Tag Archives: diaries

Election Day romance

Posted on October 26, 2016 by

Before the commercialization of Christmas took hold, before the Easter bunny was born, and before Thanksgiving became a pig-out, Election Day was America’s big, festive holiday. Amid the Election Day celebration of 1899, my great-grandparents’ courtship began. The history of … Continue reading →

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Off to Wales with my great-grandmother’s diary

Posted on July 25, 2016 by

My mother gave me my first diary when I was 13. It had a yellow cardboard cover and a tiny lock and key. I welcomed the chance to put down my secrets, especially to spill out the doubts and longings … Continue reading →

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Pitman transcription reveals my great-grandmother’s secrets

Posted on May 10, 2015 by

Many thanks to my friend Josie Oppenheim, who responded to the previous blog post by locating a Pitman transcriber online. Tracey Jennings, a shorthand expert in the U.K., came up with translations of the four bits of shorthand text scattered … Continue reading →

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