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Elizabeth Drinker
Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker (c. 1735-1807) was a Quaker woman of 18th century America who kept a diary from 1758 to 1807. This 2,100 page diary was first published in 1889. The three volume version was published again in 1991 and edited in 1994. This diary sheds light on 18th century life in Philadelphia, gender roles, political issues and the Revolutionary War, and emerging medical practices.

Personal Life
Elizabeth Drinker was born on February 27, 1735 to her parents, William and Sarah Sandwith. After being courted by the young merchant, Henry Drinker, they married on January 13, 1761. Both Elizabeth and Henry were members of the Society of Friends in the Quaker faith. Elizabeth functioned as a housewife while Henry Drinker was a partner of the James & Drinker shipping and importing firm. Elizabeth and Henry had five children that all survived to adulthood: Sarah, Ann, William, Henry, and Mary. Her affluence, due to her husband's employment, and her own education allowed for her to keep a diary of her life for 50 years.

Henry and Elizabeth had a companionate marriage that reflected more of a partnership than a patriarchal structure. This can be depicted by the letters between the two after Henry was taken to Masonic Lodge, as many Quakers were for their pacifist believes regarding the American Revolutionary War. From her journal entries and the 67 letters between them, it is evident that Henry encouraged Elizabeth to do as she saw fit to continue running the house in his absence. He was away for 7 months and in order to get through this, she relied on her domestic skills, support from friends and family, and her religious beliefs. In addition, Mary Sandwith, her sister, lived with them for most of her life. She was the primary caregiver for her children, especially for her son William, who struggled with chronic illness. As such, she often depended on servants. She discussed this in her diary and highlighted the changes in domestic service in 18th century including the beginnings of it becoming a waged occupation. Though Henry and Elizabeth had a generally happy marriage, she was often frustrated with how often he left the family for work, as even after the children were adults and they were in their old age, he continued to work as a merchant. Elizabeth Drinker died on November 24, 1807 while Henry lived for another two years.

The Diary
The diary ran from 1758-1807 and is broken down into four parts: Youth and courtship (1755-61), Young wife and mother (1762-75), Middle age in years of crisis (1776-93), and Grandmother (1794-1807). Her diary begins with her youth and social life to her eventual station as a matriarch of a Quaker household and member of the Quaker elite. It is noted that her initial entries focused on her sister and husband. However, once she became a mother, her entries were centered around her maternal duties. Her entries regarding her husband, and particularly his absence, shed light on the gender roles of the Quaker society.

Elizabeth Drinker, like other women of the time, was engaged in politics. In her diary, she wrote extensively regarding her political, Federalist views, mostly during the 1790s. Elizabeth lived during a time of political struggle between the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. She paid attention to the pamphlet wars in her entries but mainly focused on the Federalist ideas. She expressed opinions regarding the political violence of the time and her opinions regarding the election process. She also wrote about the French Revolution that was occurring. Her entries regarding Henry's arrest and time in prison, also communicated information regarding the relationship between theAmerican Revolutionary War and the Quakers.

In addition to the political and social views in the diary, she also wrote about medical practices during the 18th century. Through the diary, she explored the progression of having no cure for smallpox to the spread of inoculation and vaccination. She also addressed the spread of yellow fever. She writes, "I wrote to Molly to endeavor to persuade her to have her children vaccinated instead of inoculated, for small pox." She additionally kept records detailing her family's health and activities.