Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Gilpin, Sarah Lydia, 1802-1894 Diary of Sarah Lydia Gilpin 1820-1821

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06846.01 Author/Creator: Gilpin, Sarah Lydia, 1802-1894 Place Written: s.l. Type: Diary Date: 1820/12/24 - 1821/05/28 Pagination: 42 p. : Height: 12.8 cm, Width: 10.2 cm Order a Copy

The author concentrates on family life, but also mentions news items that struck her as important. The entry for January 1 1821 reads, "Rec'd the glorious news of the acquital [sic] of the Queen of England - and the [cession?] of the Floridas to the United States." She is extremely interested in literature and theatre, and attends three Shakespearean performances in which an actor named Kean took principal roles (entries of January 12, 13, and 22 1821). A grandmother in England dies about this time (entry for February 1).

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources