McCartney, Eleanor Papers, 1883, 1891

Repository:

Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University

Creator:

McCartney, Eleanor

Title:

Eleanor McCartney Papers

Collection No.:

SC 0216

Date:

1883,1891

Extent:

1 box, .17 Cubic Feet

Language of the Material:

English

Abstract:

Diary and recipes kept by Eleanor McCartney, of the Winchester, Virginia area.

Little biographical information can be gleaned from McCartney's papers. A one-page diary entry - in an otherwise blank notebook - dated January 26, 1883, reads, "Today my dear son Edgar has left home for the west." This single entry does not appear to have been written by the same hand as Eleanor's 1891 diary. There is frequent mention of Eleanor's uncle and aunt, Phillip and Annie Sheaff of Warren County, Virginia in the 1891 diary.

The Eleanor McCartney Papers, 1883, 1891, consist of a personal diary, handwritten recipes, and other items belonging to Eleanor McCartney of the Winchester, Virginia area. The diary spans nearly all of 1891, and includes daily entries describing Eleanor's activities, updates related to family and friends, and religious musings. Her religious beliefs are prominent, as she discusses Bible verses and debates theological ideas in almost every entry. She frequently discusses the weather and community members. Visits by her and her family to Middletown, Winchester, and Front Royal are described. Accompanying the diary is a postcard from Bridgewater, Virginia, a small notebook with a single entry, and an envelope with three recipes.

The collection is arranged topically.