The Lucinda Lenore Merriss Cornell Diaries
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
1887
Abstract
The 1887 diary of Lucinda Merriss Cornell focuses on her life at home in Westerville with family and with friends and acquaintances. Recently widowed in December 1885, Lucinda is busy homemaking and running the Cornell farm, describing days full of activities like sewing, soap making, smoking meat, and planting or canning food. This year is also not without additional hardships as Lucinda tries to settle her husband’s pension and struggles with the slow death of her friend Libbie King due to cancer.
This diary begins with a shopping list and cash account with record of Otto Cornell’s tuition. Notable dates include:
January 4: Blanche and Lucinda to Jessie Redding’s funeral.
January 12: Blanche’s 19th birthday.
January 17: Lucinda visits G.A.R hall where the Relief Corps and Sons of Veterans had installation of officers.
February 17: Louis Barker died at Indianapolis, Ind.
February 26: Cornell children catch ill with mumps.
March 18: Sallie Cooper’s “upstairs east room” burnt badly.
April 13: Dogs injured and killed Cornell sheep.
April 14: Oscar Phillips died.
April 15: Lucinda speaks with authorities about dogs attacking Cornell sheep.
July 1: Jennie Hoover died.
July 12: Blanche and Otto Cornell left from Columbus on an excursion trip to Dayton.
July 14: Otto returns from Dayton.
July 27: Blanche returns from Dayton.
August 12: Libby King informs Lucinda that she has cancer and has known for a year; Lucinda is shocked and hurt.
August 24: Professor Todd (Blanche’s music teacher) died.
September 14: A cousin, Anna Cornell, visits with her three children.
October 23: Lucinda visits with a Libbie King, whose cancer leaves her stuck abed and suffering.
December 5: Leory Frahm died.
December 23: Lucinda spends the night with Libbie King until she dies at 2 am.
Recommended Citation
Cornell, Lucinda Lenore Merriss, "Diary from 1887" (1887). The Lucinda Lenore Merriss Cornell Diaries. 32.
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/cornell_diaries/32
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
Transcribed in November 1993 by Kara Lynne Smith.