Historic Children's Voices provides an important window into how young writers in the nineteenth century recorded their daily lives, wrote stories and poetry, expressed their beliefs and values, and commented on cultural changes of the time. On this site, researchers can view the digital library of diaries, newspapers, and books, as well as discover additional research tools and recordings of past programs to explore children's lives more deeply. Teachers will find a variety of guides and lesson plans to help bring the past to life for their students.
Primary Sources Digital Library
| Title | Location | Date | Format | Transcription | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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? A Tale of Baden Baden | Iowa | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Academic Star | Massachusetts | 1855 | Newspapers | ||
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Academy Casket | New York | 1860 | Newspapers | ||
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Academy Star | New York | 1846 | Newspapers | ||
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Ada; A tale of Flirtation and its Folly | Michigan | 1878 | Books | ||
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An Address Delivered before the Hawes Juvenile Association for the Suppression of Profanity | Massachusetts | 1837 | Books | ||
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An Address Delivered before the Sabbath School Association, at East Calais, Vt., July 4th, 1849 | Vermont | 1849 | Books | ||
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Adventures of Jack Rundell; or, The Sign of No | New York | 1875 | Books | ||
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The Adventures of James Frost | Iowa | 1878 | Books | ||
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Afloat | Iowa | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Alchemist of Chevoix | New York | 1877 | Books | ||
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Amateur Gems | Massachusetts | 1878 | Books | ||
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Amateur Jewels | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | ||
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Amateur Magazines | Illinois | 1871 | Books | ||
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Amateur Observations, upon the Doings and Welfare of Amateurdom | Indiana | 1879 | Books | ||
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Amateur Odd Fellows | New Hampshire | 1876 | Books | ||
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Amateur Papers | New York | 1874 | Books | ||
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Amateur Rebekahs | Massachusetts | 1877 | Books | ||
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The American Politician | New Hampshire | 1830 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Analogy; or, The elements of Language | Virginia | 1820 | Books | ||
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The Annals of Bliss | 1850 | Newspapers | |||
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The Anomaly | Massachusetts | 1854 | Newspapers | 📄, 📄, 📄, 📄, 📄 | |
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Apples of Gold, in Pictures of Silver | New York | 1854 | Books | ||
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The Bandits of Blue Ridge | Pennsylvania | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Basket of Chips | Massachusetts | 1857 | Newspapers | ||
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The Battle of Chevy Chase | Ohio | 1876 | Books | ||
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Before and After Marriage | Indiana | 1870 | Books | ||
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Le Bijou | Ohio | 1878 | Newspapers | ||
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A Book of Seletions | New York | 1870 | Books | ||
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The Bootblack's Luck | New Jersey | 1876 | Books | ||
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Border Jack; or, Perils on the Frontier | Maine | 1872 | Books | ||
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The Boy Counterfeiter; or, Rest at Last | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Bud of Industry | New York | 1865 | Newspapers | ||
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The Burglar and the Smile | West Virginia | 1891 | Books | ||
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Caldwell Alligator | 1846 | Newspapers | |||
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Camping Out, or Two Weeks at Conesus Lake | New York | 1880 | Books | ||
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The Casket | 1840 | Newspapers | |||
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The Casket | Massachusetts | 1852 | Newspapers | ||
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The Casket | Massachusetts | 1857 | Newspapers | ||
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The Casket | New York | 1863 | Newspapers | ||
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The Casket | New York | 1871 | Newspapers | ||
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The Casket | Idaho | 1890 | Newspapers | ||
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Charles Herbert Wiggin diary, 1859-1860 | Massachusetts | 1859 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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Charlie Clipper; or The Young Pilot of Lake Titicaca | Ohio | 1878 | Books | ||
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Chas. D. Raymers' Amateur Almanac. 1877 | Pennsylvania | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Child's Repository | Massachusetts | 1853 | Newspapers | ||
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The Chip Basket | New Hampshire | 1862 | Newspapers | ||
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Choice Selections from Grit | Colorado | 1882 | Books | ||
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A City Lay. A Companion to a Backwoods Idyl | Massachusetts | 1875 | Books | ||
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The Complete Life of Willard O. Wylie | Massachusetts | 1883 | Books | ||
