Lansing Diary

Description:

A handwritten diary with covers missing, by an unidentified author. The diary dates from July 4, 1898, to August 18, 1899, and mentions its author's birth date as April 22, 1875. Library staff's best guess is that the author was Grace Robson, whose sister Bertha (Baker) and nephew Wendell are frequently referred to in the diary. A clipping noting the bankruptcy of the Robson Brothers mercantile business in 1899 is tucked in the diary; Grace's father Robert was one of the three brothers. The author wrote about her daily activities, including going to church, working on needlework, meeting with friends, the clothes she wore, riding "wheels" (bicycles), shopping in Lansing, and working in an office for a Mr. Davis and Mr. Page. A list of books she read in 1898 is inside the back cover. Highlights of the diary include a Phrenologist visit on December 19, 1898, and references to watching the Pilgrim Church fire and one of Lansing's early African-American families, the Dungeys, one of whom worked as a janitor in Mr. Davis' office. She mentions an Ernest Gibbs often; he may have been a suitor of hers. There are also frequent references to Lotie and Harlow (Newell). In the 1898 and 1900 Lansing City Directories, there were several businesses run by men with the last name Davis, as well as Davises who worked for several state agencies. There is only one Page, a John T. Page who was Superintendent of Public Works in 1898. No Davis was employed there in that year. The diary author did not specify the type of work she was engaged in other than writing bills, though in one instance she mentions a new German "sidewalk man" in the office. In both 1898 and 1900 directories, a Grace Robson, clerk at the Board of Public Works and resident of her parents' home at 107 N. Walnut St., is listed.

Date Created:

[1898 TO 1899]

Data Provider:

Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives

Collection:

Diaries, Ledgers, and Albums

Subject Topic:

Diaries, Social life, Family, Women, Lansing (Mich.), and Needlework

Language:

English

Rights:

Copyright Not Evaluated

URL:

http://cadl.pastperfectonline.com/archive/F9E46D10-9CEE-429A-83A2-240320923300