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Gilpin, Sarah Lydia (1802-1894) Untitled

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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. 12.8 cm x 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).

Gilpin was the daughter of Joshua Gilpin, a Wilmington, Delaware paper manufacturer and a contemporary of E. I du Pont. She was also related to William Gilpin, the first territorial governor of Colorado who accompanied J.C. Fremont on his 1843 expedition. There are Gilpin family papers at the Hagley Museum and Library, the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802.

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