James Lawrence Whittier (1816- ) was born in Charlestown, Mass., the son of James ( - ) and Nancy Holt Whittier ( - ). In April 1825, he moved to Boston where he served as an apprentice with a local bank. He attended the First Baptist Church, was a member of its Young Men's Tract Society, a student in the Sunday School, and treasurer of the school's Burman Missionary Society.
Whittier's diary, 1830-1831, provides interesting information concerning local events of that period and the daily life of a young apprentice in Boston. The entries detail Tract Society meetings, Sunday school lessons, visits with friends and relatives, and local fires and court trials that were of interest to a young boy. Included are lengthy paraphrases of the sermons of Baptist ministers, especially Rev. James Davis Knowles (1798-1838). There are also paraphrases of the following: lectures delivered at a national teachers' convention known as the American Institute of Instruction, debates of pro- and anti-Masonic speakers, a lecture by Lorenzo Dow (1777-1834) concerning prophesies, and the speeches of visitors during public school visitations, e.g., "How to Teach."
The diary also contains references to his work at the bank (including trouble with counterfeit bills), and his busy evenings spent socializing. Of special note is a detailed record of the celebration of Boston's bicentennial in 1830. He included a list of the parade units in order of their appearance, as well as accounts of other bicentennial commemorations. Whittier also copied a letter written by the Parade Marshall to the person who would occupy that same position in 1930.