Recently a second cousin shared some pictures of pages in an 1834 journal of a distant great aunt.
This was about the same time that she, her brother and their mother moved from NH to the southern tier of New York State after the death of their father. Some of the entries appear to be flowery farewell messages along the lines of “we will meet again in heaven”.
Does anyone know if this sort of farewell journal was a common gift from friends and family to those who migrated west?
Probably. Everyone who travelled a significant distance in past centuries pretty much all died.
I’ve played Oregon Trail enough times to know that.
And so did those who stayed home.
I could see where they might be common enough for people moving out west, as it would be very likely that they would never see them again, but from NY to NH? I wouldn’t think so. I’ve never seen such a document in any of my family research, but the likelihood of such a thing surviving through the decades (or even centuries) is pretty small. Bibles tended to survive, and there are some diaries out there that are notable. I’m lucky to have a copy of a letter my great grandfather wrote to his fellow soldiers during the Civil War.
And here’s proof of how that game is totally realistic…
Especially, by 1834 I would think the area near the coast was very well settled, and there was likely regular boat service (and railways were coming soon) so this was not long distance travel. Stagecoach routes were probably well established.
The only drawback would be that for the time, it was distant enough that only the well-off would travel for leisure. It’s not like the average working stiff or farmer could say “let’s take two weeks off to go see Aunt Agatha”.