Mollie Francisco Diary, 1862-1876

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Francisco, Mollie (Mary Frances Warren Dickson Francisco)
Title
Mollie Francisco Diary
Dates
1862-1876
Quantity
1 folder
Collection Number
Collection 1066, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Mollie Francisco Diary contains sporadic entries starting in 1862 and ending in 1876. Entries include references to contemporary events such as the 1864 invasion of Missouri by Confederate troops commanded by General Sterling Price and the sinking of the steamboat Cora on the Missouri River in 1865. Also included are comments on family and personal matters which include time spent in Montana, descriptions of domestic life, neighbors, and family members predominating. Some genealogical notes and transcriptions of relative’s letters dealing with family history are also included.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Mary Frances Warren Dickson (Mollie Francisco) was born in Dover, Missouri in March, 1842. She apparently had a good education and worked as a school teacher before her family left Missouri in 1865 for Montana. The Dicksons traveled by steamboat on the Missouri River to Fort Benton and then traveled overland to the Gallatin Valley where they settled. In 1867 Mollie married Charles Francisco in Virginia City and the couple eventually had at least three children. The Franciscoes moved back to Missouri in 1869, returning to Montana sometime around the turn of the century. Mollie Francisco died in Montana on October 1, 1916 at the age of 74.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The diary of Mollie Francisco contains sporadic entries starting in 1862 and ending in 1876. Mollie’s entries are more reflective than descriptive, and although there are references to contemporary events such as the 1864 invasion of Missouri by Confederate troops commanded by General Sterling Price and the sinking of the steamboat Cora on the Missouri River in 1865, there are far more comments on family and personal matters. The time spent in Montana is covered briefly, with descriptions of domestic life, neighbors, and family members predominating. Some genealogical notes and transcriptions of relative’s letters dealing with family history are also included.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

A typed transcription of an original diary created by Mary Dickson Francisco was loaned to Montana State University for photocopying by her granddaughter, Ellen Nora Townsend of Highwood, Montana in 1969. Townsend had done the transcription herself. In 1973, Albert Francisco of Pocatello, Idaho, loaned a second copy of the transcript for the same purpose. The present location of the original document is unknown.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2018 November 7

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top