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Adaline Lindsley papers

 Collection
Identifier: D.310

Biographical / Historical note

Adaline Lindsley was born in Middlesex, New York on January 20, 1820. Daughter of middle class farmer Benjamin Lindsley and his third wife, Rebecca Curtis Ladd Lindsley, Adaline was well educated and spent much of her time reading, writing, visiting local lectures and exhibitions, and entertaining her neighbors.

In September 1845, Adaline married Reverend Joseph Cross, a charismatic itinerant minister of the Methodist-Episcopal Church. She accompanied her husband and his nine-year-old daughter on missionary appointments to New York City, New Orleans, and, finally, to Lexington, Kentucky. In August 1847, Adaline gave birth to a daughter, Leila Thalia. Sadly, within months both children died from an infectious fever. Adaline was overcome with grief and she succumbed to tuberculosis on December 25, 1847, at the age of twenty-seven.

Scope and Contents

Adaline's diary, kept from August 1840 - March 1843, when she was in her early twenties, reveals an intelligent and lively young woman, whose ambitions were challenged by her era's gender conventions, as well as the debilitating effects of tuberculosis. The diary not only captures the hopes and faith of Adaline, the intimacies of the Lindsley family, and community life in her Yates County, New York village in the early 1840s, it also documents a unique period of growth and transition in ante-bellum America.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1840-1843

Language of Materials

English

Extent

1 box(es)

Access

The Adaline Lindsley Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Adaline Lindsley's 1840-1843 diary was purchased at auction in September 2001.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Adaline Lindsley Papers, D.310, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Genre / Form

Geographic

Topical

Related Archival Materials

Please also see, "To Live All In Uncertainty" The Middlesex Diary of Adaline Lindsley, 1840-1843. See online catalog for call number and details.

Title
Adaline Lindsley papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA