A Dated Diary

So much of what we know about the Seward family comes from Fanny’s diary entries. In 1858, when Fanny was 14 years old, she received a diary to write in. Like her mother before her, Fanny wrote about the world around her and her opinions. She wanted to be a professional author when she grew up, so writing in this diary was a way to practice this skill.

Fanny wrote in her diary until the year she passed, 1866. Sometimes she skips a few months at a time, and she doesn’t like to talk about major “newsworthy” events. But, she is able to give a lot of information to historians today. From Fanny’s writings, we get a peek into the everyday life of privileged young girl. We get to see what she cared about and how she felt about important issues and people. She also tells us her thoughts on events that few other people experienced. The diary helps us see the values and relationships in Fanny’s family. We are able to see a hard-to-imagine time and life become relatable.

Fanny probably saw her diary as a way to express herself and practice for her future job. However, there are also times when she hints at knowing other people would read her words. The Seward family was very aware of their importance in history. They often saved and labeled many of their own items for future viewing. Fanny may not have thought that hundreds of people would read her diary in the future, but she probably knew having outside viewers was a possibility. There are many moments in her diary which suggest this idea.

Fanny used her diary as a way to describe the important moments going on around her, sprinkled with some of her own big events. If she ever thought that others might read it, she was using her diary to record information for the future.

The history we know is never the full story. It is often written from the point of view of the “winner”, or a character who had a privileged position in society. Despite this fact, Fanny’s diary offers a different kind of perspective. Her diary does not talk about the world according to her father, or even her politician brother. It talks about the world of a young and innocent girl. This point of view, combined with her front-row view of politics, creates a telling primary resource for historians today. Fanny is able to share her story years after her death through her diary. She proves that kids, especially girls, are able to leave their mark on history.

Kids and young adults have always been at the center of change, and they will continue to be until the end of time. Fanny definitely fits into this age group! Anyone can see from her writing that she cared about making the world a better place. Fanny didn't like slavery and wanted more rights for women.

Although Fanny lived in the past, children today can have the same impact on future generations and historians. Women’s rights and racial equity continue to be major issues of today, as they were in Fanny’s time. Prison and justice reform, immigration reform, and voting representation issues are also important. Children still experience deadly diseases (Covid-19), which have an impact on many areas of life.

Perhaps one of the biggest concerns of youth today is the question of how to save the environment. We continue to live in a polarized country with an unclear future, and Fanny would have understood this as a child of the Civil War. Kids today have shown they have powerful voices in different ways, such as Greta Thunberg, the Parkland students, or Billie Eilish.

You don’t have to create a movement or be famous to be heard, though. Writing in a diary or recording your thoughts on issues and events is a great way for kids, and people of all ages, to tell their own story. Just as our present reflects our past, your voice could be meaningful to someone in the future. Everyone has a story to tell, so go create your own!