1845 journal of Hackensack farmer's daughter

[BLeafe]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1845-Journal-Hackensack-Farmers-Daughter-1800s-Girl-Kept-Diary-/140646042833?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bf284cd1

Description:

Physical description:  Height is 7 3/4"; Width is 6 1/4"; and "Depth" is approximately 5/8".  I would call the condition very good for an item that is 166 years old.  There is some minor "scuffing" of the binding.  The first two pages are blank and they are slightly colored (tan/yellowish) with age.

There are 136 and one-third pages of beautiful penmanship.  The binding is bound / reinforced with string.  The back inside cover and facing sheet look like they may have been wet at one time, but it in no way affects the integrity of the writings, the pages, or the cover.

Having never listed (or come across) a journal like this before, please ask as many questions as you need to as I may not have included your specific question in this description and I want the new owner to be happy with the purchase.

I will type out a little of the first page or so, so that you can get an idea of the writing style.  Some of the cursive writing may be subject to interpretation (such as the first initial of her name - see picture), but I will do my best to portray it accurately.

"T. Elisa Heights Journal Commenced February 6, 1845.

I have long contemplated keeping a journal, but have never undertaken it until this winter.  I do not suppose it will contain any "extraordinary event" or any tale of "thrilling interest," but will be a farmers daughters every day life, and written for her own gratification.

I once commenced a series of letters when I was at school at Cousin Marth's and as they contain some of the events that I then considered the most important of my life, I will put them down in the order they were writteh; they cannot boast of any beauty of style or sentiment but I value them because they show how I then tought and wrote; so I will copy them "verbatim", and consider myself justified in using a Latin word too, as long as I know what is the meaning of it.  The first is dated June 30th 1841 and commences thus --------

Dear Friend

As I  have not heard from you in a great while, and have time now I thought I would write; although I have not much news to tell, yet I suppose it will be a gratification to hear from me, if you think as much of me as you have always protested.  Many people were afraid of a drought this year, but lately there has been plenty of rain and it has been cold for the middle of summer, now it is clear and very warm.

The ladies of Hackensack had a "Sewing Society all the winter, and spring they have made a great many things, and are to have a Fair for their sale on the 5th of July, which is next Monday, as the 4th comes on Sunday.  I expect to go, and will give you a description of it as soon as you have answered my letter.

Yours as ever

Eliza"

It continues on with these letters to her "friend" until the bottom third of page 11 when she states:  "I did not write any more of these letters after this, but neglected noticing any of the events that took place, although there were a great many changes.  Martha no longer keeps the school and the dear old place is sold on account of the death of Uncle James, who died quite suddenly."

Deaths appear to be frequent, as a quick perusal of the remaining pages had someone's death written about.  The final entry is Sunday, March 15th, and it appears to me that this must be in 1846, so the diary is a little over one year in the girl's life.

As I hope you can see in the photos, the pages are full, as I imagine paper was expensive and to have a journal like this to write in, a privilege not taken for granted.

In anticipation of the question, there are no other diaries of this girl that I know of.