Pioneer Women of Nebraska

People researching Nebraska history and genealogy often marvel at the survival and stamina of pioneer women. I prefer to call them prairie mothers. Fortunately there are diaries and journals that these enduring women left for posterity.

Emma Slocum's great grandson, David L. Runner, has transcribed her dairy. She was born 18 October 1868 in Green Co., WI. In the early 1880s her family moved to Boone Co., NE, settling on a farm near Petersburg. At age 18 Emma began keeping a diary which reveals school life, friends, neighbors and also sad events, such as the death of her father in January of 1888. In November of that year, Emma, her mother and some of her brothers left Nebraska and moved to Marion Co., OR.

In 1915, Mrs. Anna Knox wrote of her pioneering adventures for The Lincoln Star newspaper. She was 90 years old, living with a daughter in Hastings. However, her accounts pertain to pioneer days near Nebraska City. She tells about hard times, with her own kind of spirit and optimism.

These are only two such publications on Internet. Books have been written about women's journals and diaries. Keep looking, you might even find one written by your ancestor!