Abbie Bright diary
Creator: Bright, Abbie, 1848-1926
Date: 1868-1921
Born in Pennsylvania in 1848, Abbie Bright traveled to Kansas in 1870 as a young woman and her diary is primarily an account of this trip. It gives excellent accounts of daily life and settlement activities. The "diary" is actually composed of two different manuscripts and both are presented here. The first is an eighty-six page loose-leaf diary with consistent entries from September 2, 1870 - December 20, 1871. The second is a bound composition book with 129 written pages. This book begins with a childhood reminiscence written in Iowa in 1914 (p1-23), followed by a reminiscence of her Kansas trip written in Iowa in 1921 (p24-36) that covers Aug 23, 1870 - Jan 30, 1871. The book then includes some recipes dated 1868-1871 and a receipt dated 1884 (p37-41), and finally consistent diary entries from February 2, 1871 - December 21, 1871 (p41-129). A complete, revised transcription of both manuscripts is available by clicking on "Text Version" below. A previous, annotated transcription that combines the 1870-1871 entries from both manuscripts was published in the Kansas Historical Quarterly in 1971 and is available through a link below.

Abzuga (Zu) Adams diary
Creator: Adams, Abzuga (Zu), 1859-1911
Date: 1908-1910
This is the fourth diary in Abzuga (Zu) Adams' papers from November 19, 1908 to October 9, 1910. It contains family, domestic and work news with several entries about building the Memorial building in Topeka, Kansas. Zu Adams was born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1859, and named after for her father's mother who also went by the nickname Zu. As a child, she lived in various Kansas towns including Waterville, Wichita, and Topeka. In 1876, when Zu was seventeen, her father became Secretary of the Kansas Historical Society where she worked as his unpaid assistant. Later she was given a salary and the title of librarian. At the time of her father's death in 1899, Zu and her late Father had hoped she would succeed him as secretary but when George Martin emerged as a candidate, Zu withdrew her candidacy. She worked as Martin's assistant until her death in 1911. From her experience as a secretary, the diary contains sections of short hand unique to Zu and are left to interpretation by the reader. Zu never married, remaining in the family home and raising her younger brothers and sisters and Helen who she adopted in 1896.

Anna Laura Hittle Rings diary
Date: 1949-1961
One of three diaries of Anna Laura Hittle Rings of Topeka, Kansas. Anna was the live-in-housekeeper for Mr. Harry Imes at 1208 College Avenue from 1949 to her death in 1961. She was a cook, gardener, housekeeper, and seamstress. The diaries tell of her daily life while in Mr. Imes' employ. The other two diaries can be found at Unit ID's: 473053 and 473077.

Anna Laura Hittle Rings diary
Date: 1949-1961
One of three diaries of Anna Laura Hittle Rings of Topeka, Kansas. Anna was the live-in-housekeeper for Mr. Harry Imes at 1208 College Avenue from 1949 to her death in 1961. She was cook, gardener, housekeeper, and seamstress. The diaries tell of her daily life while in Mr. Imes' employ. The other diaries can be found with Unit ID 473076 and 473077.

Anna Laura Hittle Rings diary
Date: 1949-1961
One of three diaries of Anna Laura Hittle Rings of Topeka, Kansas. Anna was the live-in-housekeeper for Mr. Harry Imes at 1208 College Avenue from 1949 to her death in 1961. She was cook, gardener, cleaner inside and out, and seamstress. The diaries tell of her daily life while in Mr. Imes' employ. The other diaries can be found with Unit ID 473053 and 473076.

Anna Margaret Watson Randolph, diary
Creator: Randolph, Anna Margaret Watson, 1838-1917
Date: August 17, 1858 - August 22, 1858
This brief diary, kept by Anna Margaret (Watson) Randolph, begins with her move to Kansas in an entry dated August 17, 1858. These six entries at the beginning of her diary provide details about her family's journey from Ohio to Kansas Territory, included a number of interesting accounts of their journey on a riverboat. Their boat ran aground several times and, interspersed among her descriptions of these difficulties, Anna wrote about her sister Mary Jane, the weather, and her personal observances of other passengers. She also filled her diary with her frustrations and concerns during their arduous journey west.

Anna Margaret (Watson) Randolph diary
Creator: Randolph, Anna Margaret (Watson)
Date: December 12, 1858 - December 19, 1858
These excerpts from Anna (Watson) Randolph's diary begin after her family had settled in Emporia in 1858. Living in Emporia provided many opportunities for her and her family to become involved in the community, including church services and "singing school." She includes juicy details about her neighbors, including Mr. Plumb who was a fan of the drink. Her entries also point to her mental state and her personal reflections on self improvement. In short, these entries provide a previously unseen glimpse into the Emporia community during the 1850s and into the lives of the Watson family.

