The Lucinda Lenore Merriss Cornell Diaries

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

1883

Abstract

The 1883 diary of Lucinda Merriss Cornell focuses on her day-to-day life at home as a mother of six and homemaker in Westerville, Ohio. It includes details about her work (ironing, sewing, cooking, knitting, mending, cleaning, etc.) and time spent with friends, family, and acquaintances. Notable dates in this diary include:

January 3: Lucinda’s mother, Mrs. Angeline Merriss, died after days abed.

January 6: Funeral of Mrs. Merriss.

January 16: Jennie Cornell arrives by train for a visit.

March 14: Lucinda reminisces on the day that would be Harry’s 17 birthday had her firstborn son not died in infancy.

March 17: Lollie Cornell came on train for visit.

March 19: Jennie and Lollie Cornell left on train to Columbus.

May 29: Frank Eggleson (also called Ellgleson) drowned; his body has not been found.

May 31: Frank Eggleson’s body is recovered from a creek.

June 18: Frank Rogers visits to talk over the “land trouble” with Miller.

June 21: John Cornell travels to Columbus to attend “old Miller trial suit.”

July 17: Old Miller case is decided against the Cornells.

October 6: Lucinda’s 51st birthday.

October 10: Jennie Cornell went to Columbus on morning train to attend the funeral of Grandma Boswell who died Monday evening 5 o’clock at her home in Bunkerhill, Illinois.

October 23: Charley Rogers visits to prepare for a trial involving the old Hupp trouble, which Lucinda first mentioned in her 1880 diary.

November 3: Lucinda went to the opera to see Uncle Tom’s Cabin on stage with John, Holly, & Roy.

November 11: John & Blanche attend the funeral of Thomas McFadden, a professor at Otterbein.

Comments

Transcribed in November 1993 by Kara Lynne Smith.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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