Perhaps your New Year’s resolutions include a self-documentation project, like more frequent updates on Facebook, Twitter, or even a good old-fashioned diary? For inspiration, we present Iowa Byington Reed (1851-1936), an Iowa City native, teacher, seamstress, and housewife who wrote daily diary entries covering her life from age twenty to just a few weeks before her death at age eighty-four. Now part of the holdings of the Iowa Women’s Archives, all of Byington Reed’s diaries were recently digitized and added to Iowa Digital Library.

Excerpted below are just a few of her January 1sts, with transcriptions courtesy of our volunteers at DIY History.

Jan. 1, 1872: Did not teach today nor did we have company as we usually do. It was the busiest day I have put in for some time if I only work so well all the year I will accomplish wonders. But according to rule a good beginning makes a bad ending hope I will prove an exception… Mr Huebner called a few minutes this afternoon enjoyed his call very much. In the evening sewed on the waist of my black dress, retired early as I was suffering with a severe cold Recieved from Mr McSparen the sum of $26.00 my wages for the first month I taught Thus ends the first day of the week and the first day of the new year.
http://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/transcribe/scripto/transcribe/172/14612

1874: What a lovely day for the first of the new year. As soon as Hattie and I got the morning work done We got into the buggy and took a drive over to the depot to see if Winnie had come… We got Emma Middleton in the buggy with us and went down to Jim McCallister’s. We found Grandma and Grandpa there. Aunt Mary had an excellent dinner and we enjoyed our visit very much indeed. Came home in good season. I sewed all the evening. Altogether I was well pleased with the manner in which I spent the day. We heard from Father today. I never saw so pleasant a January 1st it was a remarkable winter day. Emma came home with us to stay all night.
http://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/transcribe/scripto/transcribe/163/13279

1875: …I helped Aunty a little and spent the day very pleasantly. The weather was not very pleasant, I thought a great many times today of what a beautiful day last New Years was and how Hattie and I enjoyed ourselves driving around town and spending the day at Uncle Jim McCallisters. In the evening I wrote a little and looked over my old diary and indulged in a retrospective view of the past year. I most sincerely hope that I will not know some of the sorrow this year I did last.  I find it very lonesome without Jennie. I wrote a note to Clarence tonight and wrapped up his scarf ready to take to Lewis tomorrow.
http://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/transcribe/scripto/transcribe/146/10299

1876: Rain. Who ever saw the like on New Years day. How fashionable we were today. Breakfast at nine, dinner at three, and supper at nine. Hattie and I worked all of the day and part of the night making a pair of lamp mats for the parlor. We played a few games of cards in the evening. Mr. Bently and I playing partners against Rob and Hattie. This surely has not been a pleasant new year But with me a happy and comfortable one.
http://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/transcribe/scripto/transcribe/148/10569

1899: It was late when we got up this morning and after doing up the work went up to the cemetery  It was a very cold forenoon  We all but Lee ate dinner down at Otts. Will and I started home early in the afternoon. We had things all put away and supper ready by six oclock. I read in the evening. What I wonder is in store for us this year.
http://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/transcribe/scripto/transcribe/167/13781

1912: The first day of the week and the year and it is 40 years today since I began keeping diary.  This was a good sharp winter day.  The folks with [Elvis?] Anderson came out for dinner.  [Lorie Folty?] was with them of course.  I got along nicely with my dinner and they seemed to enjoy it.  The girls did not go home till 5:15.  After that i washed the dinner dishes and got us some supper.  May we be spared the sorrow in this year to come we passed through in the last.
http://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/transcribe/scripto/transcribe/159/12535