Details

Abstract / Summary

Lizzie A. Wilson Goodenough (1844- ) resided in Brattleborough, Vermont, where she worked as a domestic in order to support herself after she was orphaned in 1860. She also worked occasionally for Cune and Bracket, Merchant Tailors, on Granite Row in Brattleborough. In 1869, Lizzie married Henry F. Goodenough (1835- ), who worked in his family's brick quarry in Brattleborough. They raised several children, including Arthur Goodenough (1871- ) and Lizzie Cora Goodenough (1874- ).

There are nine diaries in this collection. The first seven, for the period 1865 to 1875 (some years are missing), were kept by Lizzie A.; the last two, for the years 1901 and 1903, were kept by her daughter, Lizzie Cora.

The earlier volumes contain brief entries in which Lizzie A. recorded the onerous life of a self-supporting young woman who was sometimes faced with financial difficulties. Occasionally, she lamented her lot in life: "Oh how I wish the time would come when the time would seem pleasant to me. Something to think about besides working away from home and friends past for money. Long years have past [sic] since I had a Father home to go to." (19 March 1865) The entries detail her duties as a domestic for several Brattleborough, Vermont, families, including the Howe, Tripp, and Taylor families, as well as her employment by Cune and Brackett. Lizzie A. visited her brother, Edd Wilson (dates unknown), and his family for several weeks each year, and sometimes attended the circus or played card games with her friends. Her personal cash accounts appear at the end of most volumes and reflect her attempts to remain out of debt despite her meager salaries. "Nothing better was my lot it seems than to be a slave to others' wants." (16 July 1865)

Following her marriage in 1869, Lizzie A. moved to West Brattleborough, Vermont, and assumed the duties of a housewife and mother, though she sometimes worked for Cune and Brackett. The volumes also record births, family illnesses, visits, and the annual "sugaring," or tapping of the maple trees.

In 1901 and 1903, her daughter, Lizzie Cora, kept similar diaries in which she recorded her life with her brother, Arthur, and his family; her household duties; daily events among the family members; and her duties as an occasional domestic for the Howe family. Her diaries also contain cash accounts.

Field of Interest

Letters and Diaries

Content Type

Diary/Memoir/Autobiography

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Page Count

2635

Publication Year

2011

Publisher

Alexander Street

Place Published / Released

Alexandria, VA

Subject

Letters and Diaries, History, Daily Life, Domestic life