Diaries

Many individuals throughout history have kept records of their daily lives in diaries or journals. A diary written by one of your ancestors is a one-of-a-kind treasure, but family historians can also gain valuable information from diaries written by others who lived in the same time and place.

Why are diaries a valuable source for genealogy research?

Diaries are original sources created by primary informants and may include items of information recorded nowhere else

In addition to facts, diaries may provide insight into personal feelings and thoughts in response to eyewitness events

Diaries may provide details to fill gaps in ancestors’ timelines and give a fuller picture of their life stories

Diaries provide a wealth of historical context and may mention friends, associates, and neighbors

Personal diary example:

On 15 April 1865, the author’s fifth-great uncle recorded his personal experience and feelings upon discovering President Lincoln had been assassinated. Miles Rock was a 24-year-old veteran of the Union army in Washington D.C. when he penned these words:

This Morning, at Breakfast table I heard rumor that the President was assasinated [sic]. When I passed I could not believe it + paid no attention to it. On my way to the Capitol I passed the Telegraph office, where crowds were collected, and had to open my ears to the awful probability. Soon after reaching the office I learned the positive fact from Capt. Harvey. I never before groaned so in spirit... The Jubilee to be had today is postponed. This has been the longest day to me of any since I am out of the Army, perhaps of any since my birth. The heavens were clouded, some mournful drops fell – a dark and weary day.

Originally shared with the author by a great-great grandson of Miles Rock who inherited his personal effects, this Civil War diary was recently donated to Lehigh University Special Collections and can be viewed online.

Community diary example:

Personal diaries kept by individuals are more common, but in some instances, groups and religious communities recorded daily happenings. For example, Moravian congregational settlements in North America kept community diaries beginning in the 1740s. Held by the Moravian Archives, many of these diaries have been both digitized and translated into English from the original German. They not only include details about community members, but mention many individuals with whom they interacted, including Native Americans and enslaved people. This entry dated 3 July 1742 discusses the relationship and land negotiations between the Moravians in Pennsylvania and a Native American they called “Captain John.”

The diaries kept by the women of the Single Sisters house reflect the voices of women in a time when their thoughts and details about their lives were rarely recorded.

How to find diaries

Diaries are usually found in one of two places: in the private collection of a descendant or in an archive. If the diary is among family heirlooms inherited by a descendant, the best strategy is to connect with cousins. Even distant cousins can easily connect online through public family trees, blogs, and other means of sharing family history.

Diaries are donated to and become part of the collections of a variety of archives including:

colleges and universities

religious denominational archives

local, state, and national historical or genealogical societies

Some diaries may be digitized and available online. Many others will require using the finding aids for the Manuscript Collection of Special Collections.

For broad searches to locate possibly extant diaries, try using: