Archives West Finding Aid

The Ellen Gordon Fletcher diary from 1858 to 1861 details her life as a teacher and member of the Methodist church before she met her husband. Her father gave her the book and he wrote an inscription to her in it. In the first half of the diary (pages 41 to 62 are missing, however), she writes of school and her excitement and fears of being a teacher. She keeps track of the number of students each day, but does not describe many details of the school day. Her faith is usually the center of her entries as she writes scripture passages and expressed her spirituality. Throughout the diary, she tells of religious meetings, people she visits, and her daily routine in New York. She often writes of her family, including Blanche and Will. The diary also includes some drawings, although they are not described in her writing and some do not appear to be by Ellen. She also includes passages from the diary of a Mrs. Fletcher (it is not certain that she is related to William A. Fletcher) written in 1761. Ellen also describes several funerals she attended and family celebrations such as the Fourth of July. The second half of the diary seems to be missing pages also.