Dr. Nathaniel Pendleton was a physician serving the residents of Gouldsboro, Maine from the mid-1830s until his death in 1877. In addition to his medical duties, he served as justice of the peace and post master, and was involved in shipping and fishing businesses. He documented his daily activities and financial transactions in a “pocket diary” for an unknown number of years.
Diaries from 1852 – 1874 have been preserved and protected by six generations of descendants. In August 2021, the Pendleton descendants graciously loaned the existing fragile diaries to GHS for scanning so they could be made available to the public. In addition to the diaries, you can read a concise biography of the doctor and his wife.
The diaries document everyday life in Gouldsboro, Maine from the perspective of the local doctor. His “calls” to patients at all hours of the day and night reveal the challenges he encountered, including traveling between villages, diagnosing illnesses, and treating conditions under the medical limitations of the time. His struggle to contain the diphtheria epidemic of 1862 is heroic and heartbreaking. Fees are noted but payment is often delayed or bartered.
The diaries provide countless opportunities for future research and serve as a primary source for births, deaths, funerals, and marriages in Gouldsboro. They provide insight into transportation, businesses, and medical practices of the era, as well as to the daily lives of the people of 19th C. Gouldsboro.