Everyday Life

Meet Fanny, young girl of the mid-19th century! Fanny was a 5 ft. 4 and 3/4 young lady, weighing around 118 pounds. She was a lover of the arts, books, and animals- especially dogs! The only thing she liked more than her many pets and friends was her family. Fanny was the youngest of five children. Only four of the kids lived to be adults, and Fanny was the only surviving daughter. Fanny's older sister Cornelia passed away as a baby from smallpox.

Fanny saw history happening around her as a child of a wealthy and important political family. She wrote down many of her experiences in her diary because she wanted to become an author when she grew up! Besides writing, Fanny would also read and make many crafts. She liked the theater, and was excited to get her own paper theater set for Christmas at age 14!

Fanny Seward was also a girl with many values, just like her mother. She pointed out what she believed was right and wrong and her opinion of people's moral quality. This personality trait was a big part of her identity and hides between the lines of everything she writes. Fanny appreciated the “unaffected”, or people who liked sincerity, plainness, and simplicity. She thought highly of her mother and father, attended church, and had a “guileless” and warm heart. As an independent thinker, Fanny was proud of her family and her progressive values.

Although Fanny was most certainly a woman of her time, she can definitely relate to girls today! Fanny was no stranger to pulling pranks on her friends, struggling with homework and school, and tattling on bullies. Some of her studies included math, history, French, music, and dance. On an average day, Fanny may have been crocheting a gift for a friend, writing a poem, skating on a frozen lake, having a picnic, or playing a card game called ‘whist’ with her father. Even 160 years ago, children had to trudge along with their parents to shop and visit the dentist. She struggled with her own self image and worried if she fit in with her peers. Being the daughter of an important politician definitely had its ups and downs!