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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Thomas L. Hisgen Jr. diary, 1920-1921, SC 0418, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Purchased from Tim Abbott Americana in December 2025.
Thomas L. Hisgen Jr. (1902-1973), originally from Massachusetts, attended Staunton Military Academy between at least 1920 and 1921. He was the son of Thomas L. Hisgen Sr. (1858-1925), politician and businessman in the oil industry, and Barbara Hisgen (1865-1933).
Diary kept by Thomas L. Hisgen Jr. while a student at Staunton Military Academy. The leather-bound standard diary documents Hisgen's daily entries starting on January 1, 1921 while on furlough in Massachusetts into May 1921. The daily entries include mentions of exams and studying, drills, reveille, inspections, letters and packages received, and social activities. Hisgen also detailed his personal finances in the back of the diary and kept a list of friends' names and address.
Loose materials include a Staunton post office box rental bill, a Staunton Military Academy request for explanation of behavior, and a photograph of cadets in the quadrangle. A caption on the back of the photograph reads: "General mount in quadrangle. Taken from vicinity of my room on third gallery. The arch is the only way out."