Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Wilson, John C., -1858
- Abstract:
- John C. Wilson was a student at Indiana University from 1857-1858. The diary recounts life as a student as well as a few details about life in Bloomington.
- Extent:
- .2 cubic feet (1 custom box)
- Language:
- Materials are in English .
- Preferred citation:
[Item], John C. Wilson's Indiana University diary, Collection C547, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
John C. Wilson of Sullivan, Indiana was a freshman from 1857-1858 in the Scientific Course, with the intent of receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University. Unfortunately, according to his diary, John was often feeling unwell. In the "Annual Report of the Indiana University, Including the Catalogue for the Academic Year MDCCCLVII-VIII," John is listed as deceased.
While a student at Indiana University, John was a member of the Philomathean Society, one of two major literary societies on campus during the nineteenth century.
- Scope and Content:
Spanning November 1857 through January 1858, John C. Wilson's diary provides an account of John's actions and observations while attending the first session in 1857. Several entries provide detail on his experience in the Philomathean Society and his daily recitations at the college. There is also a record of his school-related finances, including payments made for various items and the amount paid, and a few transcriptions of poetry and of a lecture by then-university President William Mitchel Daily. In addition, there is some information on town events in early November, when "a gang of men and boys congregated in the Public Square where they burnt Judge Hannah and two jurymen in effigy" for the guilty verdict of a man named Williams for stealing $2,000 (page 16)... The diary ends shortly after the start of the second session in January 1858. A transcription of the handwritten diary is included.
- Acquisition information:
- 7023
- Custodial history:
Gifted to the University Archives in 1947 from Norbeth Koonce, a great niece of John Wilson.
- Processing information:
Processed by Ashley Zengerski.
Completed in 2014
- Arrangement:
This collection is organized into a single series: Diary and transcripts.
Online content
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Collection is in the public domain. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], John C. Wilson's Indiana University diary, Collection C547, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
Herman B Wells Library E4601320 East Tenth StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
812-855-1127archives@indiana.edu