Nannie Stillwell Jackson

At just about a 100 pages, this isn't long, but it provides fascinating insight into the life of a rural woman in southeast Arkansas in 1890 and 1891. The text was typed directly as written in the actual diary, with inconsistent spelling, punctuation, and all. Mrs. Jackson's entries don't provide a lot of context, though some footnotes help. She often visited her best friend's farm nearby, and her husband (her second marriage, her first husband having died a few years before) is jealous and demands to know what they talk about. She only refers to him as Mr. Jackson. She gives birth to their child, a son, during these years, as they continue to raise her two daughters. Many of the entries depict the horrible monotony of a farm family at the time--constant fights against the weather and poverty, with persist illness and child-rearing to complicate things more. Always more sewing, more plowing, more waits through drought and flood.

The modern chronicler cites census records to identify as many people as possible, noting their race. Mrs. Jackson has close friendships with many nearby black families--her midwife included--though at one point other (white) neighbors wear blackface as part of their 'fun.' Black neighbors are also identified with terms like Aunt and Uncle, though relations by blood are also mentioned in the text.

Overall, there is a strong sense of community in this very poor, rural area, especially near the end of the entries as they all struggle against a terrible flood. They are constantly loaning coffee, sugar, clabber, and funds to each other, and engaging in regular visits. The schoolteacher takes turns living with families, and the children perform speeches and hold candy pulling events.

I found this diary personally relevant since my maternal grandfather's family lived as poor farmers in northeastern Arkansas during this same period, and likely lived much as the Jackson family did.… (meer)