William Longstreet Diaries

William Longstreet Diaries

William Longstreet Diaries Collection consists of William Longstreet’s diaries, covering the years 1931 and 1933-1942, and excerpts from the diaries of William Longstreet, Sr., 1931-1933 thru 1942 extracted and compiled for family members by William Longstreet III in June 2000. The volume includes photocopies of selected diary pages covering various dates and events.

William Longstreet was born November 20, 1868, in Middlesex County, New Jersey to William and Mary Ann Longstreet. The family moved to Kentucky in the 1870s. William married Emma Durr and they had eight children: Mary, Virginia, Rose, William, Margaret, Albert, Howard, and Violet. He worked as a salesman, grocery owner, notary, and license inspector for the City of Covington from 1930-1932. Longstreet was embroiled in a controversy when the Covington City Manager fired him without cause from the position in March 1932. Longstreet was active in civic affairs, serving on the Covington Board of Health and with the Latonia-Rosedale Commercial Club. He also wrote numerous letters to the editor on politics and was a member of The Colonel Clay Masonic Lodge. Longstreet died on August 15, 1942, of a heart attack and is buried in Highland Cemetery.