Emily French invented nothing, led no armies into battle, was neither married to nor beheaded by anyone powerful and interesting, and wrote little of interest—except for her year-long diary, which she kept for the whole of 1890. This diary makes her a woman of history.
Emily’s diary makes us rethink the motto “History is written by the winners.” The diary, published under the title Emily: Diary of A Hard-Worked Woman and edited by Janet Lecompte, is a day-to-day record of a different kind of winner. Emily, a rare 19th-century divorcee, moved from the plains of Elbert to the city of Denver to the now-defunct mining town of Dake and back to Denver – a different city for each season. Emily is a winner because she successfully cared and provided for her children in a time and place marked by social and economic instability.
What the book provides the modern reader is a rare look into the history not written by the traditional winners. We learn what common people ate, how they amused themselves, how they worshipped, and of course, where they slept.
One of the strangest things a newcomer to the 19th century will find is that travelers often slept in the same bed as their hosts. For practical reasons, really. Guest rooms are a thing of the 20th century, as are fold-out couches. So bug-ridden shared beds were the norm for families and strangers alike. One morning Emily awakens and declares casually on page 117, “counted 15 big whoppers crawling.” Blech.
We can also glean from Emily’s memoir that one of the stablest components of American culture for the past hundred years has been breakfast fare. We often find her, in reading about early morning preparations, making potatoes, coffee, eggs, and griddle cakes. Then she’ll whip out six or so pies and head off to the neighbors to do some laundry and, in the process, earn some money. For dinner, pot roast is on the menu quite a bit.
As for amusement, it seems that Ms. French was too exhausted to have much fun. She reminds us in her diary that “Supermom” is not a 20th-century concept. The major differences between Emily and her 20th- and 21st-century counterparts is that she’s a laundress, dishwasher, tailor, housekeeper, nurse, chef, and spiritual advisor instead of today’s chauffeur, concierge, chef and button-pusher of major appliances. Emily did find comfort in writing, not just in her diary, but also in the letters she wrote to her children and to her short-lived love interest, a Mr. John Lawson.
It is also in her writing that we find her deep faith. Many of her diary entries (which are full of anxiety about her health, her children’s health, and her ability to pay the bills) begin with a Bible passage. In mid-November, she begins each entry with a sequential line from the Lord’s Prayer. Some of these entries are surprisingly apropos. Under the entry “And lead us not into temptation,” Emily writes about how she almost left her abusive employment situation and was only persuaded to stay by the husband of the abuser, Mrs. Samuel Mauck. Emily also finds solace in weekly sermons and frequented the First Baptist Church upon her return to Denver.
Throughout the year, Emily is tired out by the days’ chores but steadfastly hopeful about her future and her children’s future. In her final entry, on December 31, 1890, she writes of cooking, ironing, prayer-attending, and water-getting. Then she bids 1890 adieu and turns her attention to her son and the future, “Old year goodbye. Oh here is Dannie.”
Emily French—a mother for all centuries.
Tracey McCormick is Managing Editor at GreatHistory.com.
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Frank Chadwick said:
Tracey,
As I have a long-time interest in Victorian life, I’ll have to search this volume out. It sounds terrific.
One of the things I discovered about the rural electrification of the US in the 1920s was the profound effect it had on the everyday life of women in one particular aspect — water. Prior to electrification, women spent an enormous amount of time simply pumping and hauling water — bath water, laundry water, drinking water, cooking water, general cleaning water. Electric pumps and the resulting running water in rural areas changed the world very much for the better for poor and working-class women.
Frank Chadwick
April 11th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Henry Johnson Whitefeather said:
Why don’t you research how tough the women of the American and Canadian Indian tribes had it. Or for that matter any tribal women throughout the world.
April 12th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Tracey McCormick said:
Mr. Whitefeather, thank you for reading and for the suggestion. I will do just that. Tracey
April 13th, 2009 at 7:48 am