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Margaret Wright Eadie papers

Call Number

MS 1271

Date

1872-1877, 1880-1884, inclusive

Creator

Eadie, Margaret A. Wright, 1858-

Extent

0.38 Linear feet (7 volumes)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are in English.

Abstract

This collection contains six manuscript diaries kept by Maggie Wright during her fourteenth through nineteenth and twenty-second through twenty-sixth years, 1872-1877 and 1880-1884, as well as several school compositions and a hand-made "Herbarium of Flowers."

Biographical Note

Margaret (Maggie) A. Wright Eadie was born on April 11, 1858 to Jordan Wright (originally Jordan Cox) and Mary Pearsall Willets. She was raised by her prosperous Long Island Quaker family residing in Bayside, N.Y. She married James (Sid) Suydam Eadie of Brooklyn, September 14, 1881.

Arrangement

The diaries are arranged chronologically, followed by the school compositions and the "Herbarium of Flowers."

Scope and Contents

This collection contains six manuscript diaries kept by Maggie Wright during her fourteenth through nineteenth and twenty-second through twenty-sixth years, 1872-1877 and 1880-1884. In addition, her papers include three school compositions, 1871-1873, and a handmade "Herbarium of Flowers," 1871.

The content of Maggie's diaries is very strong on the every day actions of herself, her family, and their circle of acquaintances and friends. She primarily records: social calls paid and received; what trains her family members take; when her brothers go out riding or travel to Manhattan for work; trips to Manhattan, Flushing, and vicinity; what errands or chores she does; occurrences at the family farm; attendances at weekly and monthly Quaker meetings, and local news concerning the lives and activities of residents of Bayside, Flushing, and neighboring communities; including frequent references to local members of the Willets, Bell, Franklin, Cox, Lawrence, and Mackenzie families.

From December 1874 through March 1875, Maggie spends the winter in Manhattan with her family in a rented house on West 25th Street. From this period onward, her diary becomes slightly more descriptive and opinionated as her experiences broaden. For example, she records her impressions of performances she witnesses at Wallacks Theater and P.T. Barnum's Hippodrome. Later, Maggie has the opportunity to visit the Centennial Grounds in Philadelphia in 1876 and writes several entries about her time there. However, Maggie's diaries are never especially expressive of her personal feelings; rather, her diaries primarily exist as a record of her daily life--her actions and her interactions with others.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Margaret Wright Eadie Papers, MS 1271, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, 2002.

Collection processed by

Processed by Shannon Yule

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:14 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from Eadie.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024