Martha Ballard's Diary Analysis

The act of keeping a journal is well practiced by great men and women. After reading about Martha Ballard's diary, I found it interesting on how it shows a glimpse of life in the 18th and 19th century as a female. What intrigued me the most were the daily entries and how it shows her daily routine. Martha Ballard kept a diary at first mainly to record the births she would handle and used it as her daily work diary, but soon it grew into an extension of her rather than just a mere record book. Most women in her generation did not know how to write, most however were taught how to read. The fact that Martha could read, write and sign her own name shows that she is somewhat educated. Her brother attended Harvard and became a minister, ergo it