The Diaries of Charlotte
Thorn Lewis and
Enoch Lewis
“How much one loses who
cannot command quiet hours for thoughts: the present
custom of Entering in so
many pursuits leading a life of hurry &
excitement must lead to
impaired physical and moral health & to superficial
knowledge and brusque
manners.” (CTL, March 15, 1895)
Charlotte Thorn Lewis (1823-1916) was the daughter
of Isaac Thorn and Mary Woolley. She was born in Bordentown, New Jersey. In
1848, she married Enoch Lewis (1821-1902).
They were from old Quaker families but were very involved in the
Unitarian Church. They were economically
upper class. Enoch Lewis was General
Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1860-1866 and Purchasing Agent for
the company from 1866-1893. The Lewis
family had been involved in the Abolition movement for many years. The National Anti-Slavery Society was found
in 1833 in the home of Enoch’s father, Evan Lewis.
Charlotte’s diaries cover a trip to northeastern
Pennsylvania in 1846, and her married life from 1880 until three years before
her death in 1916. Enoch’s diary covers
his travel from St. Petersburg, Russia to England in 1846.
The diaries reveal a woman who was very active
socially (friends and family – not Society), was constantly involved in social
causes, and pursued many intellectual activities – reading and attending
lectures and dramatic presentations. She
shared these pursuits with her husband and children. They were reform activists and were friends
of many of the most prominent reformers of the day. Charlotte and her daughters were heavily
involved in issues involving women and children – poor families, orphans,
suffrage, etc. The men in the family
were involved in the reform politics of the era.
In 1880, the
family lived at 224 Green St. in Philadelphia.
In 1886, they moved to a new house at 3405 Powelton Ave.
The diaries are in composition
notebooks and were made available by her great-great-grandson, Richard Burnham
Lewis. We are in the process of
preparing guides to their contents. This
is an on-going project and updates will be added frequently.
Partial List
of Individuals Named in the Diary
(Note: this list
will be updated periodically.)
|
Charlotte
Lewis’s Diaries |
||||||
|
1880 |
|
|
1897 |
|
||
|
1881 |
|
|
1898 |
|
||
|
1882 |
|
|
1899 |
|
||
|
1883 |
|
1900 |
|
|||
|
1884 |
|
1901 |
|
|||
|
1885 |
|
|
1902 |
|
||
|
1886 |
|
|
1903 |
|
||
|
1887 |
|
|
1904 |
|
||
|
1888 |
|
|
1905 |
|
||
|
1889 |
|
|
1906 |
|
||
|
1890 |
|
|
1907 |
|
||
|
1891 |
|
1908 |
|
|||
|
1892 |
|
|
1909 |
|
||
|
1893 |
|
|
1910 |
|
||
|
1894 |
|
|
1911 |
|
||
|
1895 |
|
1912 |
|
|||
|
1896 |
|
|
1913 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charlotte’s Travel Diary, Europe 1880 |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enoch’s Travel Diary, Russia to
England, 1846 |
|
|||||
