Welcome to A Hidden Diary, a website centered on Charles F. Thomas' diary from 1859-1861. Although Thomas' diary has been relatively hidden for over 150 years, this website hopes to illuminate the importance of this incredible document. In just two years, Thomas attended Dickinson College and Garrett Biblical Institute, preached on three Methodist circuits, saw John Brown as a prisoner at Harper's Ferry, met Abraham Lincoln in Evanston, Illinois, attended the Republican National Convention of 1860, wrote about South Carolina's seccession, Fort Sumter, and the Baltimore Riot of 1861, and experienced life as a unionist Republican in a secessionist family. He truly lived a remarkable life.