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Constitution of the Continuity Club | Ohio | 1898 | Books | ||
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A Costly Mistake | Maine | 1875 | Books | ||
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The Cruise of the Ohio; or Life at Pickwick Institute | Massachusetts | 1874 | Books | ||
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"Dashing Dick!" or The Terror of the Camanchees | Indiana | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Dew Chalice | Massachusetts | 1854 | Newspapers | ||
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Dick Forrester, or The Adventure of a Would-be Gymnast | Ohio | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Double Dream; or, A Curious Coincidence | Virginia | 1876 | Books | ||
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Dranesville Times | Virginia | 1853 | Newspapers | ||
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A Dream of the Past | Ohio | 1878 | Books | ||
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The Drummer Boy | New York | 1873 | Books | ||
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Eastern Star | New Hampshire | 1855 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Echo | New Hampshire | 1853 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Edith, the Girl Detective. A Sequel to "Dave and Dolph" | Illinois | 1876 | Books | ||
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Edmund Quincy Sewall Jr. diary, 1840 | Massachusetts | 1840 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Elizabeth Stalker Jeffers diary, 1863-1864 | Massachusetts | 1863 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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Emily Talbot Keller diary, 1858-1859 | Maine | 1858 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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The Emmayandi Reporter | New Hampshire | 1872 | Newspapers | ||
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Essays and Sketches | New Jersey | 1873 | Books | ||
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Esther "Ettie" R. Harlow diary, 1860-1861 | Massachusetts | 1860 | Diaries and poems | ||
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The Evening Star | Massachusetts | 1860 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Evening Star | Massachusetts | 1870 | Newspapers | ||
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The Evergreen Wreath | New Hampshire | 1861 | Newspapers | ||
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A Fatal Resemblance | Michigan | 1874 | Books | ||
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A Female Skeleton | Ohio | 1878 | Books | ||
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Fire! | New Hampshire | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Flower | Rhode Island | 1836 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Flutterings of Rhyme | New York | 1888 | Books | ||
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The Fountain | 1850 | Newspapers | |||
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Four Days in New York | New York | 1870 | Books | ||
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Francis Alvarez Hartley Nash | 1852 | Diaries and poems | |||
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Francis Bennett, Jr. diary, 1852-1854 | Massachusetts | 1852 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Frank Fairmount | Illinois | 1876 | Books | ||
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Frank and Hal; or, The magician of the plains | New York | 1879 | Books | ||
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Frank Sedley, or The Noble Hearted Sailor Boy | Illinois | 1876 | Books | ||
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Frank's Freak, or Doings in Moortown | Rhode Island | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Free Thinker | New Hampshire | 1862 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Freedom Rag | 1840 | Newspapers | |||
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A Frightful Mistake | Ohio | 1874 | Books | ||
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The Garland | Vermont | 1860 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Gem | New York | 1850 | Newspapers | ||
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Georgiana Souther Barrows diary, 1842 | Maine | 1842 | Diaries and poems | ||
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The Germantown Bulletin | Massachusetts | 1898 | Newspapers | ||
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The Ghost Mystery, or, Haunted House | New Hampshire | 1879 | Books | ||
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The Gleaner | Rhode Island | 1861 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Grafton News | Massachusetts | 1856 | Newspapers | ||
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Grenville Howland Norcross diaries, 1860-1875 | Massachusetts | 1860 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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The Gypsy's Plot or The Girl Spy | Ohio | 1877 | Books | ||
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Hannah "Anna" Davis Gale diary, 1837-1838 | Rhode Island | 1837 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Harriet Foster Hawes diary, 1865 | Vermont | 1865 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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The Haunted Pass or, The Outlaws' Retreat | New York | 1879 | Books | ||
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Heart's Trumps | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | ||
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Henry Augustus Martindell diary, 1869 | New Jersey | 1869 | Diaries and poems | ||
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How They Got Off; or, The Students Fun | Illinois | 1878 | Books | ||
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How to Get Rich, or Book of Money Making Recipes | Ohio | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Illustrated News | Massachusetts | 1862 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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In Memoriam, Eliza Platt Stoddard | New York | 1888 | Books | ||
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In Memory of Susan Brown Robbins, a Coworker in Amateur Journalism. 1891-1898 | Massachusetts | 1910 | Books | ||
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In Sunshine and Shadow | New York | 1887 | Books | ||
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The Index System for Reorganization of the National, with Practical Amendments | Massachusetts | 1880 | Books | ||
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Ink Rollers: How to Make and Keep Them | Ohio | 1878 | Books | ||
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The Interval Record | New Hampshire | 1869 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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J. N. Currier diary, 1867 or 1895. | New Hampshire | 1867 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Jack Johnson, or, The wild man of the Parraie [i.e., Prairie] | New Jersey | 1876 | Books | ||
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Jack's Harmless Joke | Maine | 1883 | Books | ||
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James Ferdinand Fiske diary, 1857-1860 | Massachusetts | 1857 | Diaries and poems | ||
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James Lawrence Whittier diary, 1830-1831 | Massachusetts | 1830 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Jerry | Oregon | 1898 | Books | ||
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Jim's Find | Colorado | 1882 | Books | ||
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Johnny Wilkins' Good Fortune | Pennsylvania | 1877 | Books | ||
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Jokes for the Million | Vermont | 1867 | Books | ||
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Josiah Gardner Bassett notebook, 1864 | Massachusetts | 1864 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Journal of News | New Jersey | 1854 | Newspapers | ||
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Julia M. Dodge diary, 1871 | Massachusetts | 1871 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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The Juvenile Muse | New York | 1795 | Newspapers | ||
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Juvenile Rambler | Massachusetts | 1833 | Newspapers | ||
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Juvenilia | Massachusetts | 1826 | Books | ||
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Kenneth Allen diary, 1874 | Massachusetts | 1874 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Komikoelleties | New York | 1881 | Books | ||
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The Laughing Philosopher | Massachusetts | 1843 | Newspapers | ||
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The Legend of the Seven Sleepers; or, The Sphinx of Diana | District of Columbia | 1877 | Books | ||
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Legends of the Connecticut | Iowa | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Literary Casket | New York | 1858 | Newspapers | ||
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The Literary Wreath | Maine | 1860 | Newspapers | ||
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The Little Acorn | Massachusetts | 1865 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Little Flirt | Connecticut | 1878 | Books | ||
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A Little Game | Illinois | 1877 | Books | ||
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Louisa Jane Trumbull diary, 1829-1837 | Massachusetts | 1829 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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The Maine Reform | Maine | 1858 | Newspapers | ||
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Manhattan Sun | New York | 1847 | Newspapers | ||
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The Maniac or, My Narrow Escape | New York | 1879 | Books | ||
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Marion Boyd Allen diary, 1875-1876 | Massachusetts | 1875 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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Mary Ann's Lover; or, A Narrow Escape from Total Destruction | New York | 1880 | Books | ||
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Master Gedosier, the Young Gypsy | Virginia | 1878 | Books | ||
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Memoirs of a Country Doll | Massachusetts | 1853 | Books | ||
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The Midnight Attack | Ohio | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Money Box | Indiana | 1878 | Books | ||
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Monsieur Dene | New York | 1895 | Books | ||
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The Monthly | Pennsylvania | 1866 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Monthly Chronicle | Massachusetts | 1865 | Newspapers | ||
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Mound City Journal | Illinois | 1861 | Newspapers | ||
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The Mountain Gleaner | Connecticut | 1857 | Newspapers | ||
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The New England Log Cabin | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | ||
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Newly Gathered Flowers | New York | 1884 | Books | ||
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No Drop of Rum My Lips Shall Pass | Connecticut | 1879 | Books | ||
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The Nutshell | 1830 | Newspapers | |||
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The Nutshell | Massachusetts | 1856 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Odds and Ends | New York | 1850 | Newspapers | ||
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Old New England Annual | 1862 | Newspapers | |||
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Old Pussy, Grave Pussy, Sat by the Fire | Connecticut | 1850 | Books | ||
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The Olethian | New Hampshire | 1861 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Olio | New Hampshire | 1859 | Newspapers | ||
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On the Death of the rev'd Dr. Sewall | Massachusetts | 1769 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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The Organ | Massachusetts | 1876 | Newspapers | ||
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"Othello," a Tale of a Cat | Connecticut | 1876 | Books | ||
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"Othello," a Tale of a Cat | Connecticut | 1876 | Books | ||
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Our Chip Basket | New Hampshire | 1862 | Newspapers | ||
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Our Stronghold | Massachusetts | 1877 | Books | ||
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Pansy Blossoms | Texas | 1887 | Books | ||
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Pansy's Wish | Massachusetts | 1870 | Books | ||
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The Parsonville Times | New York | 1856 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Penny Whistle | Massachusetts | 1870 | Newspapers | ||
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Percival Bonney diary, 1859-1861 | Maine | 1859 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Perils in the Life of an Editor | Pennsylvania | 1878 | Books | ||
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The Pest of the School | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Pet Annual | New York | 1856 | Books | ||
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La Petite Etoile | Maine | 1834 | Newspapers | ||
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Petite Marie | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | ||
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The Pine St. Comet | Pennsylvania | 1862 | Newspapers | ||
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A Pleasing Variety for the Youthful Mind | New York | 1838 | Books | ||
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A Pleasing Variety for the Youthful Mind | New York | 1838 | Books | ||
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The Poetry of Wordsworth, and Our Country's Literature | Virginia | 1875 | Books | ||
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The Portfolio | Massachusetts | 1850 | Newspapers | ||
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The Portlandville Observer | New York | 1863 | Newspapers | ||
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Prose Run Mad | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | ||
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Public News | Pennsylvania | 1887 | Newspapers | ||
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The Quarterly Republic | New York | 1877 | Newspapers | ||
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The Queer Life of Tommy Tubbs | New York | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Records of the K.O.T.C. | Rhode Island | 1877 | Books | ||
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A Repository of Literary Pearls | Ohio | 1883 | Books | ||
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A Ride on a Hog | Ohio | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Ridge School Advocate | Ohio | 1832 | Newspapers | ||
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The Rising Sun | Connecticut | 1853 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Rising Sun | Iowa | 1892 | Newspapers | ||
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The Rittenhouse Journal | District of Columbia | 1883 | Newspapers | ||
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The Roarer | Massachusetts | 1841 | Newspapers | ||
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The Ruby | Massachusetts | 1869 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Rustic Wreath | 1856 | Newspapers | 📄 | ||
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Ruth Henshaw Bascom diary, 1789-1793 | Massachusetts | 1789 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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Sabbath School Banner | New Hampshire | 1862 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Sally Ripley diary, 1799-1801 | Massachusetts | 1799 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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Samuel Bartlett Parris diary, 1817 | Massachusetts | 1817 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Saved by an Alligator | California | 1896 | Books | ||
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Scalping Sam, the Silent Slayer | New York | 1876 | Books | ||
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The Scholars Casket | New Hampshire | 1854 | Newspapers | ||
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The Scholar's Garland | Massachusetts | 1856 | Newspapers | ||
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The Scholar's Magazine | Rhode Island | 1862 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The School Bell | New Hampshire | 1867 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The School Days and Antics of the Appleton Academy Boys | Ohio | 1874 | Books | ||
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School Gazette | Massachusetts | 1855 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The School Magazine | New Hampshire | 1850 | Newspapers | ||
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School Oracle | Massachusetts | 1856 | Newspapers | ||
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The Seige [i.e., Siege] of Constantinople | New York | 1878 | Books | ||
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The Seminary Budget | Connecticut | 1853 | Newspapers | ||
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The Sentinel | 1834 | Newspapers | |||
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Sketches | New York | 1879 | Books | ||
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Skowhegan Clarion | Maine | 1867 | Newspapers | ||
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Soapstone Chips | New Hampshire | 1886 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Some Fables in Slang | Ohio | 1900 | Books | ||
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The Souvenir | Ohio | 1874 | Books | ||
