Georgiana Souther Barrows (1828-1914) was the daughter of Samuel and Mary Webster Souther, and the wife of George Bradley Barrows (1822-1904), Maine state senator (1863-1864) and representative (1859-1862). Both Georgiana and George were active, native members of the town of Fryeburg, Me.
This volume consists of fifty-five handwritten pages of a daily diary kept by Georgiana, "... aged 13 and 10 mos.," from January to August 1842, and contains a stated purpose of practicing an "easy and familiar style" of writing as opposed to the artificial style called for in school (which in Georgiana's case was Fryeburg Academy). The volume is covered in a yellow paper book jacket on which is inscribed "My Journal. Touch not."
Much of the journal has to do with school-Georgiana's lessons and the subjects taught: writing, poetry, Greek, French, Bible lessons, geography, as well as readings of original poetry and declamations composed by the "scholars" and, particularly, science, such as geometry, electrical phenomenon, the camera obscura, biology, steam engines, and apparatus and experiments in these fields.
Other activities mentioned included meetings and lectures: temperance, phrenology, prayer, the annual meeting of the Maternal Society, as well as Sunday school, and dancing and singing lessons. There is a description of the July commencement weekend at Dartmouth College, George's graduation. While there she visited the libraries, a missionary society ("...There we saw Chinese work enough of every description ..."), medical facilities ("... It is not a very inviting sight to see some things in the museum ..."), and other places. The commencement orations and their speakers are briefly described and commented upon, as well as are other activities during the commencement period. A touching sentiment toward the man she would marry is given: "In the evening there was a concert by the Handel Society. Geo. Barrows invited me, so we went to the meeting house. I was struck with the alteration in G. from the shy & bashful boy to a polite and gentlemanly young man. The performance was very good. We went home and had ice cream and went to bed ..."
At the back of the volume, in a different hand (probably that of George Bradley Barrows), are ten pages that contain the records of the Dartmouth College Debating Club, 1835, as well as a copy of William Cullen Bryant's poem entitled, "The Death of the Flowers." The records of the Debating Club include its constitution and by-laws, as well as rules on written exercises, meetings and exercises, fines and taxes, and number of members.