The third supporting question, “who are you?” helps frame the concept that anyone can leave a story behind that is significant to researchers. Historians consider diaries to be a significant source of information on social life, political events, and personal perspectives on past events. Many of the diaries that are found in archives were donated by the author, but many others were donated many years after the author’s death by family members. Do historians violate the privacy of these individuals, or does the value of the diaries as sources of information about the past outweigh consideration for the diarist? Are there historic diaries available in your town? Does your library or historical society have any old diaries? Did your parents or grandparents keep a diary? What did they write about? Was the diary important to them? Complete the following task using students’ own experiences to write a diary or journal.
Other diaries students might be interested in include:
“The Diary and Letters of Dr. James De Wolf, Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army.” North Dakota History 25.2 & 3: 33-81.
“The Diary of Surgeon Washington Matthews, Fort Rice, Dakota Territory.” North Dakota History 21.1 & 2: 5-74
Foell, Lillian Agnew. Lil’s Courage. Fargo: Institute for Regional Studies, 1997.
“Mark Kellogg’s Diary,” North Dakota History 17.3: 165-176.
Mattison, Ray H., ed. “An Army Wife on the Upper Missouri: The Diary of Sarah E. Canfield, 1866–1868,” in Janet Daly Lysengen and Anne M. Rathke, eds, The Centennial Anthology of North Dakota History. Bismarck: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 1996.
Woodward, Mary Dodge. The Checkered Years: A Bonanza Farm Diary 1884 – 88. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1989 (1937).
Formative Performance Task 3
Facilitate a discussion about privacy and the importance for historians to have access to records like diaries, journals, letters, and photos. Have students keep a diary for a month. Compare it to Mae Roberts’ or Dorry Shaw’s diary. Do they have similar interests? What might be different?
As another option, have the students collect their own social media posts over the past 2 weeks (that they are willing to share). The students should then analyze what other people were posting about or discussing. Would these posts give an accurate picture of today to future historians? What might they learn? What is missing? Do you feel comfortable with historians looking through this information 50 years from now?
Featured Sources 3
Students’ own personal and family stories and observations.
Student's own social media posts.