Background on David W. Hill
Born in Swanzey, N.H., on April 4, 1838, David W. Hill worked as a farmer until 1859, when he signed on to become a brass finisher with the J.J. Walworth Manufacturing Co., of Cambridge, Mass. After marrying Harriet Lane in 1862, and having son the following year, Hill enlisted as a corporal in Co. I, 16th New Hampshire Infantry, in September 1862, serving with his regiment in the Department of the Gulf for the duration of its nine month term.
Following his military service, Hill returned to work as a brass finisher and machinist for a succession of concerns in Cambridge, New York City, Newport, R.I., and Haydenville, Mass., into at least the mid-1880s.
Scope of collection
The Hill collection consists of thirteen diaries documenting the life and mundane events of a brass finisher's life during the post-Civil War years. Bound in leather and consisting of approximately 180 pages each, with three dates per page, the diaries contain a calendar, entries for each day of the year, and a few pages at the end for keeping track of Hill's personal accounts. Hill records daily descriptions of his work, the weather, and any visits or out of the ordinary activities of the day. Hill does not miss a single day, though there is little change in his life from day to day besides the weather and the items he made while working. Hill also makes mention of when he is sick, which is often, because he frequently states that he has been visited by the doctor, or he has the chills and stayed in the house all day.
Inventory
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1864
Vol. 1
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1865
Vol. 2
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1867
Vol. 3
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1868
Vol. 4
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1869
Vol. 5
Hill, David W.: Diary (New York, N.Y.)
1870
Vol. 6
Hill, David W.: Diary (New York, N.Y., and Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1871
Vol. 7
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1872
Vol. 8
Hill, David W.: Diary (Cambridgeport, Mass.)
1873
Vol. 9
Hill, David W.: Diary (Haydenville, Mass.)
1880
Vol. 10
Hill, David W.: Diary (Haydenville, Mass.)
1882
Vol. 11
Hill, David W.: Diary (Haydenville, Mass.)
1883
Vol. 12
Hill, David W.: Diary (Haydenville, Mass.)
1885
Vol. 13
Administrative information
Search terms
Subjects
- Brass industry and trade--Massachusetts.
- Cambridge (Mass.).
- Haydenville (Mass.).
Contributors
- Hill, David W. [main entry]
- Hill, David W.
Link to similar SCUA collections
