| |
Diaries Written by HandHandwritten diaries are important documents from the past because they reveal information about the life of the diary’s owner and about his personality. Handwritten experts can discover personality traits by analyzing one’s handwriting. That is why historical diaries written by hand can become important references for historians.
Journals and diaries are, by definition, documents that are personal and intimate, so it is normal for the owner to hand write them. For centuries people have kept secret documents of their lives in order to achieve a sense of security. For individuals in extraordinary situations, like those who lived during wars, conflicts, and genocides, the journals that they kept are precious because they represent the living proof of what happened in the past. Diaries that are written by hand document experiences, feelings, impressions and memories. A writing diary can represent all that is left behind after communities disappear.
For specialists, the handwriting of old diaries and journals can be challenging since the years that have passed left time marks on the pages. The spelling that was used centuries ago can also be irregular. Despite all these conundrums, historians and handwriting analysts work very hard to decipher the compelling and important stories that old journals and diaries hide.
Some of the most important handwritten diaries discovered so far are about slaves who documented their struggles. For example, Michael Shiner’s Diary tells the story of a slave who rescued his family from being sold into labor in Virginia. Some of these diaries can be found at the Library of Congress. One of the most interesting facts about handwritten diaries is that they belong mostly to women from all social backgrounds who felt the need to document their experiences. Writing style, drawings, and the marks on a page – these are all clues into a past that can be discovered with the help of handwritten diaries.
|
|
|
|
|
