Journal of Ella Pultz Kimball

This diary was kept by Ella Pultz Kimball from May 8, 1881, to May 31, 1883. The 262 page volume documents the daily social and domestic activities of a wealthy New York City-area family in the early 1880s.

In her diary, Kimball discussed her involvement in local celebrations, dinners, and other community activities. She also described trips across the Northeast United States with her husband, William Kimball. Ella extensively described taking walks and carriage rides around the New Jersey shoreline and docks with her husband and son. There are numerous entries describing trips into New York City with friends and family for shopping, leisure, and social activities. In most entries, Ella recorded the daily weather, however, these descriptions are very limited. In most cases, she only depicted the weather as hot, cold, rainy, or sunny.

Ella also documented her domestic duties as a wife, mother, and neighbor. Some of these duties included caring for sick family members, planning dinner, arranging trips, and cleaning the house. Most diary entries mention her son Willy (5-6 years old in 1881), who was frequently ill. She also mentions the activities of William’s sister Ella, and two servants, Mary and Charlie, all of whom live with the Kimballs. In the diary, Ella refers to her husband as “Billy.”

The final page of the diary features a list of dates and the respective weights of Ella and William on each of those dates. The last date recorded is November 2, 1887. The front and back covers of the diary feature writing practice by Ella, in which she repeatedly wrote her name and location. Which name she used varies and alternates between Ella M. Kimball, Ella Mann Kimball, Ella Kimball, Ella Pultz, and Ella P. Kimball.