Historic Children's Voices provides an important window into how young writers in the nineteenth century recorded their daily lives, wrote stories and poetry, expressed their beliefs and values, and commented on cultural changes of the time. On this site, researchers can view the digital library of diaries, newspapers, and books, as well as discover additional research tools and recordings of past programs to explore children's lives more deeply. Teachers will find a variety of guides and lesson plans to help bring the past to life for their students.
Primary Sources Digital Library
| Image | Title | Location | Date | Format | Transcription |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
? A Tale of Baden Baden | Iowa | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Academic Star | Massachusetts | 1855 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Academy Casket | New York | 1860 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Academy Star | New York | 1846 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Ada; A tale of Flirtation and its Folly | Michigan | 1878 | Books | |
|
An Address Delivered before the Hawes Juvenile Association for the Suppression of Profanity | Massachusetts | 1837 | Books | |
|
An Address Delivered before the Sabbath School Association, at East Calais, Vt., July 4th, 1849 | Vermont | 1849 | Books | |
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Adventures of Jack Rundell; or, The Sign of No | New York | 1875 | Books | |
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The Adventures of James Frost | Iowa | 1878 | Books | |
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Afloat | Iowa | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Alchemist of Chevoix | New York | 1877 | Books | |
|
Amateur Gems | Massachusetts | 1878 | Books | |
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Amateur Jewels | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | |
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Amateur Magazines | Illinois | 1871 | Books | |
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Amateur Observations, upon the Doings and Welfare of Amateurdom | Indiana | 1879 | Books | |
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Amateur Odd Fellows | New Hampshire | 1876 | Books | |
|
Amateur Papers | New York | 1874 | Books | |
|
Amateur Rebekahs | Massachusetts | 1877 | Books | |
|
The American Politician | New Hampshire | 1830 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Analogy; or, The elements of Language | Virginia | 1820 | Books | |
|
The Annals of Bliss | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
The Anomaly | Massachusetts | 1854 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓, ✓, ✓, ✓, ✓ |
|
Apples of Gold, in Pictures of Silver | New York | 1854 | Books | |
|
The Bandits of Blue Ridge | Pennsylvania | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Basket of Chips | Massachusetts | 1857 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Battle of Chevy Chase | Ohio | 1876 | Books | |
|
Before and After Marriage | Indiana | 1870 | Books | |
|
Le Bijou | Ohio | 1878 | Amateur newspapers | |
|
A Book of Seletions | New York | 1870 | Books | |
|
The Bootblack's Luck | New Jersey | 1876 | Books | |
|
Border Jack; or, Perils on the Frontier | Maine | 1872 | Books | |
|
The Boy Counterfeiter; or, Rest at Last | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Bud of Industry | New York | 1865 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Burglar and the Smile | West Virginia | 1891 | Books | |
|
Caldwell Alligator | 1846 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
Camping Out, or Two Weeks at Conesus Lake | New York | 1880 | Books | |
|
The Casket | 1840 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
The Casket | Massachusetts | 1852 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Casket | Massachusetts | 1857 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Casket | New York | 1863 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Casket | New York | 1871 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Casket | Idaho | 1890 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Charles Herbert Wiggin diary, 1859-1860 | Massachusetts | 1859 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
Charlie Clipper; or The Young Pilot of Lake Titicaca | Ohio | 1878 | Books | |
|
Chas. D. Raymers' Amateur Almanac. 1877 | Pennsylvania | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Child's Repository | Massachusetts | 1853 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Chip Basket | New Hampshire | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Choice Selections from Grit | Colorado | 1882 | Books | |
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A City Lay. A Companion to a Backwoods Idyl | Massachusetts | 1875 | Books | |
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The Complete Life of Willard O. Wylie | Massachusetts | 1883 | Books | |
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Constitution of the Continuity Club | Ohio | 1898 | Books | |
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A Costly Mistake | Maine | 1875 | Books | |
|
The Cruise of the Ohio; or Life at Pickwick Institute | Massachusetts | 1874 | Books | |
|
"Dashing Dick!" or The Terror of the Camanchees | Indiana | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Dew Chalice | Massachusetts | 1854 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Dick Forrester, or The Adventure of a Would-be Gymnast | Ohio | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Double Dream; or, A Curious Coincidence | Virginia | 1876 | Books | |
|
Dranesville Times | Virginia | 1853 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
A Dream of the Past | Ohio | 1878 | Books | |
|
The Drummer Boy | New York | 1873 | Books | |
|
Eastern Star | New Hampshire | 1855 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Echo | New Hampshire | 1853 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Edith, the Girl Detective. A Sequel to "Dave and Dolph" | Illinois | 1876 | Books | |
|
Edmund Quincy Sewall Jr. diary, 1840 | Massachusetts | 1840 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
Elizabeth Stalker Jeffers diary, 1863-1864 | Massachusetts | 1863 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
