Julia Wilbur Diaries

Haverford

Julia A. Wilbur was an anti-slavery and women’s rights proponent during the 19th century. The daughter of Mary Lapham and Stephen Wilbur, Julia Wilbur was born into a Quaker family on August 8, 1815, near Rochester, New York. In 1844, she began teaching in the Rochester public school system. Wilbur became involved with the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society, for which she served as a correspondence secretary. The Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society sent Wilbur to Virginia in 1862, where she worked alongside Harriet Jacobs providing supplies and education to freed slaves. In 1865, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she became increasingly involved with the women’s rights movement and also took a job working in the U.S. Patent Office. Wilbur spent her last years living in Washington, D.C., with her sister, Frances, until her death in 1895.

This collection is comprised primarily of Julia Wilbur’s personal journals, which span from 1844 to 1895.

Collection Guide for Julia Wilbur papers
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77 items [showing 21 - 40]

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Mary L. Van Buskirk diary, September 1881
Title:
Mary L. Van Buskirk diary, September 1881
Description:
Detailed account of Van Buskirk's visit to her sisters Julia Wilbur and Francis Hartwell in Washington, D.C., from September 15th to 30th, 1881. About half the book is spent detailing Mount Vernon, which the sisters visited. It also describes in detail the death and funeral of president James A. Garfield, including a speech given by Frederick Douglass. The rest describes visiting various places in Washington and Alexandria, including the Navy Yard, former slave pens, the "colored home for the friendless and orphan children, Howard University, the Capitol, Lafayette Square, Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church, Georgetown, Long Bridge, Oak Hill Cemetery, the Patent Office, the Corcoran Gallery, the Dead Letter Office, Arlington Cemetery, and the National Museum at the Smithsonian Institute. Compare mc1158_02_01_001, Julia Wilbur's diary for 1881, which describes some of the same events.
Date:
1881-09
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1865
Title:
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1865
Description:
Wilbur wrote page-length entries summarizing personally significant events for each day of the year. Primarily documents events of the Civil War and early postbellum period, including her relief work for Contraband (enslaved people who escaped to Union territory during the war) and freedmen. Relocated from Alexandria, Virginia, to work out of Washington, D.C., during this time. Records the assassination and funeral of Abraham Lincoln. Attended multiple post-war trials including that of Henry Wirz. The memoranda at the end include a list of patients, many Native American, who Wilbur interacted with at the L'Ouverture Hospital for people of color in Alexandria.
Date:
1865
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Mary L. Van Buskirk diary, 1906
Title:
Mary L. Van Buskirk diary, 1906
Description:
Mary L. Van Buskirk was Julia Wilbur's sister. Describes her daily activities during the period from January 1st to February 15th, 1906, most of which she spent in the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Continued in mc1158_06_06_004.
Date:
1906
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1890
Title:
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1890
Description:
Wilbur wrote daily page-length entries describing events in detail. Of note are her vacation in New York and her sister Frances's illness. The memoranda at the end include a summary of the state of her family, her finances, various facts, figures, sayings, literary extracts, and other miscellany.
Date:
1890
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1881
Title:
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1881
Description:
Wilbur wrote daily page-length entries describing significant events in detail. Much of diary discusses her working conditions at the Patent Office and her correspondence. Other themes include her health, her relationship with her sister Frances Hartwell, and the assassination and funeral of President James A. Garfield. The diary also discusses congressional sessions and White House receptions which Wilbur attended throughout the year, as well as a women's suffrage convention in January and a temperance convention in October. The notes in the back of the diary record over a decade of Memorial ("Decoration") Day events Wilbur attended and summarize her finances. See also mc1158_06_06_001, a diary kept by Wilbur's sister Mary Van Buskirk during a visit to Washington in September 1881.
Date:
1881
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur diary, November 1863 to April 1864
Title:
Julia Wilbur diary, November 1863 to April 1864
Description:
See also Wilbur's pocket diaries for 1863 and 1864 (mc1158_01_02_002 and mc1158_01_02_003).
Date:
1863-11-20 - 1864-04-20
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur portrait
Title:
Julia Wilbur portrait
Description:
Portrait of Julia Wilbur, taken by J. H. Kent, photographer, 58 State Street, Rochester, New York.
Date:
1865
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1885
Title:
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1885
Description:
Wilbur wrote daily page-length entries describing significant events in detail, including attending White House receptions and Congressional sessions. The memoranda at the end include a list of the year's "principle events, an account of her summer travels, a list of vacations she took between 1876 and 1885, and various facts, figures, and literary extracts.
Date:
1885
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Mary L. Van Buskirk diary, 1906
