“Ordinary Days in Revolutionary Times” Blog
An extraordinary find.
A rare first-person Pennsylvania German voice.
Most Revolutionary-era sources about southeastern Pennsylvania come from English-speaking elites — officers, ministers, or government officials. Maria Keely’s recollections are one of the very few surviving first-person narratives from an ordinary Pennsylvania German woman. Her perspective captures the daily life of people who made up the majority in this region but whose voices were almost never recorded.
About this 250th Anniversary Project
About the Project – Your mission statement, why you’re doing this, what makes it special
The Recollections of Maria Keely
About Maria Grimley Keely – Her biography, life story, why her account matters
The Philadelphia Campaign
About 1777: The Context – Brief overview of the Revolutionary War that autumn
Who are the Pennsylvania Dutch?
About the Pennsylvania Dutch – Cultural/historical context for readers unfamiliar with the topic