Martha Van Orsdol Shaw Farnsworth kept a personal diary from 1882 through 1922 with only a few gaps. The diary starts when she is a teenager. It describes her daily activities as she was growing up in Winfield and later Silver Lake and Topeka. She married John W. Shaw on September 4, 1889, and he died of consumption on October 26, 1893. He works for the post office. Many of Martha's diary entries are very emotional. From the beginning of her marriage, Martha expresses her unhappiness in her marriage. It seems to stem from Johnny's drinking and his anger when he was intoxicated. During the time period covered by this volume, Martha lives in Topeka and seems content in her marriage to Fred Farnsworth. She has extensive contact with extended family and Fred and Martha visit her father in Springfield, Colorado. It is possible that this diary was rewritten from an earlier version because some entries are underlined in red.

Creator: Farnsworth, Martha 1867-1924
Date: January 1--December 31, 1896