Recently at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a diary documenting the life of a freed black woman, Emilie (Emily) Davis, was restored. Emilie Davis was a young black woman living in Pennsylvania who began writing in her journal the day President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. She expresses that she was thankful that her life had been spared. She also mentioned that every black church opened its doors on January 1, 1863 to celebrate their new freedom.
