Following is a diary generously donated by Theresa Ruffing. Many thanks to Theresa. She writes,

"One VERY interesting thing I have is a handwritten diary.  I am still trying to puzzle out who wrote it, I know it from the YOUNG Farm and belonged to the family of my gr-grandfather George Henry Wagner - adopted by the Young family. The writer of the diary mentions his 59th Birthday in the year 1867. The writer would have been born in 1808.
 
The diary started in 1865.  It states it was purchased in Canadauigua-Farmington June 21 1865.  It is a daily account of what was happening on the farm and the weather and births and deaths of neighbors and information on hired farm hands."


ADDED LATER:  "By now you know that this was written by John Young (8/18/1808 - 1892)  If you look at the page that has 1867 at the top and look at the date 8/18 you will see him mention his 59th Birthday.  John Young was actually the uncle to James A. Young.  I was always very confused about who wrote this Diary because I only knew the direct line and that James A. Young's father was William and he was born in 1810.
 
The 1870 Census shows John Powers living with the family as a farm hand.  He is mentioned in the diary.  The 1860 census also shows domestic help."



Bought this Book March the 8, 1865 in Canandaigua.

Farmington - June the 21 1865

John Win from Canada 1865 commenced work 3 months for $75 Dollars  Last time Days y6   ../1

September the 4 1865 William Slater commenced work for a few dayes from wales formly from Ireland

A C Clark Henderson Jefferson Co. hog man

(Page 2)

March the 4  Brother Ambrose Young came to my house on his way home from the state of Delaware

March 4    tapt maple trees

March 10  Brother Ambros went home Febuary the 1n   Drawed in hay O Big Barne

March 14   went to Rocheter horse power mended

March 15  went to william to saw wood muddy

March 16  water very high

March 16  went to Redfields Auction

March 18  bought 3 oxon for 250 dollars

March 20  thermometer 35 above freezing

March 20  went to Canandaigua as witnas

March 21  thermometer up to 78   warm da   At 8 oclock in the evening up to 65

March 27  yelow cow had her calf

March 31  went to Canandaigua    Also stopt and paid Joseph Wood $.428 Dollars on a note of 800 D

Aprile 3   commenced plowing for early

Aprile 5  commenced sowing clover seed

Aprile 4  Sold red on to Rusel Bush for 1.05 Dollars

Aprile the 6  went to Hiram Sheffield Auction

(Page 3)

1865     in the eavning

Aprile the 7   Cotton Dickinson Died Apriel 7   commenced sowing barly

Aprile 9   Went to Hirams after corn

Ap 11    finished sowing barly

Ap the 13    Sowed peas

Ap the 15   sowed cloverseed in chaff

Ap 16  Sow had 12 pigs

Ap the 16    Nathaniel C. Herendeens Child Died Age 1 yeare & 16 Dayes old

April 18  First Lamb

Ap 17   turned ews out to paster

Aprile the 23   peach blowes coming out fast

Apriel 29   warm and rain for the seas

May the 1   Thomas N. Bradbury Died

May 3     finished drawing out manure on corn ground

May 5    hevy thunder storm of rain and hale in afternoon

M 6     hevy rain all day, streems high for May

May 10   turned beef cattle out to pasture for the first

May 10 x 11  hevy rains   ground verry wet

May 12    went to victor to make out incom taxe    Also to mill   Got 20 bushels of corn ground

May 16 & 17    verry warm themotor up to 86 degrees

May 17   Nathan Aldrich Died  Age about 69 ye

(Page 4)

May 14th    S. Smith colt to pasture  1865

May 16   finished plowing corn ground

May 17   warme themonotor up to 84 til 5 in the afternoon then the wind turned to the north  themonotor down 60

May 20   commenced planting corn

May 21  Sow had 10 pigs   Conners Son

May 21   thunder shower quite heavy rain

May 24   sold sow 10 pigs to W. Redfield for 30 dollars

May 24   finished planting corn west of the house

May 23  3 of us planted corn for william

May 29   put bay mare to Kentuckey, whip Canandaigua

May 31 Portgibson mare had a mare colt  Fenhunter

May 31  Brother Oliver Young come from Michigan

June the 3  commenced work on the (?)

