Anonymous Travel Diary from Boston to New Orleans

Collection

Identifier: MSS-4281

Scope and Contents

The fifty-two page travel diary documents an unnamed Northern man's travels from New England to the South. He used various means of transportation including stagecoach, railroads, and steamboats. His journey took him from Boston to New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and then to Florida where he spent the most amount of time. He described various Florida towns in detail: Tallahassee, Quincy, Chattahoochie, Apalachicola, Iola, and Cambridge. From Florida he traveled up to Columbus, Georgia, and then into Montgomery, Alabama,before heading south to Mobile. From Mobile, he traveled to New Orleans.

The writer comments extensively--usually unfavorably--on Southern cooking. He describes many aspects of Southern life and culture, with many observations on slavery and enslaved persons with whom he comes in contact. In Macon, Georgia, he witnessed the murder trial of a Black man, reporting that the man was acquitted. He describes the towns and cities he passes through and stays in, noting their architecture and business climate, often delivered with pithy and interesting anecdotes. His March 9 entry mentioned that a bridge over the Chattahoochee River had been designed by an enslaved person; this unnamed enslaved person was undoubtedly Horace King. The journal is especially interesting for its extensive descriptions of life and conditions in Florida.

Dates

1842 - 1843

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.

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Extent

0.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Travel diary recording events of an unnamed Northern man's 1842-1843 journey from Boston to New Orleans, with descriptions of many aspects of Southern life and culture, including slavery, society, and food.