Special Collections: Abigail Mulford Fogg Diary

Abigail "Abbie" Mulford Fogg was born in 1863 in Alloway, Salem County, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Caleb Street Fogg and Anna Maria Maskell. Abbie married William Finlaw Shimp in 1883 - after the diary concludes, but he is mentioned in many entries. They had 6 children – Benjamin, Sarah, Mina, Nellie, Harriet, and James. Abbie died in 1919 and is buried in the Canton Baptist Church Cemetery in Canton, Salem County. 

This collection consists of a typed transcript of the contents of a diary dating from January 1, 1880, to October 31, 1882. Abbie was about 17 years old while she was writing the diary. The contents of the diary entries cover topics like the weather and school, religious meeting attendance, daily chores, gatherings with friends and family, and Abbie’s courtship with her future husband, Will Shimp. These entries provide a glimpse of the life of a teenager in South Jersey in the 1880s.  

Whomever transcribed the record appears to be a descendant of Abbie’s, as there are various editorial comments to clarify passages from the diary. There is no indication if Abbie kept additional diaries, and the original volume is presumably in a private family collection. This transcript was purchased at a yard sale and donated to Stockton University Special Collections in 2020.

Collection processed by Heather Perez, Special Collections Librarian, January 2025.

Stockton University does not own the rights to all of the items within this collection. Any researcher seeking to duplicate items within this collection are responsible for reaching out to the proper organizations to obtain permission or copyright on their own.