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Full Description
This transcribed and richly annotated volume presents the diary of Anna Keyser Baker (1821-1877), a third-generation Philadelphia Swedenborgian whose writing between 1874 and 1876 offers a rare, eloquent window into everyday city life and spiritual reflection, all while becoming increasingly aware of one's own mortality. A voracious reader, dedicated friend, woman about town, and Sunday school teacher devoted to the worldview and doctrine of 18th-century Swedish mystic and theologian, Emanuel Swedenborg, Anna documented sermons, conversations, community charity work, and personal introspection. Through her diary, readers encounter scenes from 19th-century parlor visits, mountain and beach vacations, church gatherings, and walks through a transforming Philadelphia—right down to her impressions of the Centennial Exposition of 1876.
More than a private journal, Anna's record encounters a full cast of real-life Philadelphia figures—such as William Spohn Baker, her brother and a renowned collector and interpreter of Washingtoniana; Gertrude Starkey, future wife of industrialist and founder of Pittsburgh Plate Glass, John Pitcairn Jr.; Susan J. O'Neill, prominent Philadelphia philanthropist and activist; Timothy Shay Arthur, author of the provocative best-seller Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There; and more, gathered thoughtfully in a new "Directory of Entities" assembled at the end of the book. Anna's writing reveals a remarkable generosity of spirit and a deep appreciation of others that animates her descriptions of family, friends, and acquaintances with warmth, humor, and careful attention.
Readers are guided through these references with historical notes, images, excerpts from period newspapers, and corroborating accounts through the careful editorial work of Swedenborgian historian Christopher Augustus Barber. The diary's blend of accessible theological insight, gentle poetry, social detail, and personal candor offers both devotional depth and a portrait of Philadelphia and humanity that will appeal to readers of all backgrounds.
Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Introduction
About the Diary
Abbreviations Used in this Volume
Baker Family Tree
Anna's Diary: 1874
Anna's Diary: 1875
Anna's Diary: 1876
Epilogue: Anna's Last Days
Appendix A: Constitution of the First New Church Sabbath School
Appendix B: Anna's Sunday School Records
Appendix C: Miscellaneous Material
Appendix D: Residences of Anna
Appendix E: J. F. Potts on Philadelphia, a contemporary Swedenborgian report
Appendix F: Anna's Last Will and Testament
Appendix G: Chronicles of the First New Jerusalem Society of Philadelphia
Directory of Entities in the Diary of Anna Keyser Baker
References
