On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1897, women’s suffragist and newspaper editor Alice Stone Blackwell started recording moments that reflected joy in her daily life. These simple activities included reading a good book, going to the theater, attending an inspiring religious service, receiving “an affectionate letter,” “having hot chocolate for lunch,” and “enjoy[ing] the freshness of the early morning.” Blackwell continued to record these positive events until at least August 1898 in what she termed her “Pleasure Book,” emphasizing them in a notebook maintained separately from her regular diary.
As we spend time with family and friends, and reflect on moments for which we are grateful this Thanksgiving, take a little inspiration from Alice Stone Blackwell and perhaps explore more of her “Pleasure Book” within the digitized Blackwell Family Papers.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Library of Congress Manuscript Division!
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