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Biography & Autobiography Historical

Eldon House Diaries

Five Women's Views of the 19th Century

edited by Robin Harris & Terry Harris

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Jun 1994
Category
Historical, Post-Confederation (1867-), Women, Social History, Rich & Famous, Personal Memoirs
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780969342533
    Publish Date
    Jun 1994
    List Price
    $71.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442638563
    Publish Date
    Dec 1994
    List Price
    $56.00

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Description

Eldon House is a distinctive element in the historical townscape of London, Ontario. By the mid-nineteenth century, its original owners, John and Amelia Harris, were prominent members of society in that dynamic community. Their children grew up in the affluent and cultured setting of a family whose increasing prosperity advanced with that of London and western Ontario. If London had an elite, the Harris family was part of it, and Eldon House was an important focal point of the social regimen of the day.

 

A considerable corpus of family papers within the Eldon House and prominent among these papers is a collection of diaries that are excerpted in this volume, encapsulating the personalities, activities, and voices of the Harrises of London. These diaries are valuable because of the details of the warp and woof of daily life in the nineteenth century. But, more importantly, they are women's diaries. As such, they speak to us of the verities of personal, domestic, and societal life in the neglected voice of women. Together, they provide a fascinating perspective of these women's lives in, around, and beyond Eldon House.

About the authors

Robin S. Harris (1919-2000) was a professor emeritus of higher education and English at University College, University of Toronto, and served as the founding Principal of Innis College and University Historian.

Robin Harris' profile page

Terry G. Harris is a Canadian writer of German and Italian descent, born in Brazil. She lives in Thornhill, Ontario. Her degrees in humanities are from the University of Sao Paulo and the University of Toronto. Her works have been in history and genealogy.  She has lately  concentrated on publishing poetry.

Terry Harris' profile page