The journal of Madam Knight

by Sarah Kemble Knight

A diary kept in 1704 by Sarah Kemble Knight on her hazardous round-trip journey from Boston to New York. Filled with witty comments on the manner of the people Madam Knight encountered, the lack of suitable accommodations, and the geography of early New England.

Genres: History, Memoir, Nonfiction, American, American History, 18th Century

72 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1825

Reviews

[Mya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was excellent written in a well informing manner on the customs of that time. However, I did not get into the book as I hope I would.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a book like this, where it's not entirely clear how the writer intended it to be published, you kind of have to take the book you have and not ask for the one you don't-- so the writings on Connecticut and NY in contrast with Knight's homestate are rich detailed essays, and a lot of her observations are witty and sharp. She comes through as a real force of nature, too. But the resolution, especially, feels very rushed-- it's like Knight never quite decided how much to tell us about the lawsuit that prompted the journey, and then forgot how much she already told us. So when it comes together in the book's last sections, it's kind of a head scratcher-- I'd read excerpts before and thought reading the whole journal would help me understand what I'd read previously better, but that didn't happen, so much as helping me understand better what's missing.

[Out of the Bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fascinating to have a first-hand account to history at so early a time! The writer is witty and unexpected. I'm happy to have this for my vintage/obscure collection :)

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Knight is incredible. She's funny, she's witty, and her prose is gorgeous. She writes very vividly, and it is easy to picture the situations she is describing. I really, really wish there was more to her journal than this, or that she had written something else. This is a super quick read, but it is really good. If you have any interest in what traveling was like in the early 1700s or if you want to read the account of an early colonist who wasn't prim and proper, give this a read.

My favorite passage: "From hence wee kept on, with more ease yn before: the way being smooth and even, the night warm and serene, and the Tall and thick Trees at a distance, especially wn the moon glar’d light through the branches, fill’d my Imagination wth the pleasent delusion of a Sumpteous citty, fill’d wth famous Buildings and churches, wth their spiring steeples, Balconies, Galleries and I know not what: Granduers woh I had heard of, and wch the stories of foreign countries had given me the Idea of."

[Melissa Gors-Schafer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very small book - less than 80 pages - and it is a reprint of a journal written in 1704 by a woman who decided to undertake what was then an arduous and dangerous journey- a trip between Boston and New York City and back again, by horseback. Nothing frequently accomplished by many, and certainly not by a woman, who was very independently out of character during that era.

One of the aspects I found especially interesting was how different language was back then, though I realized as I was reading that this could have been partly due to the level of illiteracy - especially for a woman - in those days. Regardless, as difficult as it was sometimes to follow, it was very interesting to read something from that long ago, less than a hundred years since the Puritans landed in Massachusetts and decades before the War of Independence, when most of our country was still unsettled wilderness, and something so out of the norm for most anyone, let alone a female.

[Yanik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of snippets of the daily lives of the people on the track from Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York and back in the winter of 1704. Madam Knight travels a dangerous and still lightly traveled path and vividly comments on the towns and people she meets. She uses an amusing and sharp writing style and displays the great hardship a traveler had to go through in those times where roads were still little more than semi-cleared paths, this is of course made even more extraordinary as she does large parts of it on her own or with a single guide, and with a singular personal goal in mind, in a time and place where this was most unusual especially for for a Woman.
A fair warning for viscous racism and bigotry, but it does highlight in many ways how progressive Connecticut was in its handling of laws, slavery and rights.
My 1865 copy of the journal comes with very informative annotations to people, places and customs to give more context to story.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

1773 reiste James Boswell gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Samuel Johnson zu den Hebriden an der Westküste Schottlands. Beide Männer veröffentlichten ein Buch über ihre Reise. Das hier sind die Aufzeichnungen von James Boswell.

Ich kannte bereits den Bericht von Samuel Johnson, deshalb fand ich es interessant, auch die andere Seite zu lesen. Denn obwohl die beiden Männer befreundet waren, kam Boswell in Johnsons Buch oft nicht so gut weg. Damals dachte ich, dass es am Altersunterschied der Beiden liegen würde. Das hat sich bestätigt. Dazu kam auch dass Boswell einfach ein umgänglicherer Mensch war. Wo Johnson oft schwerfällig, wehleidig und arrogant wirkte, nahm Boswell die Dinge viel leichter. Dabei war es keineswegs so, dass Boswell sich beklagt hat. Den Eindruck habe ich aufgrund seiner Beschreibung und den Erinnerungen an Johnsons Buch gewonnen.

