(NEW YORK) [Foote Ann Louisa Lum] Diary of a woman in Somers

Sale 2324 - Lot 259

Price Realized: $ 438

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Estimate: $ 250 - $ 350

(NEW YORK.) [Foote, Ann Louisa Lum.] Diary of a woman in Somerset, Niagara County. 106 manuscript pages. 4to, original 1/4 calf, moderate wear; internally clean and legible. Somerset, NY, 5 February 1868 to 29 October 1869

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Anna Louisa Lum (1823-1880) was the second wife of farmer Alonzo Foote (1815-1896). They lived in County Line village, Somerset, on the shore of Lake Ontario, about thirty miles northeast of Buffalo. The view from their farm must have been spectacular: "I saw 8 schooners today on lake" (20 April 1868). Her diary is rich with detail on rural life, as well as the occasional tensions with her grown stepdaughter: "Harriet not been up today. She is very strange" (31 March 1868). Her stepson Henry was apparently involved in a bit of trouble, too: "H was subpoened to Lockport about that Mason barn being burned, did not have to testify" (25 May 1868). The diary is not signed, but frequent references to family members, birthdays, anniversaries, and places make the identification certain.