August Schulz diary
Date: 1872-1878
This diary was written by August(us) Schulz, who resided in McPherson County, Kansas. The diary describes the work and events that took place on the family farm in Canton Township, McPherson County. Schulz and his wife Luisa were born in Germany, according to the 1880 U. S. census. Augustus's age was listed as 54 and Luisa was 58. The first two pages of content labeled 1872 and 1873 are in German. They have four children, The two girls were Agnes, 24 years old, and Ottilie, age 16. The two boys were Alexander (23) and Hugo (20). In 1880 they were all living at home. Schulz provides details about the crops he is planting and several entries describe planting several hundred trees. The diary also mentions establishing land claims for the older children.

Barbara Thiele's diary
Creator: Thiele, Barbara R.
Date: January 13, 1949-December 31, 1949
This is a diary belonging to Barbara Thiele. In the diary, she writes about her first year of marriage to John Thiele, setting up a home, cooking, and attending classes the University of Kansas.

Buffalo Spring Ranch
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: January 13, 1876
This pencil sketch of the "Buffalo Spring Ranch, Indian Territory, as seen from the north east" is taken form the Ado Hunnius diary.

Caldwell, Kansas
Date: 1876
This pencil sketch of Caldwell, Kansas is taken from the Ado Hunnius dirary and depicts the Caldwell House Hotel from the north east end of the street.

Carl "Ado" Hunnius diary
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: January 10 - 24, 1876
Carl J. A. "Ado" Hunnius kept this diary while visiting the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in Indian Territory. The diary contains detailed information about the trip and sketches (drawn illustrations) of some of the things he saw during the course of his travels. A complete transcription is available by clicking on Text Version below.

Carl Julius Adolph Hunnius diary
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: March 30, 1867-October 9, 1867
This diary, written by Carl Julius Adolph Hunnius, contains entries from his time serving under Major General Winfield Scott Hancock on his expedition to pacify the plains Indians shortly after the end of the American Civil War. Details include transportation used, types of food eaten, weather, forging activities, medical care, encounters with hostile warriors, and many other details of a soldiers' life during the period.

Carry Amelia Nation diary and scrapbook
Creator: Nation, Carry Amelia Moore, 1846-1911
Date: 1870-1900
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.

Cheyenne Agency, Indian Territory
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: January 16, 1876
This pencil sketch of the New Post of Cheyenne Agency, Indian Territory, is taken from the Ado Hunnius diary and depicts the post from "east of square." The drawing shows the post trader, C. S. store house, Adj. office, Q.M.[x]. House, and stables.

Claire Eva Paine diary
Creator: Paine, Claire Eva
Date: 1942
This is a diary written by Claire Eva Paine, who lived at 900 Mulvane in Topeka, Kansas. She lived with Annie Paine Atkinson, her sister. At the time the diary was written, Claire was employed as an assistant in Dr. Don R. Paine's office. According to census records, Dr. Paine was an optometrist and Claire Eva Paine's brother. The diary documents her activities in 1942. She writes about family members, World War II, social events, movies, and expresses her displeasure with President Roosevelt. She did not record information for each day so there are gaps.

Clergyman's pocket diary and visiting book belonging to Boston Corbett
Date: 1870-1877
Pocket diary belonging to Thomas P. "Boston" Corbett, the man who killed John Wilkes Booth following President Lincoln's assassination. Before moving to Cloud County, Kansas in 1878, Corbett was pastor of the Siloam (Methodist) Mission Church located at 328 Pine Street in Camden, New Jersey. The book contains a list of members, records of funerals and baptisms, and diary entries.

Colonel James C. Hughes diary, volume 1
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: April 09, 1943-September 12, 1943
This diary is the first of five kept by Colonel James C. Hughes during his time as a prisoner of war in World War II. The diaries were started by Hughes one year after his capture and they managed to survive the war. The Japanese did not approve of journals or diaries, even for senior officers, and were subject to confiscation. Hughes had his diary seized several times. For this reason, prisoners had to censor what they wrote. They could not express their true feelings towards their captors or living conditions without harsh repercussions. Despite the censorship Hughes' diaries still covered his mental health, daily routine, camp food, capture, work, sickness, boredom, disease, moving to new camps, fellow soldiers, receiving letters and Red Cross boxes, and the occasional camp entertainment. During the later years they even contain wishful rumors about an end to the war.

Colonel James C. Hughes diary, volume 2
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: September 13, 1943-March 31, 1944
This diary is the second of five kept by Colonel James C. Hughes during his time as a prisoner of war in World War II. The diaries were started by Hughes one year after his capture and they managed to survive the war. The Japanese did not approve of journals or diaries, even for senior officers, and were subject to confiscation. Hughes had his diary seized several times. For this reason, prisoners had to censor what they wrote. They could not express their true feelings towards their captors or living conditions without harsh repercussions. Despite the censorship Hughes' diaries still covered his mental health, daily routine, camp food, capture, work, sickness, boredom, disease, moving to new camps, fellow soldiers, receiving letters and Red Cross boxes, and the occasional camp entertainment. During the later years they even contain wishful rumors about an end to the war.

