Contents and Arrangement
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Wordin, Helen "Nellie" Caroline, Diary, 1858-1893

1 folder

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of a manuscript diary spanning forty-five years in the life of Helen "Nellie" Caroline Wordin (1842- ), an educated, single white woman living in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the 19th century who attended school in Petersburg, Virginia, during the outbreak of the American Civil War.

Wordin began keeping the diary when she was fifteen years old, with early entries documenting school, Congregationalist church activities, social calls with other girls, work with the Ladies Missionary Society, attendance at lectures and debates, music lessons, and visits to neighboring towns. She also references signficant events, including the execution of John Brown, the transmission of the first transatlantic telegram from Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan, and the appearance of Donati's comet. The entries from 1860 and 1861 cover Wordin's time in the South leading up to and during the first month of the Civil War. She recounts her journey by steamer from New York, landing in Norfolk, Virginia, on October 8th, 1860. Entries from this time period reference her studies of Latin and Greek and social and leisure activities while living in Petersburg, Virginia. She also comments on enslaved children she encounters at a tour of a tobacco plantation and describes "secession talk at the table in the evening." Wordin records major events such as the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, the secession of South Carolina, the formation of the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Fort Sumter, and the Baltimore riot of 1861. Shortly after, she describes her travels home in late April 1861, mentioning her passenger ship being stopped and examined by soldiers, as well as a trip she made to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before returning home to Connecticut. The rest of the diary covers Wordin's later life in Bridgeport, including details of her relationships with several suitors, family members, and friends; the deaths of her parents and the illness of her sister; and her efforts to defend her father's will in court.

The early entries come every few days, but over the years, Wordin wrote less frequently, often summarizing events that had occurred over the course of several months. The first fifty-three pages cover the period from 1858 to the end of the Civil War in 1865, picking up again in 1871, after which Wordin covers most years of her life in four to six pages, until stopping abruptly in 1893.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by the name of the creator, with unattributed materials at the end.

Collection History

Acquisition:

AM 2021-31

Purchased from William Reese Company in 2020 .

Accruals

The collection is open and will continue to grow.

Appraisal

No material was separated during processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Lisa Yankowitz during the summer and fall of 2010 . The finding aid was written by Lisa Yankowitz in January 2011 and is regularly updated with new acquisitions by Faith Charlton, Kelly Bolding, and Armando Suárez.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Wordin, Helen "Nellie" Caroline, Diary; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box B-001552