Allein von den Beschreibungen der Reise gefällt mir dieses hier nicht so gut. Boswell legt nicht so viel Wert auf Details. Je länger die Reise geht, desto weniger erzählt er darüber. Dafür gibt er Unterhaltungen sehr genau wieder. Das hat mir einen guten Eindruck von den Menschen vermittelt, mit denen die beiden Reisenden zu tun hatten, leider aber weniger über die Landschaft, durch die sie reisten. Trotzdem hat mir die Erzählung von Samuel Johnson gut gefallen, gerade als eine Ergänzung zu dem bereits gelesenen anderen Teil.

[Steve Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman's journal, describing her travels from Boston to New York and back in the winter of 1704. It has become something of a famous piece of Americana. It provides a vivid vicarious look at the experience, with its dangers (mostly involving crossing rivers) and its discomforts. She travels along the coastal road through Connecticut, and I loved that I was easily able to follow her path on Google Maps, most of the towns having retained their names after three hundred and twenty years. I read an edition that replicates a copy printed in 1920, preserving the typeface used then, as well as all of her archaic language and inconsistent spelling, another fascinating look into the past. She writes with some humor, and freely expresses both her fears and her annoyances. She also composes charming little poems from time to time. A quick and fascinating read.

[Marcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tiny little journal that is missing several sections, and I read it while in the Boston area which was fun. It makes me want to take a map and search out her route, but other than that, there wasn't really enough to make it interesting or of note. There was a funny little description of some rotten mutton (I think) that they were served that they rightly did not eat. So, anecdotal at best.

[Libby Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short historical read. I was not expecting the humor but Sarah Kemble Knight sounds like a fun woman to know. Enjoyed references to places I know in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

[Hollive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. My travel journals are similar--where we stayed, what we ate, who we went with. I would have liked an annotated edition better, though. Some of the archaic language (and cultural references) were tough sledding.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful view into the life of a 16th century woman travelling the American frontier.

[Tricia Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Jan Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

There isn't much left out of the long book description here on Goodreads, which summarizes this piece very well. But my own thoughts are that the journal is a delight. I so wish I could meet Mrs. Knight today! She is spunky and courageous. She doesn't flinch from letting her feelings be known, at least in her private writings. I picture her exactly like Mrs. McKlennar as the actress Edna May Oliver played her in the film "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939), and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of an argument with her. The humor was welcome as Mrs. Knight sloshes her way through New England, stays at disreputable hovels, and avoids the worst of the food she's offered. Her poems were charming, too; I imagine her sitting at her writing in the evening and putting into words her thoughts of the day as she rode along. Highly recommended for all American history lovers.

[Nancy Dobson Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this was written in the early 1700's, it's hard to review with the same criteria I would use for a contemporary travel journal. This is interesting though for many reasons. It's by a woman, first of all. She gives so many specific details about the people she meets, the food they serve her, the conditions of her travel, etc. This is a great read if you are researching the time period, which is why I stumbled upon it. The version I read had the original spellings and word usages, many if which we don't see anymore. Some might find that to be annoying, or like me, if you enjoy historical linguistic challenges, that will add another level of interest.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a real treat to read. :) Sarah Knight was a woman who lived in Boston and traveled mostly by herself on horseback from Boston to New York City and back. Luckily for us, she kept a journal. She wrote candidly and with a sense of humor about the trials she faced on the journey as well as the people she encountered. Historical fiction is wonderful but a genuine diary is even more revealing. I'd recommend this little book to anyone interested in our colonial history.

[Margo Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of a trip from Boston to New York through Connecticut and back. The notes about the people and accommodations on the trip make it a rare candid look at southern New England during the early 18th century.

[Kathleen Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short original manuscript of a colonial woman's travel from mBoston to NY. The spelling is a bit of a hassle and it is a dry account but it really gives a glimpse of what it was like for anyone to travel in colonial, times-especially a woman alone. It was worth a quick read.

[Sean M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical and witty except when it's not

First half is witty and amusing, and reveals a good deal about life at this time for non-gentry folk. It becomes rather tedious towards the end. Worth reading just for exposure to the time period, but definitely not a thriller

[Emily Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a page turning thriller, but very interesting and enjoyable.

[J.M. Brister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so the journal itself may read a little dull, BUT content wise, it was an interesting read. It was interesting to see how women during that time period lived.