Details

Abstract / Summary

Louisa Jane Trumbull Lea (1822-1890) was the fourth of twelve children born to Louisa Clap Trumbull (1798-1885), daughter of Captain Caleb Clap (1752-1812) and Elizabeth Stone Clap (1758-1843) of Greenfield, Massachusetts; and George Augustus Trumbull (1792-1868), whose family traces its history back to John Trumbull ( -1657), who came to America from Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, around 1637. She married Henry Lea (1803-1881) in 1845. Her siblings were Elizabeth Clap Lincoln (1816-1900), who married General William Sever Lincoln (1811-1889); Major George Clap (1818-1885), who married Nancy Woodbury Moore Clap (1817-1888); Caroline Burling Clap Blake (1820-1880), who married Francis Blake (1812-1879); Sarah Paine Clap Ripley (1824-1871), who married John Clap Ripley (1818-1869); Joseph Clap (1826-1880), who married first Frances Towne Hamilton Clap (1828-1859), and second Mary Moore Johnson Clap (1841- ); John Clap (1828-1832); Charles Perkins Clap (1830- ), who married first Mary Norwood Clap (1834-1886), and second Sarah Hartwell Heywood Clap (1830-1913); Susan Trumbull Clap Price (1832-1902), who married Dr. Harry H. Price (1837-1912); Isabella Frink Clap Hartshorn (1834- ), who married George Franklin Hartshorn (1826-1901); Mary Abbot Clap Cogswell (1837-1864), who married John Beare Donne Cogswell (1829-1889); and John Clap (1841-1893).

Louisa's father was born in Petersham on 23 January 1792. He attended Philips Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. In 1813, he bought the bookstore of Isaiah Thomas, Jr. (1773-1819), and published the Massachusetts Spy from 1819 to 1823. He opened a brewery in 1822, and the following year sold his interest in the publishing business. From 1824 to 1836, George was a cashier for the Central Bank of Worcester. He then became first cashier for the Citizens Bank of Worcester, a position he held until his retirement in 1858. He died at Worcester on 17 August 1868.

Louisa began keeping a diary at age seven because her sisters had journals and because her mother wanted her "to write what happens every day." The four volumes in this collection cover the years 1829-1834, 1834-1835, 1835-1836 and 1836-1837. Louisa's entries are sporadic and at times she states that nothing of importance has occurred, yet she provides a rich, child's-eye view of her daily life and of the Trumbull family's activities, travels and many visitors. There are references to Louisa's brothers and sisters and uncomplimentary comments about the Irish. There is also mention of sickness in the family and the 1832 death of her young brother, John. The later journals include entries listing what she has read, as well as her reflections on self-improvement.

Field of Interest

Letters and Diaries

Content Type

Diary/Memoir/Autobiography

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Page Count

218

Publication Year

2011

Publisher

Alexander Street

Place Published / Released

Alexandria, VA

Subject

Letters and Diaries, History, Daily Life, Domestic life