Martha McMillan Research Papers
Document Type
Research Paper
Publication Date
1-13-2025
Keywords
Martha McMillan, journal, daily life, Cedarville, history
Abstract
A nineteenth-century Midwestern farmer’s wife and mother of ten, Martha’s days were filled with continuous labor for her family and community. This paper examines the significance of rest and the Sabbath in the structure of Martha McMillan's daily life as reflected in her 1880s journals. Exploring the relationship between the literary structure of Martha’s journals and the structure of her life suggests that both are centered around the idea of a Sabbath. For Martha, Sunday served as a physical and spiritual day of rest, which she referred to as her "Sabbath." The paper argues that this Sabbath not only structured her days and journals but also provided the rest and strength, both spiritually and physically, that enabled her to accomplish the extensive work documented in her journals and legacy.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Knierim, Rachel V., "The Structure of Daily Life in Martha McMillan’s 1889 Journal" (2025). Martha McMillan Research Papers. 29.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/mcmillan_research_papers/29
Copyright
https://www.cedarville.edu/Why-Cedarville/Copyright-Infringement-Notification.aspx
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Animal Sciences Commons, Christianity Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Education Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons
About this Collection
The McMillan Journal Collection is an archive of the journals of Martha McMillan of Cedarville, Ohio, who maintained a daily journal from 1867 until her death in 1913.