Journals & Diaries
by Stacia Kuceyeski, History WORKS Technician
Journals and diaries can be helpful in researching the everyday lives of a variety of people in history. The authors of diaries and journals include men, women and children of varying socioeconomic backgrounds within the literate world.
There are differences between journals and diaries. A journal is a record of events and activities experienced by the author. Journals typically contain information such as the weather and business transactions. The diary, on the other hand, evolved from a means of documenting ones spiritual growth toward God, to a more general recording of personal feelings and self-examination. Although not a private matter, diaries are definitely more personal than journals.
In some cases journals and diaries have been published as books. In most cases a carefully reading of the preface or introduction will tell you what changes the editor has made to the original work. It is preferable to view the original diary since there are physical characteristics of the diary that are lost in publication.
Reading Journals and Diaries
When you find a journal or diary you are interested in, you will want to establish the time period and author of the item. If possible, find some information on the author so you know his background and approximate age at the time of writing. This information will help place the diary in its historical context.
Sometimes the most difficult part of reading a journal or diary is understanding antiquated vocabulary and deciphering the handwriting. Most journals and diaries you will encounter are handwritten and sometimes the writing is faded. In general, remember to read slowly and carefully, and do not assume you know what the words or letters are. It can be helpful to use a magnifying glass to see clearly, or if the document is online, to zoom in. In some cases a transcript (a typed copy of a handwritten document) is provided. A good transcript should follow the same form as the written page; the same words should be on the same lines in both the transcript and original document, etc. If you plan on revisiting a particular journal entry or entries, it would be helpful to create a transcript so you do not have to struggle with the handwritten document each time you need to refer to it. The Ohio Memory transcript specifications will help you create a transcript.
When trying to decipher handwriting it is helpful to begin with words you do know, such as the date or salutation, to determine the writers style. Sometimes you can use context clues to figure out words or verify a word you may not be sure of. There are several website that can be useful.
Journals and diaries have the ability to paint a more vivid picture of everyday life than a textbook, but the researcher must approach journals and diaries differently than he would approach a textbook or official work. Just because someone wrote down the information and events in journals and diaries does not make these items fact. Make sure to verify any dates or events before you record them as fact. Journals and diaries give us the past from the authors point of view. You may encounter opinions on topics that are contrary to your own or to contemporary thought.
Where to Find Journals and Diaries
The local history section of your public library as well as university and state archives will have journals and diaries in their collections. You can use the search subject feature on the institutions online collection catalog to find journals and diaries pertaining to your research. For example, if you were searching at the Ohio Historical Society you would proceed with the following steps:
- 1. Go to their Online Collection Catalog and click on the link "Archives/Library Collections." This can be accessed at local or remote computers with Internet access.
- 2. Select "Subject" from the drop down menu and type the type of diary or journal you are looking for. Type the creator for whom you are looking (women, soldiers) or the location (Steubenville, Columbus) and then "diary" or "journal." For example, your search may say women diaries or soldiers diaries or Steubenville diaries.
- 3. To determine if the item is an original or publication, look at the call number. If VOL or MSS precedes it will be an original. Also, if it states, "corral use only" it will be an original.
- 4. Go to the Archives/Library at the Ohio Historical Center. Record the call number, title and location on a call slip, and give it to the reference archivist on staff.
- 5. Your item will be brought to you for study. You may take notes on your notepaper in pencil, but do not make marks on the item. If you would like a photocopy, take your item to the photocopy center and you will receive a copy for a small fee. Due to the sensitive physical nature of some journals and diaries, you may not be able to photocopy them.
In some cases journals and diaries have been scanned and are online. The Ohio Memory Project has digitized and transcribed many of these. To find them online at Ohio Memory follow these steps:
- 1. Go to the Ohio Memory Project and click on the search button.
- 2. Click on the link in the upper right-hand corner that says "Advanced Search."
- 3. Type the creator for whom you are looking (women, soldiers) or the location (Steubenville, Columbus) and then "diary" or "journal." For example, your search may say women diaries or soldiers diaries or Steubenville diaries.
- 4. Select the "unpublished material" button to limit your search. You can also limit your search by date. This would be helpful if you searched "soldier diaries" but wanted only World War II diaries.
- 5. You will then see the search results. You can click on the title link to see a description of the item, and then click on the image to see a scanned page of the diary. From here you can view a transcript, zoom in on the page or print the page out.
Classroom Activity
Pick a passage from the Joseph Osborne diary in Ohio Memory. Using Ohio Memory or OhioPix choose an image that illustrates your chosen passage. For example, in the Friday, December 1 passage (pages 2-3) Osborne writes about an Irish boy whose leg is amputated and he is taken from his mother for fear that the dirty condition of their home will kill him. The Scott Block tenement house photograph shows the kind of place that the Irish family may have been living at the time.