June the 8  washed sheep at freedon

June the 13  went to Rochester

June 13 Brother Oliver Young went home to Michigan   also his wife

June 14  bought new Democrat buggy of wache H Taber for $120 dollars

June 15  rainy  rain from the south

June 15  sold to James Kairn one pare of stone boat plank for 50 cents.

(Page 5)

1865 June the 15    Drove one pare of 4 yeares old oxon to victor for beef.  price $180 Dollars    also one stag 2 years old for $33 Dollars

June 17  18 & 19  very warm thermomotor 88 90

June 17   commenced to ho corn  very warm

June 19    went to Canandaigua

June 18    first swarm of bees

June the 22    the secont swarme of bees

June 26    commenced to sher sheep

July 1    Drawed my wool to Isace Lapham for 50 cents per pound   had 821 pounds

July 5    commenced haing in isaac meadow

July 8    Drawed in hay with 2 teems

July 8    commenced cutting wheat

July 14 & 15   drawed in wheat

July 16    rainy day   rain from the S. East

July 17    went to freedn to mill

July 18   finished drawing in wheat

July 19   commenced drawing barly   rainy in the afternoon

July 19    short tale yelow cow went to bull

July 29    Nathan Smith took colt home

August 2    red cow fany to bull

August 16   white heiffer to bull

(Page 6)

August 16    finished haing   also cloverseed Front place

August 19    old red cow to Nats Herendeens bull

Aug 23   Young red cow fanny to bull

Agust 28    Sold one pare of red oxon for $175 Dollars

Aug 29  went to Shortsvill   paid for plowpoint

September 2   commenced thrashing wheat

Sept 5    finished thrashing wheat had 340 bushels

Sept 6    went to Canandaigua   bough timothy seed   5.50 per bushel

Sept 7    white heiffer to bull 3d time

Sept 7    commenced sowing wheat on isaac meadow

Sept 8    fine rain   sowd one piece of wheat

Sept 9    in the eavning fine rain

Sept 11   rainy in the afternoon

Sept 11   went to Fredon to mill Bazreare

Sept 15   sowd wheat on the hill south  15 bushels

Sept 18    rainey day  Northeast storm  cold rain storm

Sept 10    Dick Colberts colt to pasture

Sept 27   five bucks with my yerling ews

Sept 28   cut secont crop of grass 2 tuns to acre

Sept 29   drawed in 2 loads  one load out yet

Sept 30    weaned my 48 lambs

Sept 30    went to Canandaigua  got 12 Dollars premium money

Sept 30    rainy in the afternoon

(Page 7)

October the 1 1965   coold morning

Oct 7   Sold 68 Ews for $6 Dollars per head  $408

Oct 7   went to Canandaigua as witness

Oct 8   Richard Coblet took colt home 4 weeks

Oct 9   bought of Semore Aldrich 20 Ews for $3

Oct 17   sold 20 Ewes $4 per head   $80

Oct 19   rainey Day and cold high wind

Oct 22    fine morning but cool

Oct 27   rained all day from the S. East cold

Oct 25   Gushom Waybourn of victor found Ded in his Lot in the Eavning

Oct 28    rainy day from the E. in the forenoon west afternoon

November 3   put Buck with ews

No the 8    bought 24 Ews of A. Barnes for $108 Dollars

No the 10   Finished huskin corn   had 650 bushels

N the 11   Stact stalks

Noveber 17,   4 of the barns Ews took the rame

No the 17    bought bore pig weight 110  price $11.50

No 18   bought sow pig  weight 90  price $9 dollars

No 20   fed the Last of our pumpkins to the cows

N 22   Snowed all Day from the west. Not very cold

No 21   put up Ews for the first this season  Also the cowes for the this fall

(Page 8)

