The diary kept by Ella Burnham during her time living in Williamstown, Orange County, Vermont in 1874 is full of names and interesting tidbits of her life and the life of town residents. While traditional records can tell us a lot about our ancestors, there is no substitute for reading about their life in their own words. Ella's diary also highlights the importance of using records created by other people to learn about your ancestors. Not only do we learn a lot about Ella, but we also learn about her family, her scholars, the people she boards with and her friends.
31 January 1874
"There is no school today so I did not get up very early this morning. I washed out my clothes after breakfast did not get my head combed till dinnertime. It has snowed all day. Mr. Bohonon's folks have tried hard to make me enjoy myself today, especially Wille, and I have enjoyed the day and evening but I received a letter from William on this evening that makes me feel bad he does not want to be married for six or seven years. Why I cannot tell unless I give a reason which appears to me evident but which I do not want to think of him. I laid awake and thought about till it seemed as though I should never get to sleep. I made up my mind it should be just as he wishes but he will probably never marry me."
21 March 1874
"The last day of school has again come around and how have I dreaded it. I went up in the woods with Barnet Jane and Alma this mornin and enjoyed a nice ramble and picked my first beechnuts there before school. When I got to the school house I found the scholars had trimmed it very prettily with evergreen and had made me a wreath on my desk. I have worked busy as I could all day but have not done what I wanted to. We had a prayer meeting this noon the last we shall together and it was a very affecting one. We all cried together how hard it is to have this dear old schoolhouse so dear to us on account of so many hallwed associations here. I have heard my scholars speak for Christ and offer up their prayers here. I have so many times joined them in class meetings. I believe I never saw so pleasant a schoolroom before and one spot is indeed a consecrated spot to me. It is by the first north window. There I have stood and offered up so many silent prayers. It does not seem as though I could leave it forever but changes must come no matter how much we may dread them and I must go on."
20 April 1874
"I had to get up very early this morning so as to get ready to go to my school. Gurdon Martin came after me got out to our house about seven o'clock; it was a much colder ride than I expected. It snowed very hard soon after we started and we were very cold and wet when after two hours ride we got up to Mr. Martin's they brought out a cup of hot tea and a plate of doughnuts. I only drank the tea. All Mr. Martin's folks seemed very glad to see me back and all the scholars were at the door to meet me and seemed delighted to see me again. I have only four scholars today, but expect five more when they can come. I have not all my girls, and only one of my boys. There are so many empty seats I feel real lonesome and hardly know how to pass the time. I go to Mr. Martins to board first it seems very natural to get back. It has stormed all day snow and sleet."
26 July 1874
"Mother, Mr. Voudrey, Jane and I all went down to church together this morning. We had an excellent sermon this forenoon from Mr. Underwood and another good one this afternoon from Rev. David Copeland though I did not enjoy it as well as the one this forenoon the house was well filled. The sunday school voted to go over to Groton for a picnic one week from next Thursday. Jane and I went to the graveyard after supper. I saw several graves made since I was there before which showed me how rapidly this city of the dead was filling with inhabitants. We came back to prayer meeting and a very good one indeed. There were five who went forward for prayers and all were I hope in earnest. Mr. Voudrey went down with Jane and Mr. Boyce and Hattie came home with me."
How cool! I’m getting that “hair standing up on the back of my neck” feeling. A recent post on my blog describes a diary that just sold on eBay written in 1872 by a young teacher from Williamstown, Vermont. Her name was Ella Martin. I posted a link to the bid page, which includes quite a few excerpts from the diary.
Could she be your 1874 diary writer from Willaimstown?
Wouldn’t that be something if the 1872 diary is the same writer as your 1874.
Thank you for sharing some of her excerpts. Could she be able to imagine that her words are going around the world? I think she must have been a very fascinating, lovely young woman.