The Diary of Elizabeth Drinker: The Life Cycle of an Eighteenth-Century Woman

Biographical Directory

Biographical Directory Elizabeth Drinker recorded the names of several thousand people over the nearly fifty-year period during which she penned her entries. Some, such as her husband and children, were mentioned almost daily, others less frequently, and many only sporadically. The directory has been compiled for the purpose of identifying as many people as possible in all three categories. A surprising quantity of biographical information has surfaced in the attempt, although the amount and nature of that information vary from person to person. Where feasible, birth, death, and marriage dates have been included, as well as occupation, public roles, religion, and relationship to the Drinkers. Some dates are prefaced by a c., which means that the genealogical source was ambiguous. Thomas Coombe, for example, "d. 1799 in the 79th year of his age," and his birthdate, therefore, is listed as "c. 1720." Although some of the information obtained from the various sources is suspect, the editor has attempted to amend the reference material only when ED herself inscribes a birth or death date that conflicts with secondary evidence. Because of the length of the diary and its eighteenth-century qualities, certain problems arise of which the reader should be aware. Most important, family members with the same last name frequently had the same given name even within a single generation, and as Drinker herself realized, "several of one name in a family occasions confusion and mistake-oftentimes." To compound matters, ED knew a number of distantly related or unrelated people with similar names. Thus, when she refers simply to Ann Emlen, for example, it is sometimes unclear whether she has Ann Emlen Mifflin or Ann Emlen Pleasants in mind. (The former married in 1788, the latter in 1796.) Where the context makes it possible to narrow the choice to a specific person, or where two or three equally strong candidates seem likely, the alternatives have been included in the directory. Where, however, there are several possibilities but no clue to a Biographical Directory positive identification, the name has been omitted from the directory altogether. Jacob Taylor is a case in point: three men of that name were members of the Northern District Monthly Meeting during the late eighteenth century, but no supporting evidence exists to indicate which one appears in the diary. Spelling variations have been cross-indexed. The main entry may be found under the currently accepted spelling of the name; ED's departures are included as guides to the main entry, since some bear little similarity to contemporary references. Since the diary covers nearly five decades, many women appear in it under two names: their name at birth and their name after marriage. In the directory, the full identification may be found under the name by which a subject first appears in the diary. A cross-reference under the married name will direct the reader to the name at birth if the full entry appears at the latter location. A word of caution, however: given the relative similarity of first names (the profusion of Sarahs, Marys, and Anns is bewildering), and the frequency of intermarriage among people who answered to no more than six different surnames, it is possible that in a few cases the cross-reference may not be to the same person, as intended, but rather to a mother or cousin with the same name. The directory entry for each person always refers to the subject's formal name. ED, however, referred to many acquaintances by their diminutives. The following list, therefore, provides the reader with the nicknames that appear most often in the diary: Ann Nancy Catherine Caty, Katy Dorothy Dolly Eleanor Nelly Elizabeth Betsy, Betty, Eliza Esther Hetty Frances Fanny Hester Hetty Jane Jenny Margaret Peggy Martha Patty Mary Molly, Polly Rebecca Becky Sarah Sally Susannah Suky, Sukey Thomasine Tammy Edward Ned, Ted James Jemmy Joseph Josey William Billy Biographical Directory In the interests of conserving space, the entries do not include source references. (A list of the principal sources may be found in the three-volume edition of the complete diary.) Likewise, the following abbreviations allow the material to be presented in the most concise form possible. ABBREVIATIONS admin. administration aft. after Am. America(n) assoc. associate, associated, association asst. assistant atty. gen. attorney general b. born btw. between c. CIrca capt. captain co. county, company Congo Congress Cont. Congo Continental Congress d. died, death dept. department e. east(ern...