(1782) Journal of a young lady of Virginia
Part of a Virginia girl's journal published nearly 100 years after it was written.

(1809) Washington in 1809 -- A Pen Picture. Diary of Sarah Ridg
A modern typescript transcription of Sarah Ridg’s diary telling about her extended visit to Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., in 1809.

(1820s and later) As I remember; recollections of American society during the nineteenth century by Marian Gouverneur
Book describing 19th century life in New York, Long Island and Washington.

(1836) Memoirs of An America lady by Anne MacVicar Grant, 1755 - 1838
Sketches about America as it existed prior to the Revolution.

(1862) Lucia Eugenia Lamb Everett diary
Diary written by 21-year-old Lucia Lamb during a part of the journey across the Plains.

(1800s) A grandmother's recollections of Dixie
Memoirs written in the form of letters to her children and grandchildren.

(1814) Letter from Polly Wilson McGee to Joshua Lacy Wilson
Mrs. McGee wrote to her brother from Driftwood Township, Indiana Territory, telling of her loneliness and asking for letters from him and his family.

(1817) Letter from Amanda Wilson to George Wilson
Amanda often wrote to her brother, who was at school in Shelbyville, Kentucky, and her letters include news about their father, the family, and the health and marriages of mutual friends.

(1819) Letter from Anna Blake to Harriet Corlis
Anna Blake writes to a friend about taking art lessons from John Audubon.

(1826) Lydia H. Sigourney to Martha Randolph, August 1826, with Poem
Letter of condolence to Thomas Jefferson's daughter upon his death.

(1850s) Memoirs of Anne C.L. Botta, written by her friends. With selections from her correspondence and from her writings in prose and poetry
These selections feature letters and some other writings, including a description of a trip to Niagara Falls.

(1851) Letter from Elizabeth Blackwell to Baroness Anne Isabella Milbanke Byron, March 4, 1851
Blackwell writes about women's rights and the education of women physicians.

(1851) Letter from Nancy Bolles
Nancy Bolles accompanied her husband, Captain John Bolles, onboard the ship Alert of New London, Connecticut, for a whaling voyage to the Pacific Ocean. This letter describes events at sea during the nine-month trip.

(1851 - 1852) The Shirley letters from California mines in 1851 - 1852
In these 23 letters, Louise Clappe writes of life in San Francisco and the Feather River mining communities of Rich Bar and Indian Bar.

(1853) America of the fifties: letters of Fredrika Bremer
A selection of letters written by Swedish author, Fredrika Bremer, describing her travels in the United States.

(1854) Notes of Travel and Life
A selection of letters written by Sarah Mendell and Charlote Hosmer from Ellisburg, New York; Canada, New York City; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Virginia; and other cities.

(1858 - 1865) Crusader and feminist; letters of Jane Grey Swisshelm
Jane Grey Swisshelm was an antislavery advocate, newspaper editor, lecturer, crusader, feminist, and Civil War nurse. She edited two newspapers in Minnesota during the period 1858-1865, when these letters were written.

(1860) Correspondence between Lydia Maria Child and Gov. Wise and Mrs. Mason of Virginia
Abolitionist statements in the form of letters addressed to Governor Wise of Virginia on the occasion of John Brown's raid and arrest.

(1861) Helen M. Rauschnabel to Mary Todd Lincoln, May 7, 1861
This letter reports a dream Helen Rauschnabel had about Abraham Lincoln.

(1862) Mary Todd Lincoln to Abraham Lincoln, November 3, 1862
This letter refers to money Mary Todd Lincoln had given a former slave to purchase clothes for contrabands.

(1863) Little Lizzie's letter. Philadelphia, April 17, 1863
An American Tract Society published letter written to a soldier by a 7-year-old girl.

(1864) Sojourner Truth to Mary Gale, February 25, 1864
Letter concerning the emancipation of her children and her son's Civil War service.

(1865) Letter home from a Union nurse, June 5, 1865
Letter describing incident involving the arrest of a woman and a soldier.

(1866 - 1882) The Olivia letters
Letters written from 1866 to 1882 describing political and governmental events in Washington.

(1862 - 1911) Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters
The Uriah W. Oblinger Collection includes 318 letters - many written by women in the family.

(1875) Letter from Mabel Hubbard Bell to Alexander Graham Bell, October 23, 1875
Mabel Hubbard Bell writes about her views on women's rights.

(1883) From Maine to the Mississippi by a Yankee girl
Letters written for the Oxford Democrat and published privately in Hingham, Massachusetts.

(1887) Nina Van Zandt Spies lettter to B. F. Underwood, October 17, 1887
Letter signed by Nina van Zandt Spies, wife of Haymarket defendant August Spies, to Mr. B. F. Underwood, a supporter of amnesty for the Haymarket defendants.

(1889) Letter from Elizabeth E. Hutter to Benjamin Harrison, March 6, 1889
Elizabeth Hutter wrote to congratulate President Harrison on his inaugural address, calling it a "magnificent production."

(1893) "Autumn," poem by Helen Keller, October 27, 1893
Poem written by Helen Keller and sent to Alexander Graham Bell.

(1896) Letter from Susan B. Anthony to Adelaide Johnson, February 8, 1896
Anthony writes Johnson in support of women ministers performing marriage ceremonies.

(1896) Letters of travel in California, in the winter and spring of 1896
Mrs. Immen reported visits to Echo Mountain, San Diego, greater Los Angeles, Yosemite, Oakland, Santa Clara, San José, and San Francisco.

(1919 - 1937) Letters from a senator's wife by Frances Parkinson Keyes
Letters written while her husband was a senator on Capitol Hill.

(1934) Moore-Willson, Minnie, Correspondence, 1934
Letters and a three-page autobiography. Topics include Moore-Willson's application to the W.P.A. and the needs of Seminole Indians.

(1935) Moore-Willson, Minnie, Correspondence, 1935
Correspondence relating to the federal purchase of land for Seminole reservations and Moore-Willson's book on Osceola County (Fla.).

(1941) Letter from Olga Koussevitzky to Leonard Bernstein, September 5, 1941
Olga advises Bernstein that men need the companionship of women to help them in life.

(1949) Our pioneer days in Minnesota
Gertrude Vandergon wrote her reminiscences in a series of lengthy letters addressed to her children.

American Women
A gateway to Library of Congress resources for the study of women's history and culture in the United States. Of particular interest to this activity are the First Person Accounts and the Travel Accounts pages

Civil War Women: Primary Sources on the Internet
Duke University links to diaries and letters related to women and the Civil War.

Diaries and Journals
An 1883 article by Arthur Penn published in The Century about how to keep a diary.

Do History: Martha Ballard's Diary Online
An extensive Web site devoted to the 27-year diary kept by Massachusetts midwife, Martha Ballard, from 1785 through 1812.

Making Sense of Letters and Diaries
An online guide from History Matters that offers an overview of letters and diaries as historical sources, tips on what questions to ask when reading these personal texts, an annotated bibliography, and a guide to finding and using letters and diaries online.

North American Women's Letters and Diaries
View a sampling of diaries and letters from the Alexander Street Press subscription database.

Women in the United States
A State Department compilation of information and sites relating to women.

Women's History Resources in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Use this pathfinder for tips and terms to use when researching women-related topics.

Women's Studies Manuscript Diaries
This site contains digital images of six manuscript diaries written from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, primarily from the Northeastern United States.