Orrin P. Allen diaries

A series of manuscript pocket diaries, alternately terse and unusually expressive, kept by Vermont-born druggist and (in later life) local historian Orrin Peer Allen of Palmer, Worcester County, Massachusetts, to record concisely his extensive reading, writing for periodicals, drugstore work, love, married life, grief, socializing, use of photography, war and political news, and travel from 1860 to 1866. Most of his most expressive entries record his delight in his wife's presence, and his grief at her slow decline, death and permanent absence, but he also devoted emotional passages to several political events, as when he reported his and his fellow town folks' reactions to Lincoln's assassination and his joy upon learning of Congressional passage of the 13th Amendment. In his final notebook, comprising occasional entries for the period 1907-1912, Allen recorded reading in nearby libraries, attending poetry recitations, working with the Palmer Historical Society, and losing his mother. In the last entry, Allen recorded witnessing President Taft's April 25, 1912 visit to Palmer, just as he recorded witnessing Charles Sumner's, and General Grant's visits. The collection contains nine volumes: seven volumes of diaries for 1860-1866, one volume of household financial accounts for 1860-1861, and one diary volume for 1907-1912.