Although difficult to read due to considerable water damage, Carry Nation's diary and scrapbook records her concern for her family, fear for her marriage to David Nation, and worry for her daughter's health. The book also contains information on the family's economic life with lists of purchases and farm commodities sold, descriptions of their work to establish hotels in Texas, and several moves for health or economic reasons. The diary has two distinct parts. The first part (pages 1-200) is primarily a scrapbook pasted over a hand written ledger. The second part (pages 201-320) is primarily a journal that includes some accounts and copies of songs. Each part includes many unnumbered pages. Each unnumbered page is identified with a lowercase letter. The letters return to "a" again for the second part. Each part also includes many missing pages. The first part is missing pages 29-32, 75-138, 147-154, 172-174, 185-188 and 191-192. The second part is missing pages 213-214, 253-254, 269-274 and 279-282. The Carry Nation Memorial Home of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, donated the diary and scrapbook to the Kansas Historical Society in 1990. The diary forms series one of the Carry Amelia Nation papers, Manuscript coll. 744. A transcription of pages 201-320 is available by clicking on Text Version below. In the early 20th century, Carry Nation championed women's rights and the prohibition of alcoholic beverages and gained international attention for opposing illegal saloons by smashing them with a hatchet. A complete description of the entire collection is available through a link below. Transcription by Emily Jane Stoll.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Carry Amelia Nation diary and scrapbook - loose clipping reverse