COLLECTION DESCRIPTION
The diary contains brief daily accounts (3 to a page) of the boy's daily activities consisting mostly of school, church meetings, chores, purchasing food and supplies, and visiting friends as well as what visitors his family received. It covers January to December of 1865 with some months apparently torn out. The condition of the diary is poor and since much is written in pencil, whole sections are illegible. Since Meeker was quite young when these accounts were written there are no real insights of depth, but only simple accounts such as, "Attended school today." Much of December is used for itemized lists of goods with prices and there are five poems or notes written to him by friends and family in the "Memoranda" section.
Dates
- January-December 1865.
Creator
- Townsend, J. Meeker, 1852-1927. (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Meeker Townsend was a 13-year-old boy at the time he wrote his diary and resided in Townsendville, Seneca County, N.Y. His father was John Townsend (b. May 18, 1810) and his mother was Emeline Meeker. He was the eighth of nine children and apparently became a medical doctor. (See History of Seneca County, N.Y. 1786-1876. Philadelphia, 1876.)
Extent
1 microfilm reels. (1 microfilm reels.)
Abstract
Diary kept by a 13 year old boy from Townsendville, Seneca County. Includes accounts of everyday life including school, church, visitors, weather, and chores, which consisted of threshing flax and caring for his own sheep. Much of December is used for itemized lists of goods with prices and there are five poems or notes written to him by friends and family in the memoranda section.
Physical Description
Microfilm.
General
- Contact Information:
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3530 Fax: (607) 255-9524 rareref@cornell.edu http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
- Compiled by:
- J.W.
- Date completed:
- Dec. 1978
- EAD encoding:
- Andrea Hektor, June 2004
- Date modified:
- Marcie Farwell, February 2015
- Boys -- Diaries.
- Diaries.
- Families -- New York (State) -- Townsendsville.
- Poems.
- Seneca County (N.Y.) -- Religious life and customs.
- Seneca County (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs.
- Seneca County (N.Y.) -- Study and teaching.
- Townsendsville (N.Y.) -- Religious life and customs.
- Townsendsville (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs.
- Townsendsville (N.Y.) -- Study and teaching.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Compiled by J.W.
- Date
- June 2004
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Repository
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-3530
607-255-9524 (Fax)
rareref@cornell.edu