A memorial account; a history composed from personal experience and memory; an account of transactions or events (usually written in familiar style) as they are remembered by the writer. See History, 2.  [1913 Webster]

 A memorial of any individual; a biography; often, a biography written without special regard to method and completeness.  [1913 Webster]

 An account of something deemed noteworthy; an essay; a record of investigations of any subject; the journals and proceedings of a society.  [1913 Webster]