The Stephen Williams Diary is a daily record of colonial life in the 18th century. The Diary includes the reflections of Reverend Stephen Williams who was the first minister of the First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The Diary covers the time period from 1716, when Stephen Williams became Longmeadow’s first minister, until his death in 1782. In the 1930s the original manuscript of the Stephen Williams Diary was transcribed into 10 typewritten volumes using funds provided by the Works Progress Administration. Stephen Williams’ original manuscripts are currently maintained and protected by the First Church of Christ, Longmeadow, MA.
In the 1930’s the original manuscript of the Stephen Williams Diary was transcribed into 10 typewritten volumes using funds provided by the Works Progress Administration. Microfilm and digital copies of the transcript were created in 2010 using funds provided by the Town of Longmeadow through the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act. A microfilm copy of the manuscript was created in the 1960’s. This document is a digitization of the microfilm.
This digital copy of the Stephen Williams Diary manuscript is supported in part by a grant from the Longmeadow Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Additional funding was provided by The Richard Salter Storrs Library, Inc. and by J. Christopher and Susan Hall. Project conceived and executed by The Longmeadow Historical Commission.
The files are in PDF format and listed below. They are in the public domain, so they may be freely copied and distributed. Below each transcription is an electronic copy for each original handwritten volume of the diaries from a microfilm copy of the original Stephen Williams Diary. (October 2011)
Volume 1
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-01
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-01
Volume 2
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-02
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-02
Volume 3
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-03
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-03
Volume 4
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-04
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-04
Volume 5
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-05
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-05
Volume 6
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-06
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-06
Volume 7
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-07
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-07
Volume 8
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-08
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-08
Volume 9
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-09
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-09
Volume 10
S-Williams-Diary_Vol-10
Diaries-of-Stephen-Williams_1716-1782_vol-10