The Diary of Elizabeth Drinker: The Life Cycle of an Eighteenth-Century Woman

by Elizabeth Drinker

Philadelphia Quaker Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker (1735-1807) wrote in her diary almost continuously. The extraordinary span and sustained quality of the journal make it a rewarding document for a multitude of historical purposes. Published in its entirety in 1991, the diary is now accessible to a wider audience in this abridged edition, which highlights the four critical phases of Drinker's life cycle: youth and courtship, wifehood and motherhood, middle age in years of crisis, and her roles as Grandmother and Grand Mother.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, 18th Century

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 1991

Reviews

[Colford Bennet]

A fascinating account of Philadelphia in the late 18th and early 19th century. I bought it as a reenactor hoping to gain insight into the life of a middling to upper-class woman and how she ran her household and dealt with her servents.

[Ava · Rating 2 out of 5]

the only reason I gave it two stars was because it just wasn't my jam.
The whole book is entirely clean for all ages, but I feel like older
teens/adults would get the most out of it.

[IBEAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Drinker was a BADASS Quaker woman who lived in Philadelphia throughout the Revolutionary War. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through her diary and seeing the war through her eyes. With five children at the time and a husband imprisoned for refusing a loyalty oath to the Patriot Independence movement, Elizabeth certainly offered a unique perspective on the conflict. There were some sardonically funny parts, like when her young son Henry, over the course of 6 months, was run over by a horse, pushed off a carpenters bench by a bully, and prey to an almost fatal bout of food poisoning, courtesy of a rotten watermelon. Every time I read the words “Today, our little Henry…” I had to hold back a groan. (And a laugh, if we’re being honest) As I read the diary, I was surprised to feel a real sense of respect and empathy for this amazing woman. By the end of the diary, I felt like we’d been good friends, even with more than 250 years between us. Elaine Crane also does a fantastic job providing context and transcribing the diary in its purest form. Overall, a wonderful read.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This diary of Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker is an eye opener, a clear, open window into the past. As an historian and Philadelphia history tour guide, this primary documental work is now an essential source of information to me. Mrs. Drinker, matriarch to a Quaker family in what is now "Olde City," in Philadelphia, filled her diary with national news, neighborhood gossip, family news, and most importantly, the consistently bad health and virtual voodoo medicine that passed for medical care in that era. I learned so, so much here. I loved it!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love my early diaries ha ha.