#ArchivesBookLove

In a collection full of great Plano history, one of our favorite pieces is a prime example of #ArchivesBookLove. One of the first donations to the archives collection was the original diary of Lizzie Mathews Carpenter (1876-1880). The archives has five volumes of her diaries, although the others are transcriptions of the originals.

Elizabeth Mathews was born October 12, 1832 in Kentucky. After marrying Robert Washington Carpenter in 1851, they moved to Texas in 1852 to settle on an adjoining farm to her brother Benjamin Franklin Matthews. The five volumes of Lizzie’s diaries in the archives span from 1857 to 1890 and provide a detailed perspective on life in the early years of Plano. Stories of cattle drives and making molasses are found throughout the pages, while doodles and notes in the margins give the diary character that helps the reader get to know Lizzie and the founding families of Plano better.

To read the Lizzie Matthews Carpenter diaries, visit the Collin County Images website.