Sophia
Smith's Personal Journal
| "When, May 1, 1861, she came to see me, that she might
talk over the matter of the disposition of her large property, I saw at
once that she was very introspective, gloomy, and depressed; and I then
advised her to keep a journal, and write in it daily or weekly the events
of her life, giving a brief account of the persons she met, her thoughts
about the books she read, and anything else that interested her and would
draw her mind from herself and her afflictions and losses."
-- John M. Greene's Narrative |
Following her pastor's advice, Sophia Smith kept a journal for the last nine years of her life (1861-1870), 277 entries in all. Shortly before she died, she left it in the care of Rev. John M. Greene: "He will know better than anyone else what to do with the journal," she said. "I give it to him to keep and use as he may think best."
The journal records her travels, visiting friends, reading, and events such as the constuction of her new house and the developments of the Civil War, but these are mainly sparse references that usually merit no more than a few sentences. Mainly, the journal is a personal record of a woman's loneliness, uncertainty in worldly matters, and faith in God.
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