Placing oneself back in history and reliving the past through journals is an exercise my US History students do regularly. From each chapter read, discussed, and taught, they venture back in time to a particular setting or event that particularly captured their imagination during our discussion of the unit. Below is a journal written by junior Sarah Kuchta, who imagines herself wife to a wigmaker in the original colonies.
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DECEMBER 23, 1735
Today was my birthday.
I cannot believe that I am now 23.
Tomorrow will be my seventh anniversary. It is incredible that I have been married to my beloved
husband Richard for seven years tomorrow.
What a joy it has been!
Richard’s occupation has made our endeavors prosperous. As a wigmaker—the best in the
colonies—Richard works diligently.
Today, he measured five men’s heads in order to make wigs for them. As well, Richard bought hair from seven
different ladies. Oh, how sad it
was for those women to be rid of their hair which they most tenderly cared
for. As I write, Richard is still
in his shop making wigs. When I
was in the shop last, my dear Richard was making a bagwig for a very wealthy
man named Barack Franklin. I
suppose now that he has finished that wig and is now crafting a Sunday Buckle
for Joe Henry. For dinner, I am
making a dish of duck and steaming succotash. This afternoon, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and tea at the
neighbor’s house while we discussed the latest news, or rather, rumors. I hear Richard at the door now. I must go.
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