1865 November 27   John Powers commenced work

December 3   sow went to bore

De the 5   Dug up some Lead pipe betwene hous and spring

De 6   Laid over fence on north End of west Lot

De 6   turned buck Lamb with Ews

De 6   went hunting squirls  shot 2 red ones squirles

De the 14   Dogs bit 3 of my sheep

De 15   Lisher Gardner Died Ag  About 85 y

De 18   the funerl at the North meeting house

De 18    24 Degrees below freezing morning

De 19    went to palmyra with Lead pipes

De 21    cold with son  snow  verry high wind from the west

December 23   Mr. Read brought my buck home

De the 26    warm day 6 Degrees below tempret

December 29    went to manchester

De 30    choped and sawed some

De 31    some snow on but peasant sun shines

1866

January 4   went to mill with corn for the pigs

January the 1   went to Hiram Bloodgood  took diner

Jan the 4   cold windy day  squalls of snow

Jan 5th   18 Degrees below freezing  5 fifth

Jan 6    24 Degrees below freezing   6  sixth

Jan the 7th   5 Degrees below zero Sunday in the morning


(Page 9)

1866 January th 8 Monday

January the 8   4 degrees below zero morning

Jan the 13    14 Degrees Above freezing in the morning   At noon 8 degrees at nite freezing

Jan 14   20 Degrees below freezing which makes 33 Degrees Differance in 24 hours

Jan 13   cut wood   also snaked out with horses on the ground with chain hul trees from obituary; rai

Jan the 13   went to Joel Pains  tuction cold

Jan 15   thenomotor 26 Degrees below freezing

Jan 15  paid taxes town house  the amount $198.28   Williams Young tax was $86.73

Jan 19   went to pelps  verry warm day

Jan the 16   Barns  3 Ews had a lamb

Jan the 20   in the morning at 8 o'clock thenomotor to within 6 degrees of temperate  at noon down to freezing  at 5 o'clock 12 degrees below freezing  At 8 o'clock in the eavning 14 below freezing

Jan the 24   butchered hogs  six pigs  9 months 8 old

Jan the 25   went to palmyra with 3 pigs

Febuary 12   went to pelps

Feb 13   went to geneva   paid for paper Gazette

Feb 14   come home from phelps

Feb 15   cold windy day   down to zero in

(Page 10)

1866
Feb 16   thenomotor in the morning down to zero

Feb 17   pleasant for the season

Feb 18   pleasant morning

Feb 18   Hanah Hoesy furnal at the Locks

Feb 22    thenomotor up to temprat warm day

Feb 22    drawed up timber for shed

Feb 23    verry warm day for the season

Feb 23    filled the wood house with wood

Feb 25    cold windy day  25 degrees below freezing

February 28   went to phelps to an Auction  C. Dickinsons

March the 1   drawed in hay big barn, fine day, warm

Mar the 2   verry warm   i was at Phelps

Mar 3    came home from Phelps   warm day

Mar 4    cold, Stormy, Snowey blustering day

Mar 5    cold blustern windy day  wind west

Mar 6    cold winday day

Mar 6    paid John Powers for 3 months labour $45 Dollars

Mar the 7   cold windy Day

Mar the 8  cold snowey windy blustering day

Mar the 10  Moses Powers Died  Age 93

Mar the 10   sold the old horses one 19 one 20 years old   $175 Dol.  Buse 20 yeares old  Silk 19 yeares old

March 11    Sunday stormy some snow

(Page 11)

1866 March the 12    went to victor and Drawed a load of barly

March 14    went to william Redfields Auction  bought 2 sleighs for 6 Dollars

March 14    warm day up to tempert

March 15    rainy cloudy Day

March 22    sawed wood

March 23    Finished sawing wood at noon

Mar the 24    sawed wood for Nathan Smith

Mar 25    cold windy snowey day Sundy

Mar 24    commenced splitting stove wood Saturday

Mar 27    went to rochester for harness Lether

Mar 28    went to phelps with J. Brownan

Ma 29     drawed some manuere

Mar 30    sow had pigs  2 live

Mar 30    bought one pare of red oxen  5 yeares old this spring for $250 Dollars

Mar 31    went to mill to victor with corn

Mar 31    young sow went to bore   rainy

Aprile 4    commenced hewing timber

Ap 5    yellow cow had a calf

Apr 9    big sow went to boare

Apr 10    made cart tung

(Page 12)

