Title: Excerpts from the Diary of William B. Whitfield, April 3 and June 7, 1860: Electronic Edition.
Author: Whitfield, William Blackledge, 1842-1862
Editor: Erika Lindemann
Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Erika Lindemann
Images scanned by Mara E. Dabrishus
Text encoded by Amanda Page
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 21K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-05-19, Amanda Page finished TEI/XML encoding.
Part of a series:
This transcribed document is part of a digital collection, titled True and Candid Compositions: The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students in North Carolina
written by Lindemann, Erika
Source(s):
Title of collection: William Blackledge Whitfield Letter and Diary (#4433-z), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Excerpts from the Diary of William B. Whitfield, April 3 and June 7, 1860
Author: Whitfield, William Blackledge, 1842-1862
Description: 6 pages, 6 page images
Note: Call number 4433-z (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Topics covered:
Education/UNC Curriculum
Reading and Writing/Reading
Examples of Student Writing/Diary and Notebook Excerpts
Travel and Entertainment/Celebrations and Holidays
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
DocSouth staff created a 600 dpi uncompressed TIFF file for each image. The TIFF images were then saved as JPEG images at 100 dpi for web access.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
Letters, words and passages marked as deleted or added in originals have been encoded accordingly.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see Dr. Erika Lindemann's explanation under the section Editorial Practices.

Document Summary

Whitfield's diary entry reports finding the benches in the chapel tarred. Prof. Andrew Hepburn read out several compositions. Whitfield also attended a recitation in ancient languages and a review lesson in modern languages; he discovered an April Fool's letter tied to his door knob. A second entry describes the 1860 commencement ceremonies, commencement ball, and 2:00 a.m. supper.
Excerpts from the Diary of William B. Whitfieldlink opens in a new window , April 3 and June 7, 18601
Whitfield, William Blackledge, 1842-1862



Page 12

Tuesday April 3rd 1860.
Found all the benches in the Chapel tarred and just over the place where "Old Hub" [Fordyce Hubbard]link opens in a new window sits was written in letters of tar

Page 13
the word "Fordyce"link opens in a new window . The students stood in all parts of the Chapel regardless of Classess.2 Prof. [Andrew] Hepburnlink opens in a new window gave out that the 3rd Section would have him on Compositions immediately after prayers. Nearly all the Section had heard of it before but he had not given out the notice publicly and I did not carry my composition. He read out the compositions of W. Smithlink opens in a new window , Statonlink opens in a new window , Skinnerlink opens in a new window 3 and two others, the authors of whom I do not know. He doesn't read out the authors' names but only the Compositions. Not taken up by Jacksonlink opens in a new window . Read about 150 pages in "Grenada" 4; not having neglecting to read my task yesterday I had to make it up to day. I dont like it very much. Taken up by Mr. [Hildreth] Smithlink opens in a new window in the evening on the review lesson. I got off first rate. Took a walk to Piney Prospect after supper with L. Sykeslink opens in a new window & my chum.5 When we got back home we found a letter tied to the door knob and on opening it found it to to be—An April fool. We suspect Miss Fannie Durham 6 of putting

Page 14
it there. It was directed "To the Mr.Whitfield Boyes Chapelhill N.C." Before going to bed we fixed up a suitable answer and fastened it to her door. Got a letter from cousin Bryan. All well.


Page 95
Thursday June 7th1860(Commencement day)
Got up about 10 minutes before breakfast. Van7 wore my large [Dialectic Society] badge and I wore his small one. The procession formed

Page 96
at 10 o'clock an The first and second mites8 spoke this morning. Wooster ilson link opens in a new window 9 spoke the Latin Salutatory. In the evening after two or three more speeches Old Bunk [Gov. Swain]link opens in a new window read out the reports. He read me out third and ten abscenses sences from duties. There ought to have been only four. At night I slept until twelve and then went to the Ball. Joe Walkerlink opens in a new window 10 gave his regalia to Miss Pool, Coffinlink opens in a new window his to Miss Wright (Josh'slink opens in a new window sister). Went to supper at 2 o'clock and had just as much as I wanted to eat. Chapel Hill was crowded all day long with countries11 and at night they had to be driven out off the supper room. Spent the rest of the night with Lanierlink opens in a new window . I haven't received my money yet so I cannot leave to-morrow with Mac.12 He says he will leave to-morrow if he feels better than he does to-night. Prudhommelink opens in a new window , Haileylink opens in a new window , Douglaslink opens in a new window and Smithlink opens in a new window and Watkinslink opens in a new window 13 got a

Page 97
diploma; also Walker Andersonlink opens in a new window , and Alexander (W. L.)link opens in a new window . Old Bunklink opens in a new window read out Fitzgeraldlink opens in a new window third and Carterlink opens in a new window seems to be very much offended because they did not read him out. Weather quite pleasant.

Endnotes:

1. William Blackledge Whitfield Papers, SHC. The transcription is based on a photocopy of a diary in private hands. The diary is inscribed "W. B. Whitfieldlink opens in a new window / Chapel Hill./Mar 23rd 1860."Pages measure 4 7/8 by 7/38 inches. The earliest entry is dated March 26, 1860; the latest, June 9, 1860.

2. Students sat with their classes during services in Gerrard Hall, with the faculty and tutors seated among the students "To ensure proper inspection of the attitudes of the worshippers" (Battle 1:716).

3. Hubbardlink opens in a new window evidently read the compositions roughly in alphabetical order. "W. Smith" is probably William James Smithlink opens in a new window (b. 1837).

4. Washington Irving, A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (1829). Whitfieldlink opens in a new window reported checking out the book on March 31 and finishing it on April 6.

5. Whitfield'slink opens in a new window "chum" or roommate was Anthony Dyer Whitfieldlink opens in a new window (d. 1916)

6. Whitfieldlink opens in a new window roomed at Mrs. Morrow's boarding house, which was also home to a Mrs. Durham and her daughter Fannie.

7. Probably William Blackshear Vanderveerlink opens in a new window (b. 1840).

8. "first and second mites": students earning first and second honors. In 1860 the students earning first honors were Junius C. Battle, George P. Bryan, Edward J. Hale, Charles C. Pool, Iowa M. Roysterlink opens in a new window , Hugh Strong, George L. Wilsonlink opens in a new window , and William A. Woosterlink opens in a new window . Second honors went to Lewis Bond, William M. Brooks, Thomas W. Cooper, William J. Headenlink opens in a new window , James Kelly, William J. King, Erasmus D. Scales, and Samuel P. Weir (Battle 1:711).

9. The Latin salutatory at the 1860 commencement went to Iowa Michigan Roysterlink opens in a new window (1840-63), who was a tutor of ancient languages from 1860 to 1862 and who died of wounds sustained in the retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg. A contemporary observer claimed that Roysterlink opens in a new window "spoke Latin so clearly and with such propriety of emphasis that people thought they understood his meaning" (Battle 1:710). George Lovick Wilsonlink opens in a new window (b. 1840) of New Bern, NC, spoke on "Industry and Civilization."William Augustus Woosterlink opens in a new window (1839-62) of Wilmington, NC, spoke on the "Influence of Speculative Minds" he became a lawyer but was killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill. Woosterlink opens in a new window was a member of the Dialectic Society; Roysterlink opens in a new window and Wilsonlink opens in a new window belonged to the Philanthropic Society.

10. Possibly Joel Paton Walkerlink opens in a new window (b. 1840).

11. "countries": country people.

12. Possibly Henry McMillanlink opens in a new window from Quincy, FL.

13. Whitfieldlink opens in a new window names students who received BS instead of BA degrees at the 1860 Commencement.