Monday, June 18, 1866

This morning Debbie Edwards came and Lizzie went to Knightstown with her to see Mahan the Methodist preacher about musical instruments. She wishes to get a melodeon, but he is interested in the sale of cabinet organs. Mother went to see Margaret Clifford [and] found her better. I went to Solomon Gause’s  to see the sick there. Rachel said she was not quite so well as usual. She is able to be up most of the time; Celia had a chill seventh day evening followed by a very high fever; she is better, complains of dizziness occasioned, she thought, by the medicine she had taken.

– Mary Jane Edwards

Twenty-two-year-old Cousin Debbie Edwards seems to have had quite an influence on Mary Jane’s sister Lizzie (my great-great-grandmother)!

It’s Debbie who introduces singing to the sisters, who would have been discouraged from exploring music. And it’s Debbie who’s happy to attend the Spiritualists’ services with Lizzie whenever Lizzie decides to buggy over to Greensboro, where Debbie lives with her parents, David Edwards (not the sisters’ brother David Edwards) and Susannah (Pennington) Edwards, older sister, and five younger brothers.

This time, Debbie takes Lizzie to town to look at a melodeon- a small, ornate pump organ. Readers of the diary later learn that Debbie does indeed purchase a melodeon.

Alas, on this day, Mary Jane once again fulfills the role of the elder (and more responsible?) daughter, going to the neighbors’ house to check on F/friends who are ill. With Lizzie’s later interest in medicine- she earned her physician’s license at age 63!- it’s surprising that she doesn’t tag along.

I wonder if Mary Jane took on this dutiful role herself, or if she was simply expected, as the eldest living daughter, to be neighborly and attentive to people of the meeting.

Either way, Mary doesn’t seem to be bothered by her sister gallivanting off to learn about musical instruments from the Methodist minister, while she visits the sick. 

Mary Jane seems to accept her place in the world. What a difficult task to pull off! 160 years later, it’s still awfully tricky to balance taking charge of your own life and fulfilling the expectations of loved ones.

Maybe one day, my own great-great-granddaughter will read this blog entry and agree with me!