“[Drinker’s] diary, which spans the years 1758 to 1807, is the most substantial woman’s diary that survives from eighteenth-century America; and it ranks with the diaries of Samuel Sewall, William Byrd, Landon Carter, John Adams, and William Bentley in its richness as a source for understanding the social and cultural history of the period it covers.”
If the above praise from American Historical Review is enough to pique your interest, wait until you hear this: you won’t always be reading about someone else’s ancestors. The Drinker diary is full of references to Charles West (1725-1796), son of Charles West b. 1690 (the inheritor of the shipyard in Northern Liberties) and grandson of of our ancestor James West, shipwright. At least seven of the references use his full name, but many refer to him simply as “C. West”. A sampling:
1785
“Oct 7. Went to ye Burial of John Houghton—and on the third day last, Jos. Richardson was also Buried. Many have been lately taken off. Charles West has been very ill—on the fourth day last, Hannah Hopkins was sent for from home, her father and mother both being unwell.”
Additionally, numerous other family members and those allied with them are mentioned. Scattergood, Starr, Warner, Fisher, and Volans are among the ones I’ve noted so far. The original diaries reside at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Collection ID #1760. Google Books has a searchable copy of the Diary Extracts, published 1908. There are also various formats available on archive.org. A new edition (2010; 2011) has been published by the University of Pennsylvania Press with a preface by Elaine Forman Crane, Professor of History at Fordham University.
If you decide to read the Diary (so far I’ve only skimmed it, looking for references), please add a “Story” or “Fact” to the individual’s “Overview” page in our tree if you do find something of interest about one of our James West descendants!
Carol
jameswestdescendants 