"Windows to the Past" programs involve students, teachers, parents, scholars, senior citizens, genealogists and others in the intriguing process of transcribing and annotating 19th century diaries.

In the process, the research teams learn about the lives and times of local people of long ago, and become proficient in database entry and querying as they help build the Virtual Yesterday diary database.

Students research the people, places and events mentioned in the diary to open a "window to the past".

The Diary of Zenas Brett, 1874, Brookline, MA

This diary was transcribed by 7th and 8th grade student researchers at Brookline's Edward B. Devotion School, thanks to a grant from the Brookline Community Fund.