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Maryland Farm Diary

Associated name:
Bond, William  Search this
Brown, Annie  Search this
Brown, Charles  Search this
Brown, Edward  Search this
Brown, Henry  Search this
Campbell, William  Search this
Gemmill, Benjamin B.  Search this
Gemmill, Ephraim  Search this
Goodwater, Charles  Search this
Johnston, Thomas  Search this
Johnstone, Samuel  Search this
Jones, William  Search this
Klob, Ella  Search this
Lomax, Joseph  Search this
Morgan, John  Search this
Pugh, Edward  Search this
Schultz, William  Search this
Sewell, Rose  Search this
Spencer, George  Search this
West, William  Search this
Whitaker, James  Search this
Former owner:
Valentino, Carmen D.  Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 item)
Container:
Box 1
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Account books
Daybooks
Financial records
Record books
Place:
Ashland
Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland
Fallston, Harford County, Maryland
Forest Hill, Harford County, Maryland
Hanways' Mill
Harford County, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland -- Family farms
Potspring, Maryland
Timonium, Maryland
Watervale, Harford County, Maryland
Fairs -- 1870-1879 -- United States
Date:
1879-1884
Summary:
A farm journal and account book for a farm located at Long Branch, Harford County, Maryland, covering the time period March 1879 to August 1884 (excepting 1880) and documenting all aspects of farm life and labor.
Scope and Contents:
The diary bears numerous handwriting styles, denoting more than one author. The farm documented in this volume featured truck farming, orchards, small grain crops, dairying, and hogs. A possible German or Amish influence is indicated, probably due to its proximity to Pennsylvania, with such products as cider, sauerkraut, wheat and hay being produced, as well as by products from hogs including sausages, lard, and pudding (scrapple). Curing and preservation of meat is documented as well.

All tasks of day-to-day life on the farm, by whom they were performed and with what equipment as well as the weather were recorded. The compiler recorded other such detail as which fertilizers were used for which crops, variety names, how much was paid to each hand who worked on the farm (in the case of tenant farmers, with firewood or cow pasture), names given to animals, and such things as laborers' travel to nearby towns to purchase goods and supplies. Especially descriptive are the parts of the diary relating to livestock, with entries for births, sales, and activities such as butchering, sausage making, curing and preservation of meat.

The farm was comprised of fields, orchards, meadows and gardens, in addition to a number of outbuildings, sheds, smokehouses, a barn, a stable, and a blacksmith shop. Maintenance of these buildings is described in detail in the diary.

This volume is rich in detail about the functioning of a typical American farm during this time period. It also includes an entry for the Fallston, Maryland earthquake of March 11, 1883 (page 95).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.

Series 1, Farm diary, 1879-1884
Biographical / Historical:
This diary is a combined farm journal and account book for a farm located at or near Long Branch, Harford County, Maryland, covering the time period from March 1879 to August 1894, excepting the year 1880. This was a time when American agriculture was on the cusp of mechanization, and a time when increasing urbanization was changing the demographics of farm life. More and more youth were relocating to urban areas, challenging small family farms to continue to run with fewer people, and forcing them to bring on day laborers or other help.

Farms in the northern part of Maryland were quite distinct from those in the southern part, where tobacco dominated. The farm documented in this volume featured truck farming, orchards, small grain crops, dairying, and hogs. A possible German or Amish influence is indicated, probably due to its proximity to Pennsylvania, with such products as cider, sauerkraut, wheat and hay being produced, as well as by products from hogs including sausages, lard, and pudding (scrapple). Curing and preservation of meat is documented in the volume as well. The products (wheat, hay, cider, sauerkraut) being sold in nearby towns (as documented in the volume) indicates that the farm was not just self-sufficient but also a profitable participant in the market economy.

An interesting entry is found on page 95, for March 11, 1883, "A very perceptible earthquake was experienced here the house shook, & things on sideboard rattled. It lasted about 3 minutes." This is primary documentation of the Fallston, Maryland quake. Other entries mention the Maryland State Fair at Timonium, trips to Hanways' Mill, Ashland and other local destinations.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Robinson and Via Family Papers, 1845-2010, (AC0475)

Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records, 1986-1991, (AC0773)

John K. Parlett Collection of Agriculture Ephemera, (AC1225)
Provenance:
This collection was purchased at auction from Carmen D. Valentino of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2012.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Agriculture  Search this
Agriculture -- 1870-1940 -- Maryland  Search this
Agricultural laborers  Search this
Agricultural Prices  Search this
Agricultural products  Search this
Agricultural supplies and equipment -- 1850-1870  Search this
Earthquakes -- Maryland  Search this
Family farms  Search this
Farmers  Search this
Farmers -- 19th century  Search this
Farms -- Maryland  Search this
Gardening  Search this
Gardens -- Maryland  Search this
Housewives -- United States  Search this
Rural families  Search this
Rural women  Search this
Rural scenes  Search this
Sausages  Search this
Weather conditions  Search this
Work and family  Search this
Fairs -- 1880-1889 -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Account books -- 19th century
Daybooks -- 1870-1880
Daybooks -- 1880-1910
Financial records -- 19th century
Record books
Citation:
Maryland Farm Diary, 1879-1884, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1267
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b4e7e455-c161-4b17-827d-557d29827ff0
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1267

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  • Bond, William
  • Brown, Annie
  • Brown, Charles
  • Brown, Edward
  • Brown, Henry
  • Campbell, William
  • Gemmill, Benjamin B.
  • Gemmill, Ephraim
  • Goodwater, Charles
  • Johnston, Thomas
  • Bond, William
  • Brown, Annie
  • Brown, Charles
  • Brown, Edward
  • Brown, Henry
  • Campbell, William
  • Gemmill, Benjamin B.
  • Gemmill, Ephraim
  • Goodwater, Charles
  • Johnston, Thomas
  • Ashland
  • Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland
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  • Fallston, Harford County, Maryland
  • Forest Hill, Harford County, Maryland
  • Hanways' Mill
  • Harford County, Maryland
  • Maryland
  • Potspring, Maryland
  • Timonium, Maryland
  • Ashland
  • Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland
  • Fairs
  • Fallston, Harford County, Maryland
  • Forest Hill, Harford County, Maryland
  • Hanways' Mill
  • Harford County, Maryland
  • Maryland
  • Potspring, Maryland
  • Timonium, Maryland
  • Archives Center, National Museum of American History