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Davis, Emilie. Emilie Davis diaries, 1863-1865.

Title: Emilie Davis diaries, 1863-1865.

Three diaries, 1863-1865, contain recordings of her day-to-day life with mention of some wartime events, including the fall of Vicksburg and draft riots in New York City during 1863. In 1865, she attended a lecture given by Frederick Douglass. She wrote about colored troops, the draft, parades, and units marching off to war. Davis witnessed the funeral procession in Philadelphia for Abraham Lincoln and waited with many others to view the president's body. Daily entries provide a glimpse of the life of a young woman in Philadelphia. Friends and family are mentioned often, and there are many references to a friend names Nellie. She also wrote about attending weddings, funerals, lectures, church fairs, as well as activities including reading, sewing, using a sewing machine for the first time, shopping with friends, school, and guitar lessons. Early in 1865 Davis wrote about taking care of her sick father, who subsequently moved to Harrisburg. Her trips to visit him are mentioned throughout the diaries. As might be expected, most of the news Davis recorded in her diary focused on the Civil War. National events, such as National Fast Day (April 1863), the New York draft riots, and the 1864 presidential election, were mentioned, and in 1863 she noted that residents of Harrisburg were fleeing that part of the state as a result of the Battle of Gettysburg. The issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation was recorded, as was the fall of Vicksburg, and Lincoln's assassination. Davis waited in line for two hours to see Lincoln's body and commented that it was the grandest funeral procession she had ever seen. Although many entries refer to major events, the diaries mainly note Davis's day-to-day activities. She made frequent references to her employment situation. One summer she worked for a Mrs. Powell and traveled to Germantown with her. Entries indicate that she may have also worked for a Mrs. Wister. Sewing seems to have been a particular skill, and one entry mentions finishing a dress at one o'clock in the morning for a wedding the same day. She wrote about her minister, Reverend Gibbs, and included comments on some of his sermons. She mentioned attending church while away from home and her family and being the only "colored" people at the church service. Local events she attended included parades, bonfires, and visits to colored troops in their camps. In 1865 she attended a lecture given by Frederick Douglass. Davis had friends who were drafted and sent to war, and she expressed concern for them and for her two brothers, who were both in the military. The safety of her brother Alfred was of particular concern, and she despaired at Alfred's death shortly before Christmas in 1865. The funeral was near Harrisburg, and she traveled back to Philadelphia alone on Christmas Day. Some of the longest passages in her diary deal with her concern for Alfred. In addition to daily diary entries, Davis also wrote in the memoranda section of each of the diaries. The 1863 diary includes a short poem. These sections contain details about some of the events she witnessed and her reaction to them.

ArchivalResource: 3 v.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/61324899 View