era Christianty in service to her community.
Carolyn's diary begins with the day-to-day thoughts of a young child's concrete thinking. It is a humorous, nostalgic, peek into her daily living and the antics of her wilder sister. As she reaches her teens and young adulthood her writing matures and becomes more thoughtful and considered with the Civil War holding the nation's attention. Like my generation who lost so many friends to Viet Nam, her community suffered their losses but in a more personal way as the illnesses and injuries occured on Amercan soil with entailed suffering directly observed.
Her writing style became more distant with the distractions of marraige and motherhood until her entries stop with a conscious decision at age 30 after her grandmother's death.
I would recommend this female-centric read for those who enjoy a glimpse into 19 century life and liguistics, imbued with morality. It was time when respect for elders, courtesy and scripture guided one every action and Sundays were kept holy in a way few cultures would accept in today's world. It was also a time when advances in science and research took hold and was included in the education for both genders at least in some New England states. Over Carrie's lifetime she would see women become crusaders, voters and professionals.
As someone who grew up when reading, memorizing, reciting and composing short stories and poetry was still a foundation of grade school curriculum, this book took me back to my own childhood. It tells the story of a young girl who grows up surrounded by a family's love and financial security and demonstrates how she derives pleasure and self-purpose from the giving of herself to others.
When Carrie was seven, her mom died and she and her young sister, Anna, then four, went to live with her mother's parents while her dad continued in the Ministry. Her grandmother was mother, sister and daughter of Congregational ministers. Her grandfather was an attorney, public figure and banker. Carrie lived a very affluent life which intersected often with well known historical figures. She was highly educated and devoted to the principles of Victorian era Christianty in service to her community.
Carolyn's diary begins with the day-to-day thoughts of a young child's concrete thinking. It is a humorous, nostalgic, peek into her daily living and the antics of her wilder sister. As she reaches her teens and young adulthood her writing matures and becomes more thoughtful and considered with the Civil War holding the nation's attention. Like my generation who lost so many friends to Viet Nam, her community suffered their losses but in a more personal way as the illnesses and injuries occured on Amercan soil with entailed suffering directly observed.
Her writing style became more distant with the distractions of marraige and motherhood until her entries stop with a conscious decision at age 30 after her grandmother's death.
I would recommend this female-centric read for those who enjoy a glimpse into 19 century life and liguistics, imbued with morality. It was time when respect for elders, courtesy and scripture guided one every action and Sundays were kept holy in a way few cultures would accept in today's world. It was also a time when advances in science and research took hold and was included in the education for both genders at least in some New England states. Over Carrie's lifetime she would see women become crusaders, voters and professionals.
As someone who grew up when reading, memorizing, reciting and composing short stories and poetry was still a foundation of grade school curriculum, this book took me back to my own childhood. It tells the story of a young girl who grows up surrounded by a family's love and financial security and demonstrates how she derives pleasure and self-purpose from the giving of herself to others.
May 22, 2017
A charming and detailed account of small-town life in upstate New York before electronic gadgets took over. When people found amusement in parlor games, church socials, sleigh rides, and visits to neighbors. Even spelling bees! Steeped in religion, this book is as wholesome as the novels of Louisa May Alcott, but is not fiction. It is about real people, including mentions of some prominent real people: Susan B. Anthony, P. T. Barnum and Tom Thumb, Cyrus Field, Horace Greeley, Wendell Phillips, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Dickens, etc. Even President Grant and General Sherman put in appearances. Although it includes the Civil War years I would not recommend it to Civil War buffs because the author was a long way from the action.
This book could benefit from some editorial clarifications. On page 105 the author mentions “a ball game.” What would that mean? Not what it would mean to us today. On page 149 she writes, “All the girls wear newspaper bustles to school now.” What was “a newspaper bustle”? What were the “transparencies” she mentions on page 181? What was a “silk bask”? A “democrat wagon”? Why are prices quoted in shillings? But a very readable book.
This book is a time machine, recommended if you want to escape to the 1850s. Lots of quaint details about daily life. Fashions, pastimes, what people were thinking. Lots of humor. I wish my ancestors had kept such a journal! Illustrated with ambrotypes and daguerrotypes.
This review is based on the 1913 hardcover edition by Henry Holt Co.
This book could benefit from some editorial clarifications. On page 105 the author mentions “a ball game.” What would that mean? Not what it would mean to us today. On page 149 she writes, “All the girls wear newspaper bustles to school now.” What was “a newspaper bustle”? What were the “transparencies” she mentions on page 181? What was a “silk bask”? A “democrat wagon”? Why are prices quoted in shillings? But a very readable book.
This book is a time machine, recommended if you want to escape to the 1850s. Lots of quaint details about daily life. Fashions, pastimes, what people were thinking. Lots of humor. I wish my ancestors had kept such a journal! Illustrated with ambrotypes and daguerrotypes.
This review is based on the 1913 hardcover edition by Henry Holt Co.
October 29, 2013
The author began this diary as a ten-year-old girl in the 1850's, and I enjoyed the window into her life as she journaled the daily events of her life--from her little sister's shenanigans to her grandparent's strong faith. Caroline chronicles the subjects she studies in school along with the games she plays with her school mates--making this a great resource for living historians.
The author continued her diary through the Civil War, and readers can see a change in the tone of Caroline's entries as her diary documents home-front fund-raising efforts and the names of local boys who are killed in battle. As an adult, her entries become more scarce, but the few later entries give the reader just enough of a chance to follow the author into adulthood for the book to have a conclusion.
The author continued her diary through the Civil War, and readers can see a change in the tone of Caroline's entries as her diary documents home-front fund-raising efforts and the names of local boys who are killed in battle. As an adult, her entries become more scarce, but the few later entries give the reader just enough of a chance to follow the author into adulthood for the book to have a conclusion.
June 24, 2012
Most of the book takes place well before the civil war begins, and it is fascinating to see what the daily life of a young girl was like. It begins when she's 10, and ends when she turns 30. The descriptions of what living through the four year war was like pull at your heart, and the people she meets throughout her life are often names you recognize from the history books. Well worth the read.
November 29, 2023
Fascinating account of daily life for a school girl in upstate New York from 1852 to 1872.
December 28, 2011
Excellent introduction to how a child and teen lived in the mid-1800s. I was looking for details on activities, toys, daily life and these are there. The diary is written by the daughter of a minister. Her mother is dead, so she lives with her beloved grandparents. The grandfather is a banker, so her life is fairly privileged.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews