Diaries of Elizabeth Duncan
Overview
Three diaries kept by Elizabeth Duncan in the mid 1860s, both while she lived in Lawrence, Kansas and while she traveled overland from Lawrence to San Jose, California in 1867. Typical entries may include discussion of the weather, Duncan's daily activities, information about her family and friends or acquaintances who came to visit or wrote, and her own spiritual and emotional states.
Dates
- Creation: 1864 - 1868
Creator
- Duncan, Elizabeth, 1837-1879 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of Elizabeth Duncan
Elizabeth "Bettie" Watts was born October 18, 1837 in Kentucky. In her late teens she married Wesley Harvey Duncan, born April 18, 1814 in Virginia.
By the early 1860s the couple had moved to Kansas and had two daughters; W. H. Duncan had also had at least one child from a previous marriage. The family survived Quantrill's Raid of the summer of 1863 on Lawrence, but Duncan's store was burned during the raid. In 1867 Duncan decided to move his family to California for new opportunities. The move did not last long, and in 1868 they moved back to Kansas, where Duncan once again operated a hardware store in downtown Lawrence.
Elizabeth Duncan died September 26, 1879. Wesley H. Duncan died September 21, 1902, and both were buried in Lawrence's Oak Hill Cemetery.
Extent
3 Volumes ; Largest is 15.5 cm tall.
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
RH MS A26
Physical Location
RH MS A27
Physical Location
RH MS B43
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, Myra S. Blackman, 1975.
Bibliography
- "Diary of daily life, Lawrence, Kansas: Elizabeth Duncan in 1864" by Katie Armitage, RH MS P753, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
- "A Transcription and Interpretation of a Diary by Elizabeth Duncan" by Laura Tilson, RH MS P440, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
Processing Information
yss
Subject
- Duncan, Elizabeth, 1837-1879 (Person)
- Duncan, Wesley Harvey, 1814-1902 (Person)
- Duncan family. (Family)
- Title
- Guide to the Elizabeth Duncan Collection
- Subtitle
- Diaries of Elizabeth Duncan
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by lgg, March 1975. Finding aid encoded by mg, 2004. Finding aid revised by mwh, 2018.
- Date
- 2004
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid writtenin<language> English.</language>
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/7372013691
- Preferred citation
-
Diaries of Elizabeth Duncan, RH MS A26, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository