Historic Children's Voices

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

Displaying 1 - 141 of 141
Title Location Date Format Transcription
? A Tale of Baden Baden Iowa 1876 Books
Ada; A tale of Flirtation and its Folly Michigan 1878 Books
An Address Delivered before the Hawes Juvenile Association for the Suppression of Profanity Massachusetts 1837 Books
An Address Delivered before the Sabbath School Association, at East Calais, Vt., July 4th, 1849 Vermont 1849 Books
Adventures of Jack Rundell; or, The Sign of No New York 1875 Books
The Adventures of James Frost Iowa 1878 Books
Afloat Iowa 1877 Books
The Alchemist of Chevoix New York 1877 Books
Amateur Gems Massachusetts 1878 Books
Amateur Jewels Pennsylvania 1876 Books
Amateur Magazines Illinois 1871 Books
Amateur Observations, upon the Doings and Welfare of Amateurdom Indiana 1879 Books
Amateur Odd Fellows New Hampshire 1876 Books
Amateur Papers New York 1874 Books
Amateur Rebekahs Massachusetts 1877 Books
Analogy; or, The elements of Language Virginia 1820 Books
Apples of Gold, in Pictures of Silver New York 1854 Books
The Bandits of Blue Ridge Pennsylvania 1877 Books
The Battle of Chevy Chase Ohio 1876 Books
Before and After Marriage Indiana 1870 Books
A Book of Seletions New York 1870 Books
The Bootblack's Luck New Jersey 1876 Books
Border Jack; or, Perils on the Frontier Maine 1872 Books
The Boy Counterfeiter; or, Rest at Last Pennsylvania 1876 Books
The Burglar and the Smile West Virginia 1891 Books
Camping Out, or Two Weeks at Conesus Lake New York 1880 Books
Charlie Clipper; or The Young Pilot of Lake Titicaca Ohio 1878 Books
Chas. D. Raymers' Amateur Almanac. 1877 Pennsylvania 1877 Books
Choice Selections from Grit Colorado 1882 Books
A City Lay. A Companion to a Backwoods Idyl Massachusetts 1875 Books
The Complete Life of Willard O. Wylie Massachusetts 1883 Books
Constitution of the Continuity Club Ohio 1898 Books
A Costly Mistake Maine 1875 Books
The Cruise of the Ohio; or Life at Pickwick Institute Massachusetts 1874 Books
"Dashing Dick!" or The Terror of the Camanchees Indiana 1876 Books
Dick Forrester, or The Adventure of a Would-be Gymnast Ohio 1877 Books
The Double Dream; or, A Curious Coincidence Virginia 1876 Books
A Dream of the Past Ohio 1878 Books
The Drummer Boy New York 1873 Books
Edith, the Girl Detective. A Sequel to "Dave and Dolph"  Illinois 1876 Books
Essays and Sketches New Jersey 1873 Books
A Fatal Resemblance Michigan 1874 Books
A Female Skeleton Ohio 1878 Books
Fire! New Hampshire 1876 Books
Flutterings of Rhyme New York 1888 Books
Four Days in New York New York 1870 Books
Frank Fairmount Illinois 1876 Books
Frank and Hal; or, The magician of the plains New York 1879 Books
Frank Sedley, or The Noble Hearted Sailor Boy Illinois 1876 Books
Frank's Freak, or Doings in Moortown Rhode Island 1877 Books
A Frightful Mistake Ohio 1874 Books
The Ghost Mystery, or, Haunted House New Hampshire 1879 Books
The Gypsy's Plot or The Girl Spy Ohio 1877 Books
The Haunted Pass or, The Outlaws' Retreat New York 1879 Books
Heart's Trumps West Virginia 1890 Books
How They Got Off; or, The Students Fun Illinois 1878 Books
How to Get Rich, or Book of Money Making Recipes Ohio 1877 Books
In Memoriam, Eliza Platt Stoddard New York 1888 Books
In Memory of Susan Brown Robbins, a Coworker in Amateur Journalism. 1891-1898 Massachusetts 1910 Books
In Sunshine and Shadow New York 1887 Books
The Index System for Reorganization of the National, with Practical Amendments Massachusetts 1880 Books
Ink Rollers: How to Make and Keep Them Ohio 1878 Books
Jack Johnson, or, The wild man of the Parraie [i.e., Prairie] New Jersey 1876 Books
Jack's Harmless Joke Maine 1883 Books
Jerry Oregon 1898 Books
Jim's Find Colorado 1882 Books
Johnny Wilkins' Good Fortune Pennsylvania 1877 Books
Jokes for the Million Vermont 1867 Books
Juvenilia Massachusetts 1826 Books
Komikoelleties New York 1881 Books
The Legend of the Seven Sleepers; or, The Sphinx of Diana District of Columbia 1877 Books
Legends of the Connecticut Iowa 1876 Books
The Little Flirt Connecticut 1878 Books
A Little Game Illinois 1877 Books
The Maniac or, My Narrow Escape New York 1879 Books
Mary Ann's Lover; or, A Narrow Escape from Total Destruction New York 1880 Books
Master Gedosier, the Young Gypsy Virginia 1878 Books
Memoirs of a Country Doll Massachusetts 1853 Books
The Midnight Attack Ohio 1876 Books
The Money Box Indiana 1878 Books
Monsieur Dene New York 1895 Books
The New England Log Cabin Pennsylvania 1876 Books
Newly Gathered Flowers New York 1884 Books
No Drop of Rum My Lips Shall Pass Connecticut 1879 Books
Old Pussy, Grave Pussy, Sat by the Fire Connecticut 1850 Books
"Othello," a Tale of a Cat Connecticut 1876 Books
"Othello," a Tale of a Cat Connecticut 1876 Books
Our Stronghold Massachusetts 1877 Books
Pansy Blossoms Texas 1887 Books
Pansy's Wish Massachusetts 1870 Books
Perils in the Life of an Editor Pennsylvania 1878 Books
The Pest of the School Pennsylvania 1876 Books
The Pet Annual New York 1856 Books
Petite Marie West Virginia 1890 Books
A Pleasing Variety for the Youthful Mind New York 1838 Books
A Pleasing Variety for the Youthful Mind New York 1838 Books
The Poetry of Wordsworth, and Our Country's Literature Virginia 1875 Books
Prose Run Mad West Virginia 1890 Books
The Queer Life of Tommy Tubbs New York 1876 Books
The Records of the K.O.T.C. Rhode Island 1877 Books
A Repository of Literary Pearls Ohio 1883 Books
A Ride on a Hog Ohio 1877 Books
Saved by an Alligator California 1896 Books
Scalping Sam, the Silent Slayer New York 1876 Books
The School Days and Antics of the Appleton Academy Boys Ohio 1874 Books
The Seige [i.e., Siege] of Constantinople New York 1878 Books
Sketches New York 1879 Books
Some Fables in Slang Ohio 1900 Books
The Souvenir Ohio 1874 Books
Star Series California 1896 Books
The Star Story Book California 1896 Books
A Sticky Adventure Ohio 1877 Books
A Strange Ending West Virginia 1890 Books
A Surprise Party Ohio 1876 Books
Tale of a Scientific Experiment New York 1887 Books
That Check Pennsylvania 1876 Books
Things Worth Knowing New York 1880 Books
Three Histories New York 1875 Books
Thrifty Jim, the Baker New Hampshire 1870 Books
Thro Love to Literature; and Back Again West Virginia 1890 Books
Through a Thermometer.  A Christmas Romance California 1882 Books
Tompkins Revenge Ohio 1877 Books
Trance or Death? Virginia 1877 Books
Trapping Made Easy or How to Use the Steel-Trap Wisconsin 1875 Books
Two Sketches Ohio 1878 Books
Under a Snowdrift New York 1879 Books
Under the black flag; or The pirates of the Atlantic Indiana 1874 Books
The Voice of the Young New York 1853 Books
Warsaw Amateur Directory Indiana 1877 Books
Wayside Sketches New York 1885 Books
A Week of Sport Massachusetts 1877 Books
West Union Business Directory, for 1875 Iowa 1875 Books
The White Horse South Dakota 1876 Books
William Watt or, His Pranks at Switchem School New York 1875 Books
The Witches of ye Olden Time Massachusetts 1884 Books
Within the Hour West Virginia 1890 Books
A Woodland Spirit Iowa 1876 Books
The Young Castaways; or Adventures on the Sea and the Land New York 1879 Books
The Young Folks Handbook of Flirtations Indiana 1882 Books
The Young Mathematician's Almanac, for the Year 1847 Massachusetts 1846 Books
Youth's Almanac, for the Year 1846 Vermont 1845 Books