# L6:3 Extra - Emelie Davis' Diaries

Emelie Davis was a student at the Institute for Colored Youth in the 1860s. Emelie wrote these diaries during the Civil War. 

For those who want to move into primary sources, visit this [__beautiful digital project__](https://davisdiaries.villanova.edu/january_19-21_1863/) by Dr. Judith Giesberg and the team at Villanova. Emelie wrote these diaries when she was a student as the Institute for Colored Youth during the Civil War. 

[*__Notes from a Colored Girl__*](https://bookshop.org/p/books/notes-from-a-colored-girl-the-civil-war-pocket-diaries-of-emilie-frances-davis-karsonya-wise-whitehead/9595344?ean=9781611173529), Karsonya White Whitehead’s phenomenal research into Emelie Davis’ diaries, are another great way to feel what day-to-day life was like in the Philadelphia Black Metropolis.  


 ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/9157adf3-f1f7-41c8-9762-5e0ed60f1789/57f33b9b-1968-4bdc-9148-cc90adaba6aa/image.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261030%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261030T053000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=3c632988fac32c3fbbdf038a20a12fadea990e4e3d7a2e02ca65d9add74cd1be&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =275x421")


If you're in Philadelphia, follow this read up with a visit to see the *actual diaries* at the [__Historical Society of Pennsylvania__](https://www.hsp.org).   


And check out this [__beautiful digital project__](https://davisdiaries.villanova.edu/january_19-21_1863/) by Dr. Judith Giesberg and the team at Villanova. 

Here’s author Karsonya Wise Whitehead describing daily life for Emelie Davis in Philadelphia during the 1860s. 


[https://youtu.be/ZE2txjLvbq4?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/ZE2txjLvbq4?feature=shared)