Emily Talbot Keller diary, 1858-1859 | Maine | 1858 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
The Emmayandi Reporter | New Hampshire | 1872 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Essays and Sketches | New Jersey | 1873 | Books | |
|
Esther "Ettie" R. Harlow diary, 1860-1861 | Massachusetts | 1860 | Diaries | |
|
The Evening Star | Massachusetts | 1860 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Evening Star | Massachusetts | 1870 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Evergreen Wreath | New Hampshire | 1861 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
A Fatal Resemblance | Michigan | 1874 | Books | |
|
A Female Skeleton | Ohio | 1878 | Books | |
|
Fire! | New Hampshire | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Flower | Rhode Island | 1836 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Flutterings of Rhyme | New York | 1888 | Books | |
|
The Fountain | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
Four Days in New York | New York | 1870 | Books | |
|
Francis Alvarez Hartley Nash | 1852 | Diaries | ||
|
Francis Bennett, Jr. diary, 1852-1854 | Massachusetts | 1852 | Diaries | |
|
Frank Fairmount | Illinois | 1876 | Books | |
|
Frank and Hal; or, The magician of the plains | New York | 1879 | Books | |
|
Frank Sedley, or The Noble Hearted Sailor Boy | Illinois | 1876 | Books | |
|
Frank's Freak, or Doings in Moortown | Rhode Island | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Free Thinker | New Hampshire | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Freedom Rag | 1840 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
A Frightful Mistake | Ohio | 1874 | Books | |
|
The Garland | Vermont | 1860 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Gem | New York | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Georgiana Souther Barrows diary, 1842 | Maine | 1842 | Diaries | |
|
The Germantown Bulletin | Massachusetts | 1898 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Ghost Mystery, or, Haunted House | New Hampshire | 1879 | Books | |
|
The Gleaner | Rhode Island | 1861 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Grafton News | Massachusetts | 1856 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Grenville Howland Norcross diaries, 1860-1875 | Massachusetts | 1860 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
The Gypsy's Plot or The Girl Spy | Ohio | 1877 | Books | |
|
Hannah "Anna" Davis Gale diary, 1837-1838 | Rhode Island | 1837 | Diaries | |
|
Harriet Foster Hawes diary, 1865 | Vermont | 1865 | Diaries | ✓ |
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The Haunted Pass or, The Outlaws' Retreat | New York | 1879 | Books | |
|
Heart's Trumps | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | |
|
Henry Augustus Martindell diary, 1869 | New Jersey | 1869 | Diaries | |
|
How They Got Off; or, The Students Fun | Illinois | 1878 | Books | |
|
How to Get Rich, or Book of Money Making Recipes | Ohio | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Illustrated News | Massachusetts | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
In Memoriam, Eliza Platt Stoddard | New York | 1888 | Books | |
|
In Memory of Susan Brown Robbins, a Coworker in Amateur Journalism. 1891-1898 | Massachusetts | 1910 | Books | |
|
In Sunshine and Shadow | New York | 1887 | Books | |
|
The Index System for Reorganization of the National, with Practical Amendments | Massachusetts | 1880 | Books | |
|
Ink Rollers: How to Make and Keep Them | Ohio | 1878 | Books | |
|
The Interval Record | New Hampshire | 1869 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
J. N. Currier diary, 1867 or 1895. | New Hampshire | 1867 | Diaries | |
|
Jack Johnson, or, The wild man of the Parraie [i.e., Prairie] | New Jersey | 1876 | Books | |
|
Jack's Harmless Joke | Maine | 1883 | Books | |
|
James Ferdinand Fiske diary, 1857-1860 | Massachusetts | 1857 | Diaries | |
|
James Lawrence Whittier diary, 1830-1831 | Massachusetts | 1830 | Diaries | |
|
Jerry | Oregon | 1898 | Books | |
|
Jim's Find | Colorado | 1882 | Books | |
|
Johnny Wilkins' Good Fortune | Pennsylvania | 1877 | Books | |
|
Jokes for the Million | Vermont | 1867 | Books | |
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Josiah Gardner Bassett notebook, 1864 | Massachusetts | 1864 | Diaries | |
|
Journal of News | New Jersey | 1854 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Julia M. Dodge diary, 1871 | Massachusetts | 1871 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
The Juvenile Muse | New York | 1795 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Juvenile Rambler | Massachusetts | 1833 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Juvenilia | Massachusetts | 1826 | Books | |
|
Kenneth Allen diary, 1874 | Massachusetts | 1874 | Diaries | |
|
Komikoelleties | New York | 1881 | Books | |
|
The Laughing Philosopher | Massachusetts | 1843 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Legend of the Seven Sleepers; or, The Sphinx of Diana | District of Columbia | 1877 | Books | |
|
Legends of the Connecticut | Iowa | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Literary Casket | New York | 1858 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Literary Wreath | Maine | 1860 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Little Acorn | Massachusetts | 1865 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Little Flirt | Connecticut | 1878 | Books | |
|
A Little Game | Illinois | 1877 | Books | |
|
Louisa Jane Trumbull diary, 1829-1837 | Massachusetts | 1829 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
The Maine Reform | Maine | 1858 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Manhattan Sun | New York | 1847 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Maniac or, My Narrow Escape | New York | 1879 | Books | |
|
Marion Boyd Allen diary, 1875-1876 | Massachusetts | 1875 | Diaries | ✓ |
|
Mary Ann's Lover; or, A Narrow Escape from Total Destruction | New York | 1880 | Books | |
|
Master Gedosier, the Young Gypsy | Virginia | 1878 | Books | |
|
Memoirs of a Country Doll | Massachusetts | 1853 | Books | |
|
The Midnight Attack | Ohio | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Money Box | Indiana | 1878 | Books | |
|
Monsieur Dene | New York | 1895 | Books | |
|
