1889 diary of Cora Calista Murdock of Sherman Street, Springfield, Massachusetts. See all of the pages in the diary at the end of this post.
Cora's observations are laconic and deal mostly with the weather and her visits to others and their visits to her family. There are a few noteworthy entries, though, which describe the good and bad of life in that era.
The diary measures approximately 4-3/4"by 3-1/4" and contains spaces on each page for two days for the 12 months of 1889, plus almanac-type information in the front and pages at the back for Cora to list expenses, letters, notes, etc., some of which she used.
From brief online research, hopefully correct: [corrections and additions welcome!]
Cora Calista Murdock was February 23, 1853 at Pelham, Massachusetts, the daughter of Emelius Bond Murdock and Phoebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock. Cora mentioned her birthday in the album.
Cora mentioned her siblings Herman Everett Murdock and Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter, wife of Philip Henry Potter, in the diary, especially Clara and her family, and I believe Cora lived with them, at least part of her life. Cora, whose musings were generally matter-of-fact and not full of detail, made a few observations about a baby, presumably Clara's baby, who was sick, then better, and then sick again. Then suddenly, the June 2, 1889 entry: "baby died tonight". "Baby" was William Dimmock Potter, who was born December 23, 1887.
Near the end of the diary, in the section marked "Letters", Cora wrote the birth dates of her family members.
Father - Emelius Bond Murdock - born July 5, 1825; died May 9, 1887; on gravestone Psalm 37.37
Mother - Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock - born February 2, 1829; died November 27, 1883; on gravestone Rev. 14.13
Cora - herself - born February 23, 1852
Clara - Cora's sister Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter - born January 27, 1855
Herman - Cora's brother Herman Everett Murdock - born September 2, 1865
Edna - Sister Clara's daughter Edna Phebe Potter - born January 12, 1877; died September 1887
Arthur - Sister Clara's son Philip Arthur Potter - born January 18, 1878
Ernest - Sister Clara's son Ernest Murdock Potter - born January 27, 1880
William - Sister Clara's son William Dimmock Potter - born December 23, 1887; died June 2, 1889
The 1900 Census found Cora living with her sister Clara, husband Philip, an their two boys at Springfield, Massachusetts. Cora died in 1902 at Brookfield, Massachusetts. If you have corrections/and or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.
Surnames in the Diary - the number in brackets refers to different individuals with that surname - some people appear many times
| ? [7] | C | Calkins | H | H ? | O | Owens | |
| A | Alden [2] | Chapman [6] | Hastings [3] | P | Potter [12] | ||
| Andrews | Chase | Hitchcock | R | Russell | |||
| Austin | D | Drake [2] | Horr | S | Stebbins [3] | ||
| B | Banning | Dutton | K | King | Stuart | ||
| Bannister [2] | F | Fay | Knowlton | T | Talmadge | ||
| Beardsley | Frost | M | M ? | Turner | |||
| Burgess [2] | G | Grant | Mason | W | Walker | ||
| Burr | Maynard [3] | Williams | |||||
| Murdock [4] | Wilson |
People Mentioned in the Diary
- Mary
- Alice
- Susie
- Aunt Mary and Anna. Perhaps Mary Jane Chapman, sister of Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock. Cora's father, Emelius Bond Murdock, had a sister Mary Ann (Murdock) Smith, but she died in 1860.
- Aunt Jane
- Carrie
- Martha. Cora had a cousin Martha, daughter of Abraham Murdock, a brother to Cora's father Emelius Bond Murdock.
- Mrs. Alden
- Miss Alden
- Mrs. Andrews and Beatrice
- Mr. and Mrs. Austin
- Mrs. Banning
- Mr. Bannister
- Belle Bannister
- Mrs. C. T. Beardsley, 14 Prospect, Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Aunt Harriet and Emma and "her boy". Presumably Harriet Augusta (Chapman) Burgess, who was a sister to Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock, and Harriet's daughter Mary Emma (Burgess) Frost
- Hattie Burgess; presumably the daughter of Marshall Terry Burgess and Harriet Augusta (Chapman) Burgess, who was a sister to Cora's mother
- Aunt Livonia; presumably Livonia (Chapman) Burr, born in 1837; sister of Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock
- Dr. Calkins; presumably Dr. Marshall Calkins or his son Dr. Cheney H. Calkins
- Aunt Sally; presumably Sally Maria Chapman, sister of Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock
- Uncle Dwight; presumably Dwight Morton Chapman, brother of Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock
- Aunt Alice & Uncle Dwight. Alice (whose maiden name I don't know) was the wife of Dwight Morton Chapman.
- Chapman family reunion at Forest Lake
- Aunt Maria and Nellie and baby; presumably Maria (Barker) Chapman and daughter Nellie. Maria was the widow of Luke Chapman, a brother to Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock
- Mrs. Dwight M. Chapman, Broad Street 26, Springfield, Massachusetts
- Philip Chase, 33 West Friendship, Providence, Rhode Island
- Mr. Drake
- Frank Drake
- Mrs. Dutton
- Uncle Lucius and Aunt Cornelia. They were Lucius Newton Fay and wife Cornelia Elizabeth (Chapman) Fay, who was a sister to Cora's mother Phebe Calista (Chapman) Murdock.
- Mrs. Howard Frost, 335 East Main, New Britain, Connecticut
- Mr. and Mrs. Grant
- Mrs. Henry or Heny or Henz
- Mr. George Hastings
- Minnie Hastings
- Della Hastings
- Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock and Lottie
- Mr. A. D. Horr, 53 Federal, Providence, Rhode Island
- Mr. and Mrs. King
- Aunt Lucy; presumably Lucy B. (Murdock) Knowlton, sister of Cora's father Emelius Bond Murdock.
- Miss Mith?
- William Mason, 15 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut
- Mr. and Mrs. Maynard and Florence
- Mrs. Maynard
- Florence Maynard
- Cora C. Murdock of ? Sherman Street, Springfield, Massachusetts. She was the diary owner Cora Calista Murdock.
- Herman; he was Herman Everett Murdock, Cora's brother
- Uncle Elijah and Aunt Nancy; Elijah G. Murdock and wife Nancy A. (Pond) Murdock. Elijah was a brother to Cora's father Emelius Bond Murdock.
- H. C. Murdock, 174 Adams, Waltham, Massachusetts
- Mr. and Mrs. Owens
- Mrs. T. D. Potter and Charlie; presumably Leora A. (Albro) Potter, third wife of Timothy Dimmock/Dimock Potter, brother of Philip Henry Potter, husband of Cora's sister Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter; and Charles S. Potter, son of Timothy Dimmock Potter and his second wife Laura A. (Atwood) Potter.
- "Arthur was 11 years old today". Cora's nephew Philip Arthur Potter, born January 8, 1878, son of Philip Henry Potter and Cora's sister Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter.
- Philip; Philip Henry Potter, Cora's brother-in-law, husband of Cora's sister Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter.
- "Clara's boys": Philip Arthur Potter and Ernest Murdock Potter, sons of Cora's sister Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter and husband Philip Henry Potter
- Mr. Potter
- Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter; Cora's sister and wife of Philip Henry Potter
- Ernest Murdock Potter, son of Philip Henry Potter and wife Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter, Cora's sister.
- Mother Potter; presumably Bethiah B. (Walker) Potter, mother of Philip Henry Potter
- "Baby"; William Dimmock Potter, son of Philip Henry Potter and Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter, Cora's sister
- Philip Henry Potter, husband of Clara Maria (Murdock) Potter, Cora's sister. 70 Sherman Street, Springfield, Massachusetts
- "Old Mr. Potter", presumably Philip Preston Potter, father of Philip Henry Potter
- Mr. Preston Potter
- Mrs. Russell
- Mrs. Stebbins
- Aunt Emily Stebbins
- Mrs. Jane E. Stebbins, 312 Union St., Springfield, Massachusetts
- Miss Stuart
- Lucy Talmadge
- M. Turner
- Mrs. Walker
- Mrs. Elma Williams, 37 West Friendship, Providence, Rhode Island
- Mrs. Nellie Wilson, Box 407, Collinsville, Connecticut
Springfield, Massachusetts
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