William Clark began keeping a journal in 1759 at the age of eighteen. He wrote an entry for almost every day..

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This entry from the Regina Shober Gray [1] diary touches on many of the themes in the larger work: births and deaths, worrying illnesses – including a threatened repeat of an earlier cholera..Continue reading →

The aftermath of the Civil War continued to affect Regina Shober Gray [1] and her family, sometimes in surprising ways. The question in October 1865 was how to provide for the diarist’s..Continue reading →

An episode from early in the Civil War had a sequel in October 1865, and Regina Shober Gray [1] wrote about it as she reviewed other news from her family in Philadelphia. The earlier entry,..Continue reading →

Even on holiday the diarist Regina Shober Gray [1] could not escape anxieties about the health of family members – indeed, her sister Lizzie was beginning a fatal decline, and would die..Continue reading →

The Grays’ summer was flying by in Marion, and Regina Shober Gray [1] faced new social responsibilities as her daughter Mary [2] ventured into society:

Sunday, 6 August 1865: A week ago..

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From time to time Regina Shober Gray [1] pauses to describe what she sees and hears, and it is usually a feast for the senses: In its way the place is very lovely, very placid, with the soft..Continue reading →

Boston’s sultry summers made seaside resorts appealing, but each year Regina Shober Gray [1] struggled to find her family attractive rooms in likely houses outside the city.

61 Bowdoin..

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After less than a week in Philadelphia, Regina Shober Gray [1] was back in Boston and deep in domestic duties. In the following entries the diarist manages to refer to two of her husband’s..Continue reading →

By the end of May 1865, Regina Shober Gray’s son Reginald had been staying with his aunts for six months; his visit was meant to help the Shober sisters as they mourned their brother John...Continue reading →