Week 24: Dear Diary

     Do you keep a diary? Do you know someone who keeps a diary? I did as a kid, but I was so bad keeping up with it. I didn't feel like my life was interesting enough to keep track of. "Today, I went to school. I ate pizza for lunch. Came home, watched tv, did homework, went to bed." So exciting! Now after researching my family, I find myself wishing my ancestors had kept a diary or journal or something telling me what they did every single day. Even the minute details of the day. I want to know.
     Have you come across a diary that belonged to your ancestor? What a wealth of information! But what if your ancestor didn't keep one? Should you give up hope? Absolutely not! The particular diary I am going to share today does not belong to an ancestor of mine. BUT it does mention an ancestor. And provided details that I never would have known without this.
     My husband's 2nd great grandfather, Joseph Henry Rickards, had a daughter, Maggie Jones Rickards, with his first wife. His first wife died when Maggie was just an infant, so she was raised with the help of Joseph's sister-in-law, Amelia Jones. Unfortunately, tragedy stuck Maggie just before she turned three years old. She died from Blood Poisioning/Lock Jaw on November 22, 1869 in Liberty, Missouri. Now we are talking about a time before death certificates were issued. I was blessed enough to find an obituary for her in the Liberty Tribune. See Newspaper clipping on the right. This provided so much detail as to what happened and I was blessed to have it. But it wasn't everything. While conducting my search, I came across the diary of a Dr. William Wallace Doughtery. What is special about him? Well, he was the doctor who treated Maggie while she was sick... AND he talked about it in his diary.
     The following images are taken from a transcription of Dr. William Wallace Doughtery's personal diary. A copy of this book was held at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in the History and Genealogy section of the Library. These entries just open up another set of eyes to experience what family was going through during this horrible event.

     After reading these entries, my heart was broken for the family. Joseph wasn't there when his only daughter died and they couldn't get ahold of him to tell him. So he didn't even get to see her before she had to be buried. I later learned he was in Kansas City arranging things for his marriage to his second wife. He was hoping to have another mother for little Maggie, but that didn't work out. He did end up still getting married and had three more children, including my husband's great grandfather. 

     So while your ancestor may not have kept a diary, it doesn't mean they won't show up in someone else's. So always be checking, always be searching. Maybe consider looking for the local doctor's diary from the time period your ancestor lived. You never know what you will find.

     So I will close this post with thre final photos. One appears to be a painting of Maggie. The second is the only known surviving photograph of Maggie. And the third is of her headstone, which I have had the opportunity to visit a few years ago. Poor little Maggie will live on in our hearts forever.