Series 1. Journals, 1840–1888

This series includes 44 journals written by Strother which document his multifaceted career and cover the years 1840-1888. The journals chronicle his time in Europe as a young artist in the 1840s, his travels throughout the United States as a writer and illustrator for Harper's Magazine, his service as a topographer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War, his involvement in operating the Berkeley Springs Hotel, and his work as consul to Mexico from 1878-1885. Entries contain detailed accounts of Strother's daily life, as well as commentary on topics such as politics, art, languages, health, weather, and events of local and national interest. Many journals contain sketches, as well as poems, stories, and transcriptions of song lyrics. A highlight of this series is found in Journal 3, which contains Strother's notes on John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, WV in October 1859.

Strother's Civil War journals have been abridged by Cecil Eby and published as A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War: The Diaries of David Hunter Strother. His journals from his tenure as consul to Mexico have been edited by John Stealey and published as Porte Crayon's Mexico: David Hunter Strother's Diaries in the Early Porfirian Era.