Conditions Governing Use

The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is minimally processed and open for research.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16884, Jennie M. Bromley Butler diary, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Biographical / Historical Description

Jennie M. Bromley was born on November 2, 1860 in Rockville, Tolland County, Connecticut. She married Edward Butler (1862-1928) on June 23, 1886 by the Rev. Samuel Forbes. The couple settled in Rockville, Connecticut, where both their families were from. Edward worked as a gas pipe fitter and plumber. Jennie and Ernest had one daughter in 1889, Marion Louise Butler [McLean] (d. 1982). Edward died in 1928. Jennie died in Rockville on March 8, 1946.

Content Description

This collection contains the diary of Jennie M. Bromley Butler (1860-1948) who lived in Rockville, Connecticut. The diary documents her life after returning from her honeymoon with her husband, Edward Butler, and their first decade of marriage. The entries are dated from 1887 to 1898. She records her traveling experiences, including their honeymoon trip to Montreal, other trips to New York and Philadelphia, and summer and weekend trips. She also records her day-to-day life, which includes her relationship and visits with her mother, notes about health and headaches, observations of fashion and objects, and her experiences as a mother. She also reports on the community around her, noting stillbirths and deaths, and writes of her grief after her mother died. Also interspersed in the diary are quotations and prayers. The diary measures roughly 8 x 6.5 inches with marbled boards. Sixty-five pages contain entries, and the remaining leaves are blank. There is also some tipped-in material including a handwritten biography of Ernest Butler, a page of reflections, and a letter from 1862 regarding a William Butler.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Diaries
• Fashion
• Grief
• Marriage
• Motherhood
• Women -- Social conditions