The Monthly | Pennsylvania | 1866 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Monthly Chronicle | Massachusetts | 1865 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Mound City Journal | Illinois | 1861 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Mountain Gleaner | Connecticut | 1857 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The New England Log Cabin | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | |
|
Newly Gathered Flowers | New York | 1884 | Books | |
|
No Drop of Rum My Lips Shall Pass | Connecticut | 1879 | Books | |
|
The Nutshell | 1830 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
The Nutshell | Massachusetts | 1856 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Odds and Ends | New York | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Old New England Annual | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
|
Old Pussy, Grave Pussy, Sat by the Fire | Connecticut | 1850 | Books | |
|
The Olethian | New Hampshire | 1861 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Olio | New Hampshire | 1859 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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On the Death of the rev'd Dr. Sewall | Massachusetts | 1769 | Poems | ✓ |
|
The Organ | Massachusetts | 1876 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
"Othello," a Tale of a Cat | Connecticut | 1876 | Books | |
|
"Othello," a Tale of a Cat | Connecticut | 1876 | Books | |
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Our Chip Basket | New Hampshire | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Our Stronghold | Massachusetts | 1877 | Books | |
|
Pansy Blossoms | Texas | 1887 | Books | |
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Pansy's Wish | Massachusetts | 1870 | Books | |
|
The Parsonville Times | New York | 1856 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Penny Whistle | Massachusetts | 1870 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
Percival Bonney diary, 1859-1861 | Maine | 1859 | Diaries | |
|
Perils in the Life of an Editor | Pennsylvania | 1878 | Books | |
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The Pest of the School | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | |
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The Pet Annual | New York | 1856 | Books | |
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La Petite Etoile | Maine | 1834 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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Petite Marie | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | |
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The Pine St. Comet | Pennsylvania | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
A Pleasing Variety for the Youthful Mind | New York | 1838 | Books | |
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A Pleasing Variety for the Youthful Mind | New York | 1838 | Books | |
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The Poetry of Wordsworth, and Our Country's Literature | Virginia | 1875 | Books | |
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The Portfolio | Massachusetts | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Portlandville Observer | New York | 1863 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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Prose Run Mad | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | |
|
Public News | Pennsylvania | 1887 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Quarterly Republic | New York | 1877 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Queer Life of Tommy Tubbs | New York | 1876 | Books | |
|
The Records of the K.O.T.C. | Rhode Island | 1877 | Books | |
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A Repository of Literary Pearls | Ohio | 1883 | Books | |
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A Ride on a Hog | Ohio | 1877 | Books | |
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The Ridge School Advocate | Ohio | 1832 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Rising Sun | Connecticut | 1853 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
The Rising Sun | Iowa | 1892 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Rittenhouse Journal | District of Columbia | 1883 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Roarer | Massachusetts | 1841 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Ruby | Massachusetts | 1869 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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The Rustic Wreath | 1856 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ | |
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Ruth Henshaw Bascom diary, 1789-1793 | Massachusetts | 1789 | Diaries | ✓ |
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Sabbath School Banner | New Hampshire | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Sally Ripley diary, 1799-1801 | Massachusetts | 1799 | Diaries | ✓ |
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Samuel Bartlett Parris diary, 1817 | Massachusetts | 1817 | Diaries | |
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Saved by an Alligator | California | 1896 | Books | |
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Scalping Sam, the Silent Slayer | New York | 1876 | Books | |
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The Scholars Casket | New Hampshire | 1854 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Scholar's Garland | Massachusetts | 1856 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Scholar's Magazine | Rhode Island | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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The School Bell | New Hampshire | 1867 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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The School Days and Antics of the Appleton Academy Boys | Ohio | 1874 | Books | |
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School Gazette | Massachusetts | 1855 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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The School Magazine | New Hampshire | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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School Oracle | Massachusetts | 1856 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Seige [i.e., Siege] of Constantinople | New York | 1878 | Books | |
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The Seminary Budget | Connecticut | 1853 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Sentinel | 1834 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
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Sketches | New York | 1879 | Books | |
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Skowhegan Clarion | Maine | 1867 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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Soapstone Chips | New Hampshire | 1886 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Some Fables in Slang | Ohio | 1900 | Books | |
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The Souvenir | Ohio | 1874 | Books | |
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The Souvenir | New Hampshire | 1874 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Spider | New Hampshire | 1849 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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Spruce Creek Pioneers | Maine | 1860 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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Star Series | California | 1896 | Books | |
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The Star Story Book | California | 1896 | Books | |
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A Sticky Adventure | Ohio | 1877 | Books | |
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A Strange Ending | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | |
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The Students Corronet | New Hampshire | 1854 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Student's Magazine | Vermont | 1844 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Student’s Port-folio | Massachusetts | 1858 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Sunbeams | Massachusetts | 1851 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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A Surprise Party | Ohio | 1876 | Books | |
|
Tale of a Scientific Experiment | New York | 1887 | Books | |
|
La Tawtle | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | ||
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The Temperance Banner | New Hampshire | 1865 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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That Check | Pennsylvania | 1876 | Books | |
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Things Worth Knowing | New York | 1880 | Books | |
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Three Histories | New York | 1875 | Books | |
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Thrifty Jim, the Baker | New Hampshire | 1870 | Books | |
|
Thro Love to Literature; and Back Again | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | |
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Through a Thermometer. A Christmas Romance | California | 1882 | Books | |
|
To the University of Cambridge | Massachusetts | 1767 | Poems | ✓ |
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Tompkins Revenge | Ohio | 1877 | Books | |
|
Trance or Death? | Virginia | 1877 | Books | |
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Trapping Made Easy or How to Use the Steel-Trap | Wisconsin | 1875 | Books | |
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Two Sketches | Ohio | 1878 | Books | |
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Under a Snowdrift | New York | 1879 | Books | |
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Under the black flag; or The pirates of the Atlantic | Indiana | 1874 | Books | |
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The Union | Massachusetts | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Union Gazette | New York | 1867 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Union Harmonist | New Hampshire | 1862 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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The Union Literary Banner | Indiana | 1865 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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The Voice of the School Room | Massachusetts | 1855 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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The Voice of the Young | New York | 1853 | Books | |
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Vox Populi | New Jersey | 1874 | Manuscript newspapers | |
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Walter Goodrich diary, 1846 | Maine | 1846 | Diaries | |
|
Warsaw Amateur Directory | Indiana | 1877 | Books | |
|
Wayside Sketches | New York | 1885 | Books | |
|
A Week of Sport | Massachusetts | 1877 | Books | |
|
The Weekly News | New York | 1875 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Weekly Offering | New Hampshire | 1850 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
West Union Business Directory, for 1875 | Iowa | 1875 | Books | |
|
The White Horse | South Dakota | 1876 | Books | |
|
Wide Awake Journal | Oregon | 1897 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
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William Jones Hoppin diary, 1821 | Rhode Island | 1821 | Diaries | |
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William Watt or, His Pranks at Switchem School | New York | 1875 | Books | |
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The Witches of ye Olden Time | Massachusetts | 1884 | Books | |
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Within the Hour | West Virginia | 1890 | Books | |
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A Woodland Spirit | Iowa | 1876 | Books | |
|
Woodside Gazette | New York | 1858 | Manuscript newspapers | ✓ |
|
Yankee peddlar | New York | 1842 | Manuscript newspapers | |
|
The Young Castaways; or Adventures on the Sea and the Land | New York | 1879 | Books | |
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The Young Folks Handbook of Flirtations | Indiana | 1882 | Books | |
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The Young Mathematician's Almanac, for the Year 1847 | Massachusetts | 1846 | Books | |
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Youth's Almanac, for the Year 1846 | Vermont | 1845 | Books |