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There is no name on the diary itself. Nor was there a Rufus Bragdon listed in documents related to the Bragdon family. How did we establish his identity?
Although the diary itself does not provide the identity of the its author, it does provide clues. The author was a young man still living at home with his parents. The references to his daily activities give us clues to his home – somewhere within easy travel of Berwick, Ogunquit, Mt. Agamenticus with easy access to transportation to Portland. According to census records the only Rufus Bragdon living in Maine was too old to be our author. From this, we drew the conclusion that “Rufus” was a nickname.