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Frank W. Eldredge diary

 Collection
Identifier: BUSC-1983-002

Scope and Contents

Diary of Frank W. Eldredge (1849 - 1912) kept while attending Eagleswood Military Academy in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1863 and 1864, with a single entry from 1866. The diary was kept in an old ledger book, and not sequentially. From the front of the book, the entries are as follows: April 16 - May 5, 1864; September 15, 1864; July 3, 1866; November 8, 1864; February 26, 1863; September 27 - October 18, 1863; February 13 - 22 1863. Pages between these entries include various pen trials, pencil scribbles, and short notes: one is headed "My dear mother" as if it is the beginning of a letter, another reads "Very little was of the present science of chemistry," and another seems to be the start of a school essay called "Uranius or Herschel," about the planet. Many of the pages are blank. Before the diary entries begin, there are several leaves of accounting ledgers of G. S. Robbins & Son of New York; these date from 1850 to 1853 and seem to record loans.

Eldredge's diary entries document the weather and his daily routine while at Eagleswood, including various duties, letters written and received, purchases made, books borrowed from the library, minor injuries, pranks carried out by his fellow students, and his frequent punishments for disciplinary infractions. Several of the April 1864 entries reference playing baseball. He mentions fellow student Louis Comfort Tiffany in three entries: September 30, October 5, and October 9, 1863.

Dates

  • Creation: 1863 - 1866

Creator

Biographical Note

Frank W. Eldredge was born in Broome County, New York in March 1849, the son of Hobart and Charlotte (Tompkins) Eldredge. The family was living in the Town of Chenango at the time of the 1850 census, with Hobart's occupation given as "Lumber Manufacturer." In the 1860 census they are living in Ward 1, Binghamton. Frank's younger sisters Helen and Caroline are listed, but the childrens' ages are all increased by ten years (Frank is listed as 21, instead of 11). Hobart Eldredge died in California later in 1860; Frank's diary entries mentions that his sisters are in California. Frank's mother Charlotte later remarried, taking as her second husband James Eldredge, Hobart's older brother.

Frank Eldredge attended the Eagleswood Military Academy from 1862 to 1865. In the 1870 census he is living in Chester, Morris County, New Jersey, working as a railroad employee (his age in 1870 is given as 22). On June 29, 1882 he married Estelle Hollenbeak or Hollenbeck in Indiana; the couple had six children. By 1900 the family was living in De Kalb, Kershaw County, South Carolina, where Frank's occupation is given as "Hotel Proprietor," and in 1910 they are recorded at Camden, Kershaw County. Frank Eldredge died there in May 1912. There is a large grave marker in the Quaker Cemetery, Camden, South Carolina memorializing this family, including Frank's mother and stepfather and his sisters. A short obituary for Frank W. Eldredge appeared in the May 20, 1912 issue of the Binghamton Press and Leader, noting that "Numerous Binghamtonians have stayed at the Hopkirk Inn in Camden, [South Carolina] of which Mr. Eldredge was proprietor."

The diary mentions several of his Tompkins relatives, including "Uncle Phin," his mother's brother Phineas Tompkins, and cousins Helen and Nellie (Ellen), Phineas' children.

Extent

.25 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Diary of Frank W. Eldredge (1849 - 1912) kept while attending Eagleswood Military Academy in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1863 and 1864, with a single entry from 1866. The diary was kept in an old ledger book, and not sequentially. From the front of the book, the entries are as follows: April 16 - May 5, 1864; September 15, 1864; July 3, 1866; November 8, 1864; February 26, 1863; September 27 - October 18, 1863; February 13 - 22 1863. Eldredge's diary entries document the weather and his daily routine while at Eagleswood, including various duties, letters written and received, purchases made, books borrowed from the library, minor injuries, pranks carried out by his fellow students, and his frequent punishments for disciplinary infractions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Freda Acheson, October 1983.

Title
Guide to the Frank W. Eldredge diary
Author
Partially processed 2005 by Randall Miles. Revised and updated in 2023 by Jeremy Dibbell
Date
2023-07-20
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Binghamton University Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Binghamton NY 13902 USA