LibGuides: Archival Research: Diaries and Letters

Uses for Diaries and Letters

Diaries and letters provide a glimpse inside notable figures lives as well information on those that have held special places in society such as midwives, educators, and political activist. These items are very important when looking at how historical events may have affected the daily lives of individuals.
Diaries and letters also revel the private thoughts and conversations of major literary, social, and political figures
Looking at specific authors works and unpublished papers can enhance literary criticism.

Diaries, Letters, and Narratives

Diaries and letters can serve as excellent primary sources, allowing researchers a personal glimpse into the lives of both well-know figures and common members in society. Among scholars studying women, diaries and letters can be a crucial resource in uncovering the interpersonal and public persona of women.

North American Women's Letters and Diaries
Contains letters and diaries from over 1300 women as well as biographies. It extends from the Colonial period to the 1950s. Another great aspect of this database is you can search a well-known figure or you can search by a number of fields, such as occupation or historical events. The largest group of documents, however centers around the Civil War.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries
Coverage: 1500-1950
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries includes the immediate experiences of approximately 500 women.

First-Person Narratives of the American South
Compilation of printed texts from libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill documenting the culture of the nineteenth-century American South from the viewpoint of Southerners. Includes the diaries, autobiographies, memoirs, travel accounts, and ex-slave narratives of not only prominent individuals, but also of relatively inaccessible populations such as women, African Americans, enlisted men, laborers, and Native Americans.

Rotunda
Original digital works with digital editions of the papers of major figures of the early republic plus America in the 20th century.

Humanities & Theatre

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Subjects: Citation Tools, English Literature and Composition, Film, TV & Digital Media, Library Basics, Modern Language Studies, Reference, Spanish & Hispanic Studies, Theatre, Women and Gender Studies, Writing