Oscar Knight Diaries, 1898-1900

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Oscar Knight Diaries
Creator
Knight, Oscar Le Maistre, 1888-1961
Collection Number
AIS.2021.14
Extent
.21 Linear Feet (2 volumes)
Date
1898-1900
Abstract
Consisting of two handwritten diaries by Oscar Knight from 1898-1900 which contain information about the Knight family's travels from Australia to England and America as well as their life in Pittsburgh. Oscar describes his and his family's church and Sunday school attendance as well as trips to the library, zoo, and other outings.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Processing Information

The diaries were processed by Dana Ludgate in October 2022.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from James Cummins Bookseller of New York, New York, in May 2021.

Biographical / Historical

Oscar Le Maistre Knight (1888-1961) was born in England to Australian parents, father John Phillip Knight (1860-1916) and mother Harriet Smith Knight (1860-1943). The family consisted of Oscar's older brother Eric Smith Knight (1886-1970) born in England and their younger sister Estelle Mary Knight (1890-1971) born in Australia.

Prior to settling in Pittsburgh, the Knights resided in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for a short period, where they made friends that they remained in contact with following their relocation to Pittsburgh. In Harrisburg the family attended the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, located near the Pennsylvania State Capital. During the family's time in Pittsburgh the Knights lived and went to school in the Highland Park neighborhood. The family resided at 5538/5542 Stanton Avenue. Oscar and his brother attended Fulton School on North St. Clair Street. The family were all avid churchgoers and Oscar and his siblings regularly attended Sunday school and from evidence provided in Oscar's diary, it appears that they attended Emory Methodist Episcopal Church on Highland Avenue. By 1901, the Knight family left Pittsburgh and returned to Australia where they all lived for the remainder of their lives.

Following their return to Australia, Oscar Knight obtained higher education at Newington College in Sydney, and in 1911 graduated from Sydney University. He became an Civil Engineer by profession and appears to have travelled for work often based on passenger lists in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He would also work for his father's hardware business for a time. He married Elizabeth Ellen Gerrard on January 11, 1919. They were known to have had atleast two daughters. Oscar Knight died December 17, 1961 in Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia.

Sources: Who's Who in Australia (1938), U. S. Census Records (1900), and records found on Ancestry.com.

Scope and Contents

The diaries document two years in the life of Oscar Knight and his family. Their content offers insight into the experience of immigrating to the United States in 1889 and information on Pittsburgh in the industrial age from the perspective of a twelve-year-old immigrant from Australia.

Preferred Citation

Oscar Knight Diaries, 1898-1900, AIS.2021.14, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Subjects

    Personal Names

    • Knight, Oscar Le Maistre, 1888-1961 -- Diaries
    • Knight, Oscar Le Maistre, 1888-1961 -- Travel

    Geographic Names

    • Highland Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.) -- Social life and customs
    • United States -- Emigration and immigration

    Genres

    • Diaries

    Other Subjects

    • Boys -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Diaries
    • School children -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Diaries
    • Christian children -- Religious life -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List

Oscar Knight's Diary #1, November 17, 1898- October 29, 1899
Containers
box 1, folder 1

Scope and Contents

Oscar Knight's first diary records his and his family's time traveling from Australia, through Europe and eventually to Pittsburgh. The diary is bound in quarter cloth and has marbled boards. Inside the front cover he wrote his name, wrote the address of the boarding home where the family stayed, and stamped his name. There is a bold handwritten script of "Diary" on the first page with adornments drawn on either side. Two pages are cut out by the May 2nd 1899 entry. The diary records Oscar's life aboard the German mail ship P.R. Lutpold during the journey to England stopping at Aden, Port Said, and Genoa and records the family's outings, schooling, and other activities from their boarding house in Southampton, England. From there he records the family's journey across the Atlantic to Hoboken, New Jersey and their time in Hoboken waiting to move on to their new home in Pittsburgh.

Oscar Knight's Diary #2, October 30, 1899- October 22, 1900
Containers
box 1, folder 2

Scope and Contents

Oscar Knight's second diary includes entries describing his daily activities in school or at home as well as outings with friends or family. The diary is bound in quarter morocco and marbled boards, with a perished spine. Pasted on the inside of the back cover is a clipping from the newspaper with 5 portrait sketches of the commanders of the allied forces marching on Peking, referring to the Battle of Peking in August 1900. The diary records Oscar's daily activities in Pittsburgh, including moving to the family's new home, going to Sunday school, playing baseball or other games with his brother Eric and friends from school, biking to Highland Park, and attending Naturalists Club for boys at the Carnegie Library. Oscar records his visits to a Carnegie Steel Mill, the Heinz Factory, Schenley Park, and the zoo. Additionally, he records visits at his school and the library from Pittsburgh scholars, such as Dr. William J. Holland and John Brashear.