Title:
Mary L. Van Buskirk diary, 1906
Description:
Mary L. Van Buskirk was Julia Wilbur's sister. Describes her daily activities between February 17th and December 31st, 1906. The first 70 pages deal with her time at Battle Creek Sanitarium. Continued from mc1158_06_06_002; continued by mc1158_06_07_001. Pages are out of order; some may belong with mc1158_06_07_001.
Date:
1906
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1894
Title:
Julia Wilbur "Excelsior" diary, 1894
Description:
Wilbur wrote daily page-length entries describing events in detail. Memoranda at the back include a summary of her finances and various facts, figures, and literary extracts.
Date:
1894
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur diary, May 1871 to April 1872
Title:
Julia Wilbur diary, May 1871 to April 1872
Description:
See also Wilbur's pocket diaries for 1871 and 1872 (mc1158_01_04_002 and mc1158_01_04_003).
Date:
1871-05-05 - 1872-04-21
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1868
Title:
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1868
Description:
Wilbur wrote page-length entries summarizing personally significant events for each day of the year. Largely documents her charitable work in association with the Freedmen's Bureau, and social/political events in the Reconstruction era. Actively observed and commented on governmental proceedings in Washington, D.C. Attended various lectures throughout the year. Also describes spending extensive time with her family in Michigan and New York. The memoranda at the end include notes on the Freedmen's Bureau, demographics of Washington, D.C., a timeline of Civil War events, and newspaper excerpts.
Date:
1868
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur diary, September 1868 to March 1869
Title:
Julia Wilbur diary, September 1868 to March 1869
Description:
See also Wilbur's pocket diaries for 1868 and 1869 (mc1158_01_03_003 and mc1158_01_03_004).
Date:
1868-09-06 - 1869-03-29
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur diary, June to August 1862
Title:
Julia Wilbur diary, June to August 1862
Description:
See also Wilbur's journal briefs (mc1158_06_03_001), in which she highlighted significant events recorded in this diary.
Date:
1862-06-23 - 1862-08-28
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1874
Title:
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1874
Description:
Wilbur wrote page-length entries summarizing personally significant events for each day of the year. Documents her social activities and professional life at the United States Patent Office. Actively observed and commented on governmental proceedings in Washington, D.C., such as the passage of the Civil Rights Bill. Attended various lectures, meetings, and congressional sessions. The memoranda at the end include miscellaneous quotes/notes, as well as notes on the death and funeral of Charles Sumner.
Date:
1874
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1860
Title:
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1860
Description:
Wilbur wrote small paragraph-length entries summarizing personally significant events for each day of the year. Content primarily reflects her depression and social life in the wake of losing custody of her young niece Alfreda Bigelow.
Date:
1860
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1866
Title:
Julia Wilbur pocket diary, 1866
Description:
Wilbur wrote page-length entries summarizing personally significant events for each day of the year. Primarily documents her charitable work in association with the Freedmen's Bureau, and social/political events in the early postbellum period. Actively observed and commented on governmental proceedings in Washington, D.C., such as the passage of the Reconstruction Bill, and attended multiple White House receptions. Attended various lectures throughout the year. Spent extensive time with her family in New York. The memoranda at the end include statistics regarding the Civil War.
Date:
1866
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur journal briefs, 1844-1862
Title:
Julia Wilbur journal briefs, 1844-1862
Description:
Journal of Julia Wilbur containing brief entries summarizing personally significant events, dated May 1, 1844 to December 31, 1862; there are corresponding entries in her larger journals where content is elaborated upon. Documents Wilbur's teaching career; participation in the anti-slavery movement, including attendance at anti-slavery meetings, work on the Underground Railroad, and association with Frederick Douglass; observations of racism against African Americans and racial discrimination in education; extensive attendance at various lectures and meetings on subjects including science, temperance, teaching, abolition, and women's rights; presence during speeches of prominent abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Wendell Phillips, Lucretia Mott, and William Lloyd Garrison; participation in the women's rights movement and association with Susan B. Anthony; family relationships, particularly with her niece Alfreda Bigelow; and work during the Civil War aiding Contraband (fugitive slaves who escaped to Union territory during the war).
Date:
1844 - 1862
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur diary, 1895
Title:
Julia Wilbur diary, 1895
Description:
Wilbur wrote daily page-length entries describing her activities in detail. Frequently describes medical treatments and attending women's suffrage councils.
Date:
1895
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College
Julia Wilbur diary, April 1864 to January 1865
Title:
Julia Wilbur diary, April 1864 to January 1865
Description:
See also Wilbur's pocket diary for 1864 (mc1158_01_02_003).
Date:
1864-04-21 - 1865-01-08
Collection:
Julia Wilbur Papers, In Her Own Right, Haverford College

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