Collection number: MC 242
Size: 1 box
(0.33 cu.ft.)
About Rice Rowell Whittier, 1817–1897
Rice Rowell Whittier was a deeply religious Free Baptist Elder, subscription agent, and missionary from Deerfield Centre, New Hampshire. During the years covered in the diaries Whittier lived in Greenwood, Illinois, 1862–1870, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1870–1872 (seventeen months), Greenwood again, 1872-1884, and finally moved back home to Deerfield Centre, New Hampshire, 1884-1896.
About the Rice Rowell Whittier Papers
The nineteen pocket diaries dating from 1862–1872, 1883–1884, 1887–1889, 1891, 1893 and 1896 highlight the nature of 19th-Century piety, social interactions, household and institutional religion, work, and daily finances in the United States. The diaries regularly note morning and evening prayer sessions, Bible texts read at lessons, details of Sunday services, and religious events. Whittier also notes door to door and epistolary subscription work for the periodical American Baptist. Secular subjects include travel details including train lines, politics and where or with whom he stayed. In the 1860s diaries, he makes references to Civil War battles and political events. He specifically notes the publication of the Emancipation Proclamation and the assassination of Lincoln. During Reconstruction he lived in New Orleans and writes about African-Americans who he observes or with whom he is in contact. He also helped raise funds for the new Leland University Building.
The diaries also include details on housework, farm chores, errands, daily routines, and financial records. Accounts of finances include cash balances over time, bank accounts, salary records, subscription records to American Baptist, and charitable donations.
Also included in this collection are a subscription book and a ledger. The subscription book is a record of the Illinois subsrcibers and their yearly payments for the American Baptist. The subscribers are listed alphabetically by town. The ledger is an account book for payments received toward the construction of the new Leland University Building.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Rice Rowell Whittier Papers, 1862-1896, MC 242, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Purchased: Carmen Valentino, dealer, Philadelphia, PA Aug. 17, 2011 (Accession number: 2011.25)
Collection Contents
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | Pocket diaries, 1862-1864 (3 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | Pocket diaries, 1865-1867 (3 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | Pocket diaries, 1868-1870 (3 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | Pocket diaries, 1871-1872 (2 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | Pocket diaries, 1883, 1884, 1887 (3 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | Pocket diaries, 1888, 1889, 1891 (3 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | Pocket diaries, 1893, 1896 (2 diaries) | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | Ledger and subscription book, 1864-1882 (2 books) | |
