Special Collections: Anna Maria Maskell Diaries

Anna "Annie" Maria Maskell was born in 1831 in Salem, New Jersey. She was the daughter of John Wood Maskell and Sarah Ann Mulford. She married twice: Caleb Fogg in 1851, and after his death, she married Jeremiah Anderson in 1874. She and Caleb had 5 children – Albert, Melvina, Lucy, Emma, and Abigail. Annie died in 1904 and is buried in the Canton Baptist Church Cemetery in Canton, Salem County. 

The transcripts in this collection are a typed recording of the contents of various diaries or journals. The earliest volume starts on March 7, 1850, before her marriage to Caleb Fogg, and ends on July 18, 1851. The next volume begins January 1, 1881, and subsequent volumes continue without gaps until January 24, 1900. There is no indication if diaries exist for the period from 1851 to 1880. 

The contents of the diary entries cover topics like the weather, religious meeting attendance, daily chores, gatherings with friends and family, and comments on her daily life. 

Whoever transcribed the diaries appears to be a descendant of Annie’s, as there are various editorial comments to clarify passages from the diary. There is no indication if she kept additional diaries; 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.

There are also copies of family group charts for Annie and her children prepared in 1999 by Harriet Hancock Fogg Grady Harris and 2 photographs – one of Caleb and Annie and one of their oldest son Albert with his family. 

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

While Stockton University’s Bjork Library’s Special Collection and Archives owns the collection, Stockton may not own the copyright for all of the items. Researchers wishing to reproduce materials are responsible for obtaining the proper permissions.