Colonel James C. Hughes diary, volume 3
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: April 01, 1944-December 04, 1944
This diary is the third of five kept by Colonel James C. Hughes during his time as a prisoner of war in World War II. The diaries were started by Hughes one year after his capture and they managed to survive the war. The Japanese did not approve of journals or diaries, even for senior officers, and were subject to confiscation. Hughes had his diary seized several times. For this reason, prisoners had to censor what they wrote. They could not express their true feelings towards their captors or living conditions without harsh repercussions. Despite the censorship Hughes' diaries still covered his mental health, daily routine, camp food, capture, work, sickness, boredom, disease, moving to new camps, fellow soldiers, receiving letters and Red Cross boxes, and the occasional camp entertainment. During the later years they even contain wishful rumors about an end to the war.

Colonel James C. Hughes diary, volume 4
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: December 5, 1944-June 17, 1945
This diary is the fourth of five kept by Colonel James C. Hughes during his time as a prisoner of war in World War II. The diaries were started by Hughes one year after his capture and they managed to survive the war. The Japanese did not approve of journals or diaries, even for senior officers, and were subject to confiscation. Hughes had his diary seized several times. For this reason, prisoners had to censor what they wrote. They could not express their true feelings towards their captors or living conditions without harsh repercussions. Despite the censorship Hughes' diaries still covered his mental health, daily routine, camp food, capture, work, sickness, boredom, disease, moving to new camps, fellow soldiers, receiving letters and Red Cross boxes, and the occasional camp entertainment. During the later years they even contain wishful rumors about an end to the war.

Colonel James C. Hughes diary, volume 5
Creator: Hughes, James Clark, 1888-1964
Date: June 18, 1945-October 15, 1945
This diary is the fifth of five kept by Colonel James C. Hughes during his time as a prisoner of war in World War II. The diaries were started by Hughes one year after his capture and they managed to survive the war. The Japanese did not approve of journals or diaries, even for senior officers, and were subject to confiscation. Hughes had his diary seized several times. For this reason, prisoners had to censor what they wrote. They could not express their true feelings towards their captors or living conditions without harsh repercussions. Despite the censorship Hughes' diaries still covered his mental health, daily routine, camp food, capture, work, sickness, boredom, disease, moving to new camps, fellow soldiers, receiving letters and Red Cross boxes, and the occasional camp entertainment. During the later years they even contain wishful rumors about an end to the war.

Cyrus K. Holliday diary
Creator: Holliday, Cyrus Kurtz, 1826-1900
Date: November - December, 1854
In this diary, Cyrus K. Holliday records his trip to Kansas Territory and his first impressions. Upon arrival in the territory, he stayed in Lawrence where he purchased interests in the town. Holliday makes several references to the first Congressional election and the three candidates. On December 6, he reported that he was the claimant to a new city site [probably Topeka], and Holliday was chosen president. The diary entries begin at the back of the booklet and proceed in reverse order (from right page to left page) toward the front. It is not always clear what the date is. For example, there is an entry for November 7 on pages 9 and 10 but the first date listed on page 4 is November 8. A complete, searchable transcription is available by clicking "Text Version" below.

Dandridge E. Kelsey's 1854 diary
Creator: Kelsey, Dandridge Eliphalet, 1818-1904
Date: 1854
Dandridge E. Kelsey's diary for the year 1854 is the first in a series that covers consistently the years 1853-1876. This 1854 volume begins with some personal and family history (D. E. Kelsey was born March 27, 1818, and had four children with his wife, Mercy Lacock, who had died the day before on December 31, 1853. The January 1, 1854, entry began: "Mercy Kelsey my Wife was buried and the funeral preached by the reverend Mr. Mellender at Coles Chapel . . . ). Kelsey had not yet moved to Kansas Territory in 1854.

Daniel Mulford Valentine's diary
Creator: Valentine, Daniel Mulford, 1830-1907
Date: 1859
Daniel Mulford Valentine, 1830-1907, moved to Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, from Fontanelle, Iowa, in 1859. Valentine was 28 years old at the time, and was a lawyer and surveyor. Many of the diary entries record the weather and short phrases such as "loafing" or "reading." Other entries record information about the elections in Kansas and local politics, and include his assessments of many of the territory's leaders. Valentine records information about Abraham Lincoln's 1859 visit to Leavenworth. Lincoln made two speeches in Kansas, and Valentine attended and wrote about both. Valentine served as an associate justice on the Kansas Supreme Court from 1868 to 1893.