Very pleasant day.
Visited Mr. Stroud’s Daguerrean room this forenoon, and in the afternoon had my likeness taken—was tolerably good.
Took a walk this evening with the Misses McKay and E—a S—h.
From the Line-a-Day Diary of Nathan Beekley, Iron Clerk
In 1849, a young man named Nathan Beekley, perhaps 22, moved to Philadelphia to begin a new career keeping the books of an iron manufactory. At the same time, he began keeping a book of his own: a line-a-day diary in which he recorded the cultural events, street entertainments, and courting rituals that filled his days and nights.
The original diary (shown above) is located in the manuscripts collection of the American Antiquarian Society. The transcription will be posted daily and can be searched by keyword, subject, or date.
Clerk and the City 