Edwin B. Hancock (1856-1916) was a sixteen-year old Austin schoolboy when he began his diary in November 1872. His lawyer father, John Hancock, migrated to Austin, Texas in 1847 to join his brother, a merchant. He held a number of offices, including serving in the U. S. House of Representatives. Edwin was an only child, who followed his father's path to a career as a lawyer and engaged in social and civic activities. While his parents were in Washington, D.C., Edwin stayed in Austin with the family of his closest friend, James Raymond. They both attended the S. G. Sneed Private School, one of six private schools in the town.
Source:
Graff, Harvey J. “Conflicting paths: growing up in American”. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
The Edwin B. Hancock Diary, 1872-1873, includes clippings and daily accounts of Edwin B. Hancock’s activities as a schoolboy at the S. G. Sneed Private School in Austin, TX. The materials relate to Hancock's pastimes and comments on political and commercial activities of Austin, as well as growing up in the middle class in Austin, Texas, capital city and frontier town.
This collection is open for research use.
Hancock (Edwin B.) Diary, 1872-1873, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
Graff, Harvey J. Conflicting paths: growing up in America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995. TXC-ZZ HN 57 G64 1995.