Diary of Joseph Cleaver, Jr., kept at Delaware College
Summary
| Creator: | Cleaver, Joseph, 1833-1909 |
| Date(s): | 1853 August 31-1854 November 21 |
| Call Number: | MSS 0097, Item 0014 |
| Language: | Materials entirely in
|
| Abstract: | This typed transcript of a diary kept by Delaware College student Joseph Cleaver for the period 1853-1854 describes student life at the college, the curriculum, and Cleaver's involvement in the Athenaean Literary Society. |
| Physical Description: | 1 volume (66 pages) 24 cm |
| Source: | Gift of the estate of Carl P. Patterson, 1950. |
| Processing: | Processed and encoded by Evan Echols, January 2009. Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard |
| Alternative Format: | A digitized copy of the diary is available at the University of Delaware Digital Institutional Repository. |
Biographical and Historical Notes
Joseph Cleaver was born in 1833, the son of Joseph and Catherine Cleaver of Port Penn, Delaware. He attended Delaware College in Newark in the mid 1850s. After leaving the college, he began working on his family farm near Port Penn, which was left to him after his father's death. He married Josephine E. Reybold (September 6, 1838-February 23, 1916) with whom he had four children. Late in his life, Cleaver moved to Delaware City, Delaware, where he died on November 13, 1909. Cleaver is buried at St. Georges, Delaware.
Sources
Cleaver, Joseph. The diary of a student at Delaware College, August, 1853, to November, 1854. Edited by William Ditto Lewis. Baltimore: J.H. Furst Co., 1951.
Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Delaware: 1609-1888. Philadelphia: L.J. Richards, 1888.
Additional biographical information also derived from the collection.
Scope and Content Note
This typed transcript of a diary kept by Delaware College student Joseph Cleaver for the period 1853-1854 describes student life at the college, the curriculum, and Cleaver's involvement in the Athenaean Literary Society.
The entries are, with a few exceptions, daily and written in a narrative style. Cleaver related his everyday routine as well as various experiences at the college, such as making new acquaintances, attending lectures, and becoming involved in student organizations. He documented many of the pranks played by the students over the course of the year, with frequent references to faculty and others who lived in Newark near the college.
Two letters are tipped into the bound volume: one undated from Miss Florence C. Hall, niece of Joseph Cleaver, and a second, 1950, from Miss Jane C. Clark, a "distant cousin," both of Delaware City. The diary, edited by William Ditto Lewis, was published in Delaware Notes and later by J.H. Furst Co. in 1951. In his foreword of the book, editor William Ditto Lewis noted that the original manuscript of Joseph Cleaver's diary has "perished."
Publication Note
Cleaver, Joseph. The diary of a student at Delaware College, August, 1853, to November, 1854. Edited by William Ditto Lewis. Baltimore: J.H. Furst Co., 1951. Cleaver, Joseph. "The Diary of a student at Delaware College, August, 1853, to November, 1854." Delaware Notes 24 (1950): 1-40.
Using these materials
Shelving Summary
- Item 0014: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0097
Access Information
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
MSS 0097, Item 0014, Diary of Joseph Cleaver, Jr., kept at Delaware College, August 31, 1853 to November 21, 1854, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Related Materials in this Repository
This item forms part of MSS 0097 Diaries, Journals, and Ships' Logs collection.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Container List
| Diary of Joseph Cleaver, Jr., kept at Delaware College, 1853 August 31-1854 November 21 | Item 0014 |