So We Move Along The Diaries of Lewis And Jacob L. Engelbrecht, 1882--1896

In 1818, Jacob Engelbrecht began recording events in and around Frederick, Maryland, in his diary. For nearly sixty years, he maintained a seamless chronicle of events, both important and trivial. First published by the Historical Society of Frederick County in 1976, his diary continues to serve as an essential resource for anyone studying life in Maryland in the nineteenth century. When Jacob Engelbrecht died in 1878, various family members took over the project of continuing his civic diary. His son, Philip, made a few entries, but he died within months of his father. Several more entries are contained at the end of the original diary, and Jacob’s grandson, Lewis W. Engelbrecht, seems to be responsible for most of them. A few years later, Lewis, now twenty-three years old, stepped into the breach and started a new ledger, continuing the project from 1882 to 1891. He died prematurely of Bright’s disease at the beginning of 1891, and his younger brother, Jacob L., took over the pen. Young Jacob was only seventeen years old, but he kept the diary for five years, until the beginning of 1896. Both authors understood their task to be a continuation of the work of their grandfather and followed his style and form to a certain extent. Lewis began his work by calling it a continuation of his grandfather’s diary and repeated its opening sentence. Jacob L. began his section with a reference to his grandfather and an ambitious pledge to continue the work to the end of his days.Historical Society of Frederick County is the author of 'So We Move Along The Diaries of Lewis And Jacob L. Engelbrecht, 1882--1896' with ISBN 9781413789843 and ISBN 1413789846.