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Diary, May 1908–August 1908, of Helen Blackwood Patterson Gilkerson (1894–1985)  |  Call number: Mss1 G3973 a Vol. 1

Helen Blackwood Patterson Gilkerson kept a diary while growing up in Montezuma, Virginia, in Rockingham County. Gift tags and a stitched design provide a tangible record of Helen's Christmas in 1907. School and church were major components of Gilkerson's life. She attended the Tinkling Springs Academy in Rockbridge County, and often wrote of the sermons she heard on Sundays.

Diary, November 1909–July 1910, of Helen Blackwood Patterson Gilkerson (1894–1985)  |  Call number: Mss1 G3793 a Vol. 4

In 1910 Helen Gilkerson turned sixteen, and the news of the day began to seep into her journal. On May 31, 1910, Helen mentions attending a "fine" debate on "Women's sufferage"—a misspelling that many activists of the day would have likely appreciated.
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Autograph Album, 1833–1846, of Mary Virginia (Early) Brown (1823–1864)  |  Call number: Mss1 Ea765 a 177

Mary Virginia (Early) Brown began keeping this bound autograph album in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1833. The printers included several elaborate images in the small book. The script on this page reads "I count myself in nothing so happy/As in a soul remembering my friend." View enlarged image

Autograph Album, 1833–1846, of Mary Virginia (Early) Brown (1823–1864)  |  Call number: Mss1 Ea765 a 177

Inspirational quotations and excerpts of popular poems were common entries in children's autograph books. This entry quotes a poem by Samuel Wesley (c. 1690–1739), first published in 1729, which paraphrases the Book of Isaiah. Ironically, and perhaps unknown to Mary, Wesley composed the lines on the occasion of a young woman's death. View enlarged image