Diaries and Items, 1862-1874
MC 202
1 box (0.2 cu.ft.)
About Anna Maria Greeley Clarke:
Little is known about Anna Maria Greeley Clarke, other than that she was born in Gilmanton in 1811, was the daughter of Stephen L. and Anna Norton Greeley, and married William Cogswell Clarke.
About the Monadnock Folklore Society Archives
The collection consists of Anna Clarke’s diary, in the form of unbound sheaves, which she kept from October 1871 until December 1874 (with occasional breaks), a few miscellaneous items including bundles of hair from members of the Wight family, some dating from 1862, and five unidentified photographs.
Folder Listing
I. Diaries
| f.1 | October-December, 1871. Recounts a trip made to New York City to visit family. Records weather and a few health complaints. Discusses deteriorating health of her father, Steven Greeley. Mentions a chilly Thanksgiving in Tenafly, New Jersey with family. |
| f.2 | January-May, 1872. Records weather and family affairs including visiting her brother, John. Describes the sudden death of friend Dr. Buck and mentions tedious housework and various attendances at church. |
| f.3 | July-December, 1872. Describes her frustrations with acquiring dysentery. Records weather changes and happiness about autumn wildflowers and birds singing. Describes accounts of a Boston fire that burned nearly 60 acres of land. Records the health report of her father after he was diagnosed with paralysis. |
| f.4 | January-June, 1873. Records weather and continuous headaches. Describes her development of rheumatoid arthritis. Recounts the progression of her father’s terminal illness. Discusses family gatherings and trips to the beach. |
| f.5 | July-October, 1873. Records weather changes, chores and family life. tells of a young, Scotch Presbyterian being installed and his lovely prayers. Discusses travels to Manchester, NH and Boston, MA. |
| f.6 | January-June 22, 1874. Records the weather and her worsening rheumatism. Describes the illness of her entire family: father, sister, daughter and herself. Mentions the disasters at Williamsburg where several families were drowned. |
| f.7 | June 23-December, 1874. Recounts a trip made to New York with her daughters and tells about shopping trips to Lord and Taylor’s and Madison Square. Describes family life, weather patterns, and social gatherings with friends. |
II. Miscellaneous
| f.8 | Includes Greeley-Clarke’s letter calendar for 1873, a four page letter to a Mr. Marshall discussing financial trouble she experienced after the death of her husband, and a Gilmanton Academy commencement booklet. Also included is an 1872 dressmaker’s invoice, a reward of merit presented to Mary R. Wight by Mahlon Day, and a newspaper clipping discussing words of wisdom. |
| f.9 | Keepsakes: bundles of hair from various members of the Wight family: Nahum Wight & unidentified. |
| f.10 | Keepsakes: bundles of hair from various members of the Wight family: Mary Wight. |
| f.11 | Keepsakes: bundles of hair from various members of the Wight family: Sewall Wight; “Eddie’s hair 1862″ (some cuttings); Mary R. Wight 2nd; Sewall Greeley Wight (wrapped in newspaper of October 24, 1862). |
VII. Photographs
| f.12 | Five unidentified and undated photographs, including two 4.5 x 7.5” sepia prints of sand dunes on unidentified beach(es), a 4.5 x 3.5” sepia print of a solitary cottage on an unidentified beach, and two slightly different 2.5 x 4” portraits of an unidentified man. |