Helen Lansing Grinnell was married to George Blake Grinnell, a New York City banker. She made entries in this diary between January 2, 1859 and May 27, 1867 at Audubon Park, New York City, so that her son, Frank Lansing Grinnell, might later be able to view his childhood through his mother's eyes. The diary records family life and Frank's upbringing from age six to fourteen with mention of George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938) and with comments on events during the United States Civil War, including the draft riots in New York and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The diary also mentions an 1862 visit to Brattleboro, Vermont; Greenfield, Massachusetts; Gill, Massachusetts; and neighboring towns. Family illnesses, especially scarlet fever, are documented in detail in the diary
