Living in Community: Friendship and Hospitality in Martha McMillan’s 1889 Journal

This paper explores the stories of friendship from that characterized the life of Martha McMillan in 1889. The stories reveal the nature of hospitality and community in Cedarville, Ohio, in the 19th century. – Editor’s Summar

Rainy Autumn Day

A young woman walks down a wet leaf strewn path with an orange umbrella.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_photo_contest_fall_2023/1097/thumbnail.jp

Connecting the Community: Transportation in the Life of Martha McMillan

Martha McMillan, a woman living in Cedarville, Ohio, in the late 19th century, lived a bustling life alongside her family and neighbors. Throughout her diaries, she often describes places to which she and/or others travel. This paper highlights the importance of travel to the McMillan family, and the modes of transportation the McMillans and others living in Cedarville during this time period used. Foot, horse and buggy, horseback, and railroad were all prominent forms of transportation. I will discuss each of these alongside instances where they are relevant to Martha. I cite both Martha’s Diary and historical research. In understanding the inner workings of transportation for the McMillans, one can better understand how they lived

Life After Work: Insight into the Social Life and Leisure of Martha McMillan

This essay discusses the social life of the McMillan family, recorded in Martha McMillan\u27s journal. Martha\u27s journals provide key insights into her Christian values of hard work and her intentionality in serving the community, while also finding rest and enjoyment. Her writing catalogs the many social events and leisure activities of her family and community in rural Ohio

The Structure of Daily Life in Martha McMillan’s 1889 Journal

A nineteenth-century Midwestern farmer’s wife and mother of ten, Martha’s days were filled with continuous labor for her family and community. This paper examines the significance of rest and the Sabbath in the structure of Martha McMillan\u27s daily life as reflected in her 1880s journals. Exploring the relationship between the literary structure of Martha’s journals and the structure of her life suggests that both are centered around the idea of a Sabbath. For Martha, Sunday served as a physical and spiritual day of rest, which she referred to as her Sabbath. The paper argues that this Sabbath not only structured her days and journals but also provided the rest and strength, both spiritually and physically, that enabled her to accomplish the extensive work documented in her journals and legacy

Contemplation and Dreams

A black and white picture of a boy leaning on a bridge.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_photo_contest_fall_2023/1096/thumbnail.jp

“Christmas with a Covenanter”: Martha McMillan’s Yuletide Experience

Christmas: whenever the modern American hears that word, the first thing that comes to mind is usually Santa Claus and his reindeer, or maybe the baby Jesus tucked into a manger on his neighbor\u27s front lawn. But it would surprise many Americans to learn that such traditions, even the very concept of this holiday, are relatively recent additions to the American mythos. This paper chronicles Martha McMillan\u27s encounter with the advent of this now-quintessential holiday to her native Ohio as recorded in her journal, and is supplemented by an additional array of contemporary sources offering their takes as well. Readers will uncover the truth about the origins of many traditions we now take for granted, as well as a store of tragically-lost trivia which shall doubtless leave them with a better understanding of their forebears\u27 habits when it came to merrymaking

Molière’s The Learned Ladies

Mooney\u27s adaptation is a comedic romp that satirizes intellectual obsession. The play follows the chaos that ensues when the pursuit of knowledge takes center stage at the insistence of Philaminte, the overly-pretentious lady-of-the-house. As wit and wisdom collide, the play delivers a lighthearted and humorous exploration of the absurdities surrounding intellectual snobbery.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/theatre_productions/1061/thumbnail.jp

Digital Services Logo and Tagline 2025

Digital Services is the Centennial Library team that updates and manages CedarCommons (repository and digital archives) and CedarScholar (faculty scholarly profiles) and Cedrus Press (faculty publishing services) for Cedarville University. Tricia Clark (Digital Services Specialist) designed a new logo in early 2025 to represent Digital Services and its mission. Important elements of the design include: World Map - global reach and readership Lines and Nodes - digital, connected, research path and data points CU Digital Services - an comprehensive name for the varied services provided by the team and the affiliation with Cedarville University. Gold and Navy - Cedarville University color palette Tagline - slightly modified from the 2012 original to read We share your work with the world

Travel and Transportation as a Reflection of Hospitality and Community in Martha McMillan’s 1889 Journal

This paper provides historical context for the McMillans’ trips to town, the family’s economic and community connection to the Cedarville township, Ohio, and the hospitality they showed toward their neighbors in Martha McMillan’s 1889 journal