Up Next: Bessie

The next diary that I will present is Bessie Dunklee’s from 1886. I have been working on the research and am in the home stretch. Bessie’s story is a sad one, so I have had to take some breaks during the research. Because of the story that I will present to you, I feel rather protective of Bessie too.

Looking into Sophronia’s life was so different; she was self-reliant and built a wonderful, meaningful life for herself. She had her own challenges, of course- all life is a mixture of light and dark- but her life was overall a happy one. Bessie’s, though, was mostly dark during the year that I got to know her. She had happinesses with loving sisters and children and she lived in Minnesota in a time when the state was still almost brand new, but she was also the victim of a fate that all too many women have faced throughout time. It just so happened that we watch this fate play out during the year that she wrote her diary. Perhaps this history is particularly why we need to learn about her… to turn her face to the light again.

I’m working on it… come back soon.