Is this voyeurism? Sure, I can see elements of that. I am reading the inner thoughts and daily activities of strangers that probably never meant for them to be read. Because of this, I do not include any information about people that are living.

Many of these stories contain heartbreak, for the DW, for me, and for you, if you keep reading. There certainly are celebrations and happiness too, but life is difficult and full of suffering. People suffer losses, they are self-critical, they have difficult relationships, and they die. In fact, by definition, all the people that you will meet in these stories are dead. Happiness and tragedy are things we all share.

I’m sure I made mistakes. All the facts that I lay out in the lives of these women have been researched far beyond what is presented here and I try to be clear when I am not 99% sure that something I am saying is true. Still, this is a work of details, from long ago and far away, and subject to my own capabilities and the capabilities of the original people recording them.

This is a work in progress. I will be adding diaries as I get them and editing information as I look deeper into the diaries that I have.