Temporary record

A journal including a daily record of the health and activities John Williams, a farm laborer living in rural western Massachusetts. Williams' journal entries are extremely brief, providing little detail, but there are very few days on which he did not record something. Williams' primary activities are related to carpentry and miscellaneous tasks essential to the running of a farm (framing, drawing timber, chopping wood, mowing, haying, etc). Most of these appear to have been carried out one contract (?) for other members of the community. Williams also frequently recorded important events in the community, including births, deaths, visits to and from neighbors, elections, religious and social gatherings and the appointment and dismissal of preachers.

Six of the documents concern property owned by members of the Keith family of western Massachusetts between 1821 and 1849. The eighth document appoints Anna Williams, Hampshire Co., Mass., as gaurdian of her minor children following the death of her husband

M-2577

Subjects

Farmers--Massachusetts

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