Journal memo'da

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0097-Item 0043

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

The journal of Craigie P. Jenks documents his daily life as a farmhand near Boston, Massachusetts, in 1851. Jenks described both his work and his opinions of current social and political events.

Craigie P. Jenks's journal documents his daily life, thoughts, and opinions while he lived and worked in several towns near Boston. This volume is labeled "Journal No. 3" on its title page. In the last entries, Jenks wrote that his father was buying him a new journal to use when this one became full.

Jenks described the weather, his work, the books he read, sermons he heard, his correspondence, the people around him, and his state of mind. Jenks discussed his sweetheart Emily, but also provided detailed assessments of every woman or girl he met. During the winter months at the start of the journal, Jenks appears to have had much leisure time, which he spent reading, visiting family and friends, and thinking about current events. After the entry for February 18, he wrote a short essay entitled "Slavery in the United States," in which he expressed his abolitionist views.

In April, he procured a position for seven dollars a month, a sum which he came to consider far too low, because he did not make enough yet to marry Emily. As time progressed, the recent death of his mother, his separation from Emily, and his dissatisfaction with his employment caused Jenks to become increasingly upset and depressed.

Dates

Creation: 1851 February 15-August 13

Creator

Jenks, Craigie Phillips, 1827-1908 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Biographical Note

Craigie Phillips Jenks (1827-1908) born in Boston, Massachusetts, to William Jenks, a noted American scholar and clergyman, and Betsey Russell Jenks. One of sixteen children, from February to August, 1851, Jenks worked as a farmhand for several different employers in the Boston area, mostly chopping wood and hoeing fields. Despite the physical nature of his job, Jenks was interested in literature and the social and political issues of the time.

By the year 1857, he was employed as a clerk in the city of Boston. During the American Civil War, Jenks served in the 7th Regiment of the Kansas Militia. He died in Cook, Illinois, on March 5, 1908.

Heslip, Philip. "William Jenks Collection, 1794-1884." http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clementsmss/umich-wcl-M-260jen?view=text (accessed April 23, 2014).The Boston Directory(Boston: George Adams, 1857)."Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, 1878-1922." Ancestry.com Library Edition. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2004. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com (accessed April 22, 2014).Additional biographical information derived from the collection.

Extent

1 volume (circa 200 pages) ; 22 cm

Additional Description

Abstract

The journal of Craigie P. Jenks documents his daily life as a farmhand near Boston, Massachusetts, in 1851. Jenks described both his work and his opinions of current social and political events.