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The Souvenir | New Hampshire | 1874 | Newspapers | ||
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The Spider | New Hampshire | 1849 | Newspapers | ||
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Spruce Creek Pioneers | Maine | 1860 | Newspapers | ||
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Star Series | California | 1896 | Books | ||
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The Star Story Book | California | 1896 | Books | ||
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A Sticky Adventure | Ohio | 1877 | Books | ||
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A Strange Ending | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | ||
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The Students Corronet | New Hampshire | 1854 | Newspapers | ||
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The Student's Magazine | Vermont | 1844 | Newspapers | ||
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The Student’s Port-folio | Massachusetts | 1858 | Newspapers | ||
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The Sunbeams | Massachusetts | 1851 | Newspapers | ||
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A Surprise Party | Ohio | 1876 | Books | ||
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Tale of a Scientific Experiment | New York | 1887 | Books | ||
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La Tawtle | 1850 | Newspapers | |||
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The Temperance Banner | New Hampshire | 1865 | Newspapers | ||
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That Check | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | ||
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Things Worth Knowing | New York | 1880 | Books | ||
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Three Histories | New York | 1875 | Books | ||
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Thrifty Jim, the Baker | New Hampshire | 1870 | Books | ||
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Thro Love to Literature; and Back Again | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | ||
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Through a Thermometer. A Christmas Romance | California | 1882 | Books | ||
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To the University of Cambridge | Massachusetts | 1767 | Diaries and poems | 📄 | |
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Tompkins Revenge | Ohio | 1877 | Books | ||
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Trance or Death? | Virginia | 1877 | Books | ||
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Trapping Made Easy or How to Use the Steel-Trap | Wisconsin | 1875 | Books | ||
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Two Sketches | Ohio | 1878 | Books | ||
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Under a Snowdrift | New York | 1879 | Books | ||
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Under the black flag; or The pirates of the Atlantic | Indiana | 1874 | Books | ||
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The Union | Massachusetts | 1850 | Newspapers | ||
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The Union Gazette | New York | 1867 | Newspapers | ||
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The Union Harmonist | New Hampshire | 1862 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Union Literary Banner | Indiana | 1865 | Newspapers | ||
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The Voice of the School Room | Massachusetts | 1855 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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The Voice of the Young | New York | 1853 | Books | ||
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Vox Populi | New Jersey | 1874 | Newspapers | ||
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Walter Goodrich diary, 1846 | Maine | 1846 | Diaries and poems | ||
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Warsaw Amateur Directory | Indiana | 1877 | Books | ||
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Wayside Sketches | New York | 1885 | Books | ||
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A Week of Sport | Massachusetts | 1877 | Books | ||
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The Weekly News | New York | 1875 | Newspapers | ||
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The Weekly Offering | New Hampshire | 1850 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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West Union Business Directory, for 1875 | Iowa | 1875 | Books | ||
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The White Horse | South Dakota | 1876 | Books | ||
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Wide Awake Journal | Oregon | 1897 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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William Jones Hoppin diary, 1821 | Rhode Island | 1821 | Diaries and poems | ||
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William Watt or, His Pranks at Switchem School | New York | 1875 | Books | ||
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The Witches of ye Olden Time | Massachusetts | 1884 | Books | ||
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Within the Hour | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | ||
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A Woodland Spirit | Iowa | 1876 | Books | ||
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Woodside Gazette | New York | 1858 | Newspapers | 📄 | |
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Yankee peddlar | New York | 1842 | Newspapers | ||
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The Young Castaways; or Adventures on the Sea and the Land | New York | 1879 | Books | ||
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The Young Folks Handbook of Flirtations | Indiana | 1882 | Books | ||
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The Young Mathematician's Almanac, for the Year 1847 | Massachusetts | 1846 | Books | ||
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Youth's Almanac, for the Year 1846 | Vermont | 1845 | Books |
Item Collection Format