Historic Children's Voices, 1799-1899
FAIN: PW-285070-22
American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA 01609-1634)
Lauren B. Hewes (Project Director: July 2021 to March 2025)
Cataloging and digitizing 286 child-authored texts from the nineteenth century, ranging from diaries to amateur printed newspapers. The materials would be made available online along with research and curricular guides for the collection and featured in a two-day scholarly symposium and a virtual public program.
The American Antiquarian Society, a learned society and independent research library of pre-20th century American history and culture, seeks NEH support for Historic Children's Voices, 1799-1899, which will address the difficulty of discovering archival evidence from—not about—people under age 20, who represented half the U.S. population in the 19th century. This project will make child-authored texts, which are abundant yet not easily discoverable in archives, accessible via detailed cataloging and digitization, as well as dissemination via a research guide on the AAS website featuring a webinar on how to search for these materials as well as curricular guides for K-12 and for college educators. A public program will introduce parents and children to historic children's voices, and a two-day symposium (to be recorded and shared via the AAS YouTube channel) will bring together researchers to discuss the significance and use of child-authored texts as historical evidence.
Associated Products
Chronicling the Lava Wave (Article)Title: Chronicling the Lava Wave
Author: Laura Wasowicz
Abstract: An overview of nineteenth century American amateur-printed books made by children with an emphasis on library cataloging and processing to make material accessible to researchers.
Year: 2024
Access Model: Members periodical, hard copy only
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Caxtonian: Journal of the Caxton Club, vol. XXXII, no. 2
Publisher: Caxton Club
Historic Children's Voices (Web Resource)Title: Historic Children's Voices
Author: Stoffel, Caroline
Author: Cataldo, Ashley
Author: Wasowicz, Laura
Author: Hewes, Lauren
Author: Mendieta-Rivadeneyra, Alan
Author: Fiske, Nate
Abstract: This resource provides an important window into how young writers in the nineteenth century recorded their daily lives, wrote stories and poetry, expressed their beliefs and values, and commented on cultural changes of the time. On this site, researchers can view the digital library of diaries, manuscript newspapers, and amateur-printed books, as well as discover additional research tools and recordings of past programs to explore children's lives more deeply. Teachers will find a variety of guides and lesson plans to help bring the past to life for their students. Over 13,000 pages of content created by children before 1900 are freely available.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/historic-childrens-voicesPrimary URL Description: Landing page for the multi-faceted resource which includes digital images, transcription, bibliographic resources, related materials, webinar for how to use the resource, and links to content generated by symposium.
Curricular materials for K-12 Teachers (Course or Curricular Material)Title: Curricular materials for K-12 Teachers
Author: Hadjioannou, Xenia
Author: House, Terry
Author: Holleran, Shannon
Author: Bass-Riccio, Allison
Author: Cappiello, Mary Ann
Author: Bagdoian, Heather
Author: Lapin, Sarina
Author: Cataldo, Ashley
Author: Wasowicz, Laura
Author: Mendieta-Rivadeneyra, Alan
Abstract: Multiple lesson plans for social studies, English, and history K-12 classrooms prepared by teachers using materials authored or published by historic children in the U.S. before 1900.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/historic-childrens-voices/educatorsAudience: K - 12
Historic Children's Voices Project Announcement (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Historic Children's Voices Project Announcement
Author: Wolverton, Nan
Abstract: Announcement and description of the Historic Children's Voices online resource at the Massachusetts Reading Association Annual Conference, Sturbridge, MA. 600 teachers from around the state were present.
Date: 04/25/2004
Conference Name: Massachusetts Reading Association Annual Conference
Child Authors, Grolier Club (Public Lecture or Presentation)Title: Child Authors, Grolier Club
Abstract: An introduction to materials authored by children before 1900, including diaries, manuscript newspapers, and amateur-printed books. The authors challenge the idea that this material was formerly thought of as "curious, but not important." Scholarship today in the area of childhood studies is in search of these voices, as children under 19 formed a significant percentage of the population before 1900.
Author: Wasowicz, Laura
Author: Cataldo, Ashley
Date: 04/04/2023
Location: Grolier Club, New York, NY
Primary URL:
https://vimeo.com/user4535612Primary URL Description: Website of the Grolier Club, Events sections. Past events include links to Vimeo storage site.
Instructional Webinar for Accessing Historic Children's Voices (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)Title: Instructional Webinar for Accessing Historic Children's Voices
Writer: Wasowicz, Laura
Writer: Cataldo, Ashley
Writer: Mendieta-Rivadeneyra, Alan
Director: Fiske, Nate
Producer: American Antiquarian Society
Abstract: A three part instructional video with step-by-step instructions on how to search various resources to locate writings by children living before 1900 at AAS.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/historic-childrens-voices/research-toolsPrimary URL Description: This is the link to the resource which is embedded into the Historic Children's Voices website.
Secondary URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3NM6eyfn18Secondary URL Description: This is the link to the same resource on YouTube
Access Model: YouTube, open access
Format: Video
Format: Digital File
Chat with a Curator and Bind your Own Booklet (Exhibition)Title: Chat with a Curator and Bind your Own Booklet
Curator: Morris, Christine
Curator: Wasowicz, Laura
Curator: Cataldo, Ashley
Curator: Mendieta-Rivadeneyra, Alan
Abstract: Public exhibition and open house at AAS displaying a wide variety of works produced by children. In addition to the diaries, manuscript newspapers and books authored by children in the Historic Children's Voices project, the display also included maps drawn by students, artwork, and calligraphy designs.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/node/9079Primary URL Description: The descriptive page for this event on the AAS website.
