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Mascarene, Margaret Holyoke, 1726-1792. Diary of Margaret Appleton Holyoke Mascarene, 1759. HUM 92, Harvard University Archives.

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The diary is written on interleaved blank pages in a 1759 almanac. The regular, brief diary entries are attributed to Margaret Appleton Holyoke Mascarene. Some entries, beginning in April, appear to be written in a different hand. The second author may have been Mascarene's sister Priscilla Holyoke (1739-1782) given that the entries mention visits by "Pater Mater Epes" and "Bets & Nancy." Priscilla, Margaret, Elizabeth ("Betsy"), and Anna ("Nancy) were the four daughters of Edward and Margaret Holyoke. After Margaret Holyoke's death in 1740, Edward Holyoke married Mary Whipple Epes, the widow of Symond Epes. Entries are typically only a few words and record domestic activities including childrearing, travel, house guests, family illness, and deaths in the community. Mascarene references British victories in the French and Indian War and the measles outbreak of 1759, including the illness of Faro, who may have been Mascarene's slave. Notably, the diary includes entries chronicling the care of Mascarene's newborn son by a nurse. Three interleaved pages at the end of the diary contain a list of expenses and payments and a list of clothing sent to the wet nurse Mrs. Cherry.

Biographical Note

Margaret Appleton Holyoke Mascarene (1726-1792), the eldest child of Harvard's ninth president, Edward Holyoke, and his second wife, Margaret Appleton, was born on September 22, 1726 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On August 9, 1750, Margaret married Cambridge shipping merchant John Mascarene (1722-1779; Harvard AB 1741). In 1752, Margaret Mascarene returned to her parents' house in Cambridge while John Mascarene traveled to England in an unsuccessful attempt to collect pension money due to his father. The couple lived primarily apart until 1761 when John joined Margaret in Cambridge. In 1764, John received a commission as Comptroller of the Port of Salem. The family lived in Salem until 1779, when they returned to Boston. John worked in a Boston customs house until his death in September 1779. Following her husband's death, Margaret supported the family by selling off her husband's large library and mathematical instrument collection. The items that she could not sell were donated to Harvard. Margaret Mascarene died in Boston on December 21, 1792. Margaret and John Mascarene had at least five children: Elizabeth (1751-1783), Joanna (June 1756-September 1756), Paul (b. 1758; temporary member of the Harvard Class of 1778), Peggy (d. 1760), and John (b. 1766).

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1

2

3 Faro got up 4

5 a viloant [violent?] snow storm

6 Faro took physick

7

8

9 Faro took physick 2 times

10 Peggy Perkins died of measles

11 Faro went below

12 Peggy Perkins buried, our Peggy went to school after Measles -

13

14 Abigail Hutchinson died

15

16 ditto buried

17

18

19 Mrs. Cheney took child home @ 4 of Week Betty Holyoke & Nancy here Peg staid {from} school

20 Due from ditto same day 15 / {shillings}

21

22

23

24 Pd Mrs. Gooding 40 / {shillings} Mem. next quarter begins 2. April till {which} time she's paid

25

26 Mother B Holyoke here

27

28

29

30 at Mrs Hughes

31

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[Right side of page]

1 great Storme, att home all day

2

3 Pater Mater [ ? ][ ? ]

4 I went to Cambridge

5 annual Fash

6 Grand Provinical [master?]

7 Mr Mascarene went to {Cambridge} I saw the comet.

G Pater preach'd Peg stayd att home

9 Att Mr Winthrop {and} M Flynts

10 Watchd with Aunt Appleton

11

12 Paul Broke out with the measles and Bets at Salem

13 Saw the orphan acted Bené

14 divided E Epes cloths/ Mr Mas & I came home

G measles all turnd, Iatt Church

16 Miss Amory here

17 Debby Forster went to Mrs Eames to live

18 child taken ill with a vever

19 Ditto very ill Mrs. Patterson watchd

20 watched myself. Put out 2 Blisters

21 DF watchd

G DF ditto Child better att home

23 Mrs Leach Ditto/ Peg went to school again

24 Miss Minot Ditto

25 Dr [Harlskorn?] Coll Hoar here

26 carried Peg to see her brother

27 FM went to Camb.

28 Mr [Wibird?] here

G att home all day

30

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1 Mr Otis E Holy E [Biscoe?] here

2

3 dind att uncl [Sams?] with my papa E Hamilton 6 [?]

4 Mr Hutchinson & wife here

5 2 {officers} din'd here M' Queen Hanfield

6 att Judge Sewalls

7

8 Mr Troulbeck Married

9 din'd at Mr Hutchinsons Peg went to [Eames?]

10 Pater Mater here

11 dind Mrs Minot

12 [Troop?] [Earback?]

G att Church all day Peg came home M Mas at {Cambridge}

14 Paul here due from [?] / 6 {pounds} 5 {pence}

15 went to {Cambridge} with Miss Moffat

16 att college

17 returned home

18 Rain

19 dind at Mr Perkins

G att church all day Evening M [Hughs?]

21

22

23 Bets cam home from Salem Mrs Perkins {Hutchinson} here

24 [Priscy?] here.

25 walk'd to Cambridge with [Henny Gae?] and back

26 Peg [new?] shoe 18 [pence?]

G

28

29 Major Epes here

30 Election Mr [Slevers?] here

31 dind at Deacon Hills

3 May bot a pair of shoes

8 May bot Peg a pair of [Stays?] 3 {pounds} [?]

11th May Mrs Mayhew deliverd fine girl

2d June Bets new [shod?] 26 [pence?] Betty Porter here 5 days

12th June this day makes 7 days with B. Porter

4th July 1759 paid Mr Gooding this day 40 {shillings} {which} is to finish a quarter to the 16th Inet.

[?] Betty Raymond came to work at 2/6 diem

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