NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
In this article, it is very interesting to have learned that much of what we know about nineteenth century Southern women comes from their personal diaries. Due to the likeliness of education, most of the information comes from white women living on the plantations. Many of these diaries are available to us in archives in state universities. Some diaries have been recently published to further the knowledge of the American public on this subject. Of the many topics these women wrote about in their diaries, it is obvious that their families were very important to them.
Nancy McDougall Robinson wrote many times of her husband, Alfred Bassett Robinson, whom she married on new Years Eve 1832. Nancy began her diary the summer before her marriage, but her relationship with Alfred consumed the majority of her journal entries. After their wedding, Nancy and Alfred left for Alfred's home, Checopo Plantation in Holmes County. This was fairly far from Nancy's home in Port Gibson, Mississippi. Alfred was often gone for long periods of time tending to his business, and leaving Nancy home alone. Unfortunately for Nancy, She spent many sad nights alone, and many of these nights are revealed in her diary.
She often wrote to her family members during her lonely times. In July 1833, Alfred took Nancy back to Port Gibson, where she remained until the birth of their first son, Alfred Bassett Robinson II. Evidence of a second, and a third son is recorded in later entries. In 1837, at the age of four, her oldest son Alfred died. Nancy refers to this as "the greatest affliction of her life. " Nancy truly loved her friends, family, and most of all the enjoyment of her husband and sons. During the 1850 's, Nancy's sons were still a main concern for her, but her diary entries consisted of various interests.
She mentioned interests that she had not previously mentioned in earlier entries. She spoke especially of her niece, Lizzie Williams, who was one her favorite family members. Lizzie passed away in 1956. This brought great pain to Nancy, and she wrote often of Lizzie in following entries. Nancy continued to stay busy, caring for people in such situations as sickness and death. Diseases such as small pox and yellow fever were a significant cause of death during this period of time.
Later, in the 1850 's, many of Nancy's family members died, including her beloved husband, Alfred. Although this brought great sadness to her, she went on with her life. Alfred had told her not to weep, but to move on strong and take care of their boys. Although she missed hem greatly, she did move on. In her later years, she moved to Albion Plantation in Tallahatchie County. Crop- raising became an important area of her life.
The troubles in the political world were causing the South problems as well. Nancy wrote several entries in her diary about President Lincoln, and I find that very interesting. In 1861, war finally broke out. Jerry, her son, had joined the army, and she feared that Doug, her youngest son, would join also. During the war, Nancy did not write much.
In one of her later entries, she wrote of her opinion of President Lincoln. She obviously did not think fondly of him. She stated, "he would kill every southern man, woman, and child before he gave up his intentions. " This is an interesting article because it takes a nineteenth-century woman and shows how Mississippi history affects her life. Reading this article gives the reader the perspective of first hand knowledge of why times were so hard during the Civil War. People were forced to move around a lot which caused their exposure to many different things. The main areas that had a major effect on people was being forced to live away from other families, a disease epidemic, and the political cold war, which eventually led to the Civil War.
As well as covering the life of Nancy Robinson, the article also covered Mississippi and American history. Nancy had always aspired to have a successful and prosperous life. Nancy was very passionate in her relationships with her friends, work, and most importantly towards her husband and family. Determination led to her overcoming her hardships. Nancy's daily diary entries give the reader more of a visual image than would the words of any historian. Something she considered her own personal thoughts turned into the words a historical document read by many.
From these entries, we get a better understanding of the emotions and feelings that were evident in the early days of our state.
Free research essays on topics related to: nancy, civil war, nineteenth century, family members, president lincoln
Research essay sample on The Diary Of Nancy Mcdougall Robinson