Historic Children’s Voices Symposium (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Historic Children’s Voices Symposium
Author: Wolverton, Nan
Abstract: This two-day hybrid Historic Children’s Voices symposium convened fifteen emerging and established scholars whose work amplifies the voices of some nineteenth-century American children or explores the archival silences of underrepresented children. Recent scholarship in the fields of history, literary studies, and childhood studies shows that unearthing and understanding these voices brings forward nuanced and unique perspectives around the social and political concerns of the time.
The symposium corresponds with the launch of the Society’s new Historic Children’s Voices web resource. Digital versions of child-authored materials preserved at AAS will be made freely accessible and the site will feature more than 15,000 pages of content. Diaries and hand-written newspapers where children record the details of their daily lives, imaginative stories, and poems will be featured along with a selection of small-format, printed books made and published by children on home parlor presses. The contents of these materials and the panelists’ related research invite deep thinking about the value of children’s perspectives and the empowerment of children’s voices both in the past and today.
Date: 05/02/24
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/historic-childrens-voices-programsPrimary URL Description: This link goes to a page on the Historic Children's Voices web resource which summarized the events of the symposium and includes individual links to each speaker. All presentations are freely available on YouTube
Secondary URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWjFABSHXz4Secondary URL Description: This link leads to a freely available video of the full 6 hours of papers presented at the two day conference.
Conference Name: Historic Children’s Voices Symposium
How to Put Away Childish Things: Children’s Cultural Production and the Hermeneutics of Care (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: How to Put Away Childish Things: Children’s Cultural Production and the Hermeneutics of Care
Author: Sánchez-Eppler, Karen
Abstract: The key note address for the 2024 Historic Children's Voices symposium. Examines the dependent state of children and their lack of agency in day-to-day activities both in the past and the present. Using evidence from their written records, the author tries to tease out their individuality and contributions to family, community and nation.
Date: 05/02/2024
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/node/9829Primary URL Description: This link takes the user to the embedded video that is part of the freely available Historic Children's Voices resource.
Secondary URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBLrOmdj7cUSecondary URL Description: This link takes the user to the freely available recording on YouTube.
Historic Children's Voices Panel, ASECS, St. Louis, MO (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Historic Children's Voices Panel, ASECS, St. Louis, MO
Author: Cataldo, Ashley
Author: Bonneau, Nicholas E.
Author: Gowen, Emily
Author: Fouratt, Mary Eileen
Author: Egan, Maureen
Abstract: A panel organized by AAS of scholars interested in texts authored by children. Speakers covered the descriptions of death and illness written by children, books that they made themselves, and diary keeping.
Date: 03/10/2023
Primary URL:
https://asecs.org/meetings/past-and-future-annual-meetings/asecs-2023-annual-meeting/Primary URL Description: Link leads to the entire event. The panel in question is listed as Panel 88 on Friday 3/10/23.
Conference Name: American Society of Eighteenth-Century Studies Annual Meeting
Coming Attractions: Historic Children's Voices Project Announcement (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Coming Attractions: Historic Children's Voices Project Announcement
Author: Wasowicz, Laura
Abstract: June 15-17. This conference was supposed to be held in 2020 but was delayed several years due to COVID19. Conference organizers invited AAS to address the entire conference during the opening reception to speak about the Historic Children’s Voices Project and to announce the May 2024 symposium celebrating the project.
Date: 06/15/2023
Primary URL:
https://www.childlitassn.org/2023-annual-conferencePrimary URL Description: Website for the entire conference. Content not yet live on site as of 09/20/2024.
Conference Name: Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference, Bellevue, WA
Historic Children's Voices Primary Digital Library (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: Historic Children's Voices Primary Digital Library
Author: American Antiquarian Society
Abstract: This primary sources digital library of nearly 300 titles authored by children will provide an important window into how young people in the nineteenth century experienced daily life, as well as the cultural issues and changes at that time, and serve to enlighten and inspire future generations.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/historic-childrens-voicesPrimary URL Description: The core of the content (293 titles/volumes) of the AAS online resource for the Historic Children's Voices resource includes links to over 13,000 digital pages of texts authored by children in the U.S. before 1900. Searchable by type of material, date, and location, the resource also includes 43 detailed transcriptions of the hand-written material.
Access Model: Open access
Manuscript Newspapers (Article)Title: Manuscript Newspapers
Author: Cataldo, Ashley
Abstract: Descriptive article on the practice of making manuscript newspapers in America in the nineteenth century with multiple examples from the Historic Children's Voices project. Illustrated in color. Front cover of journal also features image from article.
Year: 2023
Primary URL:
https://manuscript.org/publications/manuscriptsPrimary URL Description: Link goes to website of the Manuscript Society. Membership required to access journal article.
Access Model: Benefit of membership in Manuscript Society
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Manuscripts. Vol. 75, no. 4 (Fall 2023)
Publisher: Manuscript Society