Hester Ann Wilkins Davis diary

Description

The diary of Hester Ann Wilkins Davis (1809-1888) written during the Civil War years and containing nearly daily entries from March 4, 1861 to December 28, 1864. Born Hester Ann Wilkins to a successful dry goods merchant in Baltimore, Maryland, she married Allen Bowie Davis (1809-1889) in 1839 and they resided at the Greenwood Estate near Brookeville in Montgomery County, Maryland. Davis' diary provides insight into the daily activities of an upper-class woman and her family during the Civil War. While she strongly opposed the South’s secession, Davis did not support the abolition of slavery and often blamed the Northern states for causing the war. Her diary contains descriptions of her family's interactions with both Confederate and Union supporters and military personnel; opinions on local politics; and poetry and scripture she finds helpful or meaningful.