March the 26 on Monday    John Powers commenced to work  Eight months 22 Dollars per month

Ap 10    one Dollar cash                  $ 1.00
May 13   one Dollar cash                    1.00
June 9   five Dollars cash                     5.00
June 10    two Dollars cash                 2.00
July 15    five Dollars cash                  5.00
August 11    ten Dollars cash            10.00
October the 4 Fifty one Dollars cash 51.00
October 25   two dollars cash             2.00
December the 2 on sunday              101.00
December 4  Tusday                           2.10
December 4  setled in ful of account  $180.10
Eight months for Labour

(Page 13)

1866 Aprile 10    sap run well  wind cool but south

Apr 12    soad clover seed   soad 2 bushel

Ap 12   commenced plowing for barly

Ap 11    drawed in corn in big barn

Ap 13   drawed up the last sap

Ap 14    finished plowing barly ground

Ap 14   went to canandaigua with apples

Ap 14    turned Ews to pasture first time

Ap 17    finished sowing barly west of the house

Ap 18 & 19   verry warm

Aprile 23    cold hevy rain from the N. E.

Ap 24  snowed from the west

Ap 23    thrashed corn in big barne

Ap 24   cleaned up corn   snowey day

Ap 29    went to victor   took out potatoes

May the 3   soad oats south of the house

May 4   drawed the Last of oure hay home

May the 6   young sow to boare

May the 11   went to canandaigua for plow poynt

May 13   fine rain from the south  then North

May 15   first days work with 3 years old Morgan colts   Also a new barnes  sold corn ground

May 16    rainy morning  bids fare for a rainy Day

(Page 14)

Aprile the 8 on Tusday Franklin Dickinson began work
May the 7 one Dollar cash                $ 1.00
May 26  five Dollars cash                    5.00
June 16   three Dollars cash                 3.00
June 30   two Dollars cash                   2.00
July 4   two Dollars cash                      2.00
July 31   fifteen Dollars cash               15.00
August 26   ten Dollars cash               10.00                     
                                                          38.00
horse and buggy  1.50                        70.50
Due on work $69 Dollars                  108.50
paid C. F. Dickinson seventy fifty cents
Settled in ful for work
          Lost time  Half Day   yfof dayes   1111111111111

March the 5 1867

Michal Cahhab commenced work

Junene 16   ten Dollars cash           $ 10.00
Fifty cents to go to the hook                   50
August 23       nine Dollars                  9.00
Sept 20   half pound of plug tobacco      50
Sep 24    thirty Dollars cash              30.00
June      Let Michal have one Dollar     1.00

(Page 15)

May 21 1866  commenced planting corn   5 men planting

May 22   finished planting corn  3 men planting

May 22    boughton mare had her colt   Hunting whip

May 24  Ready child Dide  Age about 1 year

May 24   Hiram finished plowing corn ground

May 26   cut also drawed seder to mill for shingle 15   3 loads

May 29   Portgibson mare to godnos horse

May 30   Boughton mare to Goodno horse

May 30    yellow short tale to bull

June the 1   finished shingling the big barn

June 2   commenced laying wall under corn house shed

June 3   turned 3 head of young cattle  1 cow over to front place to pasture

June the 5   verry hevy raine

June 6   rainy rainy weather

June 7   plowed 9 Acres of fallow 4 tiems

June 7  at noon finished laying wall corn hse

June 8  washed sheep down to Maclouths

June 9    raised cornhouse and hay barn

June 19   boath mares to horse

June 22   finished Enclosing cornhouse

June 23   finished Laying cornhousehouse flower

June 29  finished shearing sheep   No 165 sheep

(Page 16)

