Isabelle Maria Hoffses diaries, 1862–1908

Full finding aid (pdf)

Collection Scope and Content

These six diaries, written by Hoffses between 1862 and 1908, primarily record her deep concerns about her spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical state of being. Also included are pedagogical and Biblical notes of significance to her development. Most of the entries were written in Waldoboro or other surrounding towns where Hoffses taught school. Others were written in Massachusetts while she was studying at South Hadley Seminary and while visiting her sister in Newburyport. Also recorded are two sea voyages which she took in 1880-1881, presumably for health reasons.

Biographical/Historical Note

Born in the Waldoboro, Maine area in 1831, Isabelle Maria Hoffses was the second of eleven children born to James Hoffses and Hannah Heaver. After attending South Hadley Seminary in Massachusetts, Hoffses taught in the Waldoboro area for many years. She never married.