Born in Bridgeport, Ohio, Mary Griffith had seven siblings: four sisters and three bothers. When her older brother graduated from high school, he moved farther west to Harlan, Iowa, where he worked in a general store. The rest of Mary's family soon…
Diary kept by Charles Whipple Hadley (1844-1936), of Anamosa, Iowa. At age 17, Hadley left Anamosa to enlist in the Union army during the American Civil War. He traveled south to Davenport, where he became a member of the 14th Iowa Regiment of…
Diary kept by Linnie Hagerman (1852-1934), of Keokuk, Iowa. Born in Missouri in 1852, Linnie moved with her family to Keokuk at age 10, and remained there for the rest of her life.
Diaries kept by Ellery M. Hancock (1850-1929) of Waukon, Iowa. His family moved to Waukon in 1856, where his father, Moses, worked as a butcher. His mother, Sally, raised Ellery and his nine siblings, many of whom died at an early age. His brother…
Clara Hinton grew up in Hedrick, Iowa, where she experienced a difficult childhood. Her mother died when Clara was nine years old. Her aunt then adopted her youngest sister, while Clara helped her father take care of her two brothers and remaining…