Ebenezer Graves "memorandum" book, Conway, Mass., 1849-1850

Description

Ebenezer Graves's 1849-1850 journal details life as a young man in mid 19th century rural western Massachusetts. The first half of the diary focuses on he and his cousin Darwin's adventures as students attending school in Conway, Mass., covering August and September 1849. Ebenezer describes unruly fellow students, daily chores, cooking struggles, going to church, and visiting friends. The diary stops abruptly at the end of September 1849 before resuming in April 1850. At this point, Ebenezer's diary shifts to descriptions of farm work such as chopping wood, collecting tree sap, spreading manure, and gardening taking place at the Graves family farm in Ashfield, Mass. alongside his father and brothers.