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Journal of a Young Farmer
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The Life of a Local Young Farmer
This journal was written in 1822 and describes the life of a young farmer who attended school sporadically because of his work. The teacher assigned keeping a journal to encourage his learning skills. Though the boy may not have been well educated, his every day activities show his ability and self sufficiency. His daily record offers a colorful story of agrarian life in early America.
The boy attended White's Academy, which was located on the corner of White School Road and Route 130 just south of Mt. View Inn in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The property for the school was donated to the school board in 1817, and down the road is the original stone farm house built by John and James White in 1776. Springhill Furniture and Gifts currently resides in this historic structure. Well preserved and beautiful, both the home and the journal help us appreciate even more the virtue of hard work which helped make America great.
Both a string bound lithograph of the original and a transcribed
version of the journal are included in the package. The transcribed version includes
comments which describe the meaning of certain words and phrases which are no longer
common in our vocabulary. $19.95 per set mailed anywhere
in the U.S.A., |
The following text is as it appears in
the journal, no spelling or punctuation has been changed.
Editors comments appear at the end of each page.
-1-
February 20, 1822 A journal wherein I intend to write down whatever is in the bounds of me knowledge
W. This day am twentyone. I shaved a riddle rim for William Whites riddle. I then begun to mend Mothers shoes when Chapman Rose, and Joseph Dougherty came to make cider. I helped them some and finished the shoes.
T. 21 This morning was cloudy and we expected rain, but it cleared off. I went this morning to the mill and bought an axe from Charles Cunningham, got six pound and a quarter of iron, came to the mill got my grist and came home. I then helped them with their cider which they finished and went home. This evening do not feel very well however I mended Charles Cunningham shoe.
Comments:
shaved: made it smooth shaped it by cutting or paring the surface with a shaving tool such as a draw knife, spoke shave etc.
riddle: an instrument for cleaning grain, being a large sieve with a perforated bottom which permits the grain to pass through but retains the shaft.
Grist: corn or grain to be ground or which has been ground
-4-
Th. 14 I broke flax and finished it
Fr. 15 was the day of the election. we cleaned some of the oats and went to the election
Sa. 16 I went to town with some mint to pay the doctor, settled off the old account and got forty-eight cents credit on the new. I took a dozen and 41 cuts of tow yarn along for which I got half a quarter of ten
Mo. 18 I went to ask hands to the scutching. I went to Gilmore's, thence to John's, thence to Buchannons and so home I then went to Hugh Watts come home and spread some dung
Tues. 19 I went this morning early to Andrew Ruses, Jacob Ruses, and David Mcdowels for scitchers came home hauled some wood and some dung
We. 20 We had our scutching
Comments:
mint: an aromatic plant, such as spearmint or peppermint, that when distilled produces a odiferous and pungent essential oil. For colds, upset stomach and even more ailments.
tow yarn: The fiber of flax, hemp or jute prepared for spinning by some process of scutching.
scitchers: not sure of this word, however he may have meant scutcher which is a tool used in scutching
-14-
May
We.1 I went out and sprouted till breakfast time and ploughed from that till night. The mare eat a little chopt feed
Th.2 I ploughed till 5 oclock and then hauled five loads of dung on the garden
Fr3 I ploughed till breakfast and then went to Gilmores choping frolick
Sat.4 I harrowed in the flax in the little orchard hauled five loads of wood and two loads of dung
Sabathday. The wind blew from the northwest cold and it cleared up in the evening.
Mon 6 White frost this morning but I think it has not hurt the furit much I hauled twelve loads of dung and eight loads of stones
Tu. 7 I hauled four loads of dung and two loads of stones went to the muster came home at five o'clock and set up fourteen posts of the garden fence.
We. 8 I built some garden fence and ploughed two hundred and eighteen row.
Comments:
chopping frolick: what they were chopping we don't know, however, we think fire wood or fence posts. Maybe clearing for a new field.
harrowed: harrow, a frame of timber set with teeth or spikes on one side to be dragged over ploughed land breaking the clods and furrows and preparing the land for seed or to cover the seed.
muster: To assemble under arms for review, parade, exercise and inspection. To assemble as soldiers to form an army.
-16-
Tue.14 I ploughed today at dinner time I planted twenty hills of potatoes and fixed my little yoke some the sign is in the legs
We.15 I ploughed the oak trees are beginning to put out briskly the sign was in the fist these days
Th.16 I was stiring the flax ground
F17 I harrowed the flax ground and Alexe sowed it I then harrowed twice over the sign is in the head
Sa.18 I ploughed a land of the oats ground extending through the new ground across the foot of the flax
Sabathday19 there was preaching but I did not go for my shoes were too bad
Mo.20 I had harrowed the corn ground over on Saturday evening I began this morning and listed out the corn ground and got some of it planted when it came rain I then mended my shoes
Comments:
sign: He is planting at this time. We can only guess the sign refers to the planting. According to the Farmers Almanac, the farmers of that day used astronomy for guidance in planting, harvesting and plowing, etc.
listed: He laid out or staked out a boundry indicating that which would be the corn ground or where the corn was to be planted.
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