August 8 1866    went to victor to mill corn

August 9    cultivated fallow on the hull

August 10   Drawed manure with 2 yoke of oxon and 2 carts on hull lot

August 13   rainy Day bids fare to be

Au 16   commenced to thrash   17 finished  had 250 of wheat  300 bushels of barly off of 6 Acres

August 16   give boughton mare for 2 years  ha colt

August 21   Sold bay mare to John Read for $125 paible in one yeare

August 16   traided a mare with Wm Bushmore for a tw yeares old colt

Aug 23   old sow had her pigs

August 24   sold my barly for $1 bus

August 25   bougt one half pound plug tobacco

September 6   commenced to soe wheat hill

Sept 10   went to Canandaigua to pay incom tax $48  75/00 Dollars

Sept 11  rainy morning

Sept 13   Finished sowing wheat  sowd 39 bushel

Sept 15   cold day frost at nite off in morning

Sept 22   in the evening frost  hard one

Sept 21   weaned Lambs  sorted out Ews


(Page 17)

Oct 8   commenced huskin corn

Oct 8   Bought of J. Maltman one Buck 1 yeares old for $50 Dollars

Oct 6   put buck with old Ews

Oct 15   commenced picking apples

Oct 26    rained a litle  the first since the fare or for one month

Oct 26   Drawed in corn

Oct 26  commenced Drawing stalks  5 loads

Oct 30   weaned my pigs

Oct 29   fine rain verry mutch needed

November 6  finished huskin corn on west lot

No 20   put Buck with Young Ews

No 21   finished drawing stalks

No 22   Snowed all day and evening

No 23  Eliphas Willcox went home to phelps

No 28   went to victor for a load of potatoes

No 29  butchered a spring pig  rainy day

December the 1   snowey  looks wintery

De 4   rainy morning   hevy rain at noon

De 8   Drawed home 3 loads potatoes

De 8   John Colwell came to board And go to school  work for board

(Page 18)

1867  Feb 28   Sold 55 weathers for $5  25 per head

Feb 26   went and got my horse shod

March 1   went to phelps warm Day

Mar 2   come home  heavy wind N. west   cole

Mar 3   cold ground froze hard

Mar 4   went to Phelps got 29 bushels of cloversed   give $9 Dollars per bushel

March 6   went to Rochester to get my horspower repared

March 8   drawed out railcuts

Mar 9  drawed hay from victor

Mar 11   tapt sugar trees fore noon

Mar   Mr. More of palmyra come and got 45 weathers  price $5  37 cents per head

Mar 2  went to mill with 10 bushels of wheat

Mar 11  Tain cow had a calf

Mar16   braut cow and calf from Hirams

Mar 14   verry cold day   also the weather continued verry cold up to March 19 when the sun com out warm

Mar 19   went to fredon with a Load of wood

Mar 19   went to Shortsvill with a Log

March 26   Joh Joseph Woods funarl  Ag 79 years

Mar 31   fine day  looks like spring


(Page 19)

1867

May 5   warm   looks like rain  wind south

May 6   rainy but warm  grass grows

May 8   rainy day  also rainy nite

Ma 9   rainy day  verry heavy fall of rain

May 10   plesant morning

May 15   went to palmyra   bought 50 pound nails

May 16   Laid some flower in the house

May 18   went to canandaigua bench saw

May 18  commenced plowing corn ground

May 19   plesant day

May 24   finished Ditching South of the hous

May 25   finished plowing corn ground

May 26  rainy cloudy morning

May 27   commenced to shingle my house

May 28   Laid up chimney  man and boy one day plastering and Laying chimny   5 dollars

June 3   planted corn on Monday

June 4   went to palmyra after paint

June 5   Drawed deed for land of Aldrich

June 6 Made fence on Aldrich place

June 7   washed sheep on friday after noon


GO TO PART TWO OF DIARY

Photo of Wedding Invitation of Abbie C. Smith and Julius F. Aldrich

Photo of Home which may be Residence of the Young Family


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