Research Guides: Creative Non-Fiction Research Resources: Letters and Diaries

Social and Cultural Histories

Click on the diary to access the Social and Cultural History platform where you can share in experiences from North American Immigrants, British and Irish Women, the American Civil War, and more. See the gallery below for links to the individual databases.

American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
This collection contains 2,009 authors and approximately 100,000 pages of diaries, letters and memoirs.
Black Thought and Culture
A collection of approximately 100,000 pages of non-fiction writings by major American black leaders—teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures—covering 250 years of history.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries
This collection includes the immediate experiences of approximately 500 women, as revealed in over 100,000 pages of diaries and letters.
Manuscript Women's Letters and Diaries
This collection will bring together 105,000 pages of the personal writings of women of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
This collection includes 2,162 authors and approximately 100,000 pages of information, so providing a unique and personal view of what it meant to immigrate to America and Canada between 1800 and 1950. Composed of contemporaneous letters and diaries, oral histories, interviews, and other personal narratives.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries
This collection includes the immediate experiences of 1,325 women and 150,000 pages of diaries and letters. The collection also includes biographical sketeches of people represented in this database.