Voice of the People: Daily Life in the Antebellum Rural Delaware County New York area

Business/Labor

Business/Labor Home page | Excerpts from the diary of Nathanial Arbuckle, Delhi farmer, 1852-1861 Table of Contents

Note: For serious researchers only: may be hard to read, as is the original
Background:  Nathanial Arbuckle was a native of Scotland and came to Delhi when he was 17. His usually terse diary entries give some idea of the daily life of a farm family in the Antebellum rural Delaware County area.  Weather was vitally important to the success of his farming business, so he frequently comments on it. He also makes occasional comments on local and national events.

January 1, 1860:  "The New Year has Come upon us with the Mercury 10 Degrees below Zero which is Bitting Cold but at noon it was up to 20 above which was a Suden Change    all at Church  me and Charles who Came home from Oxford last night with 20 Cwt of Plaster   we begin this year with 19 head of Cattle and 3 horses   the Barn and the waggon house  one Bath nearly full yet our Stock is most Done it will last Perhaps two Days  I Expect we wont feed all we have Got but there will be Plenty to buy the Plaster  Cost at Oxford $4. Dollars Per ton   it is worth 38 Cents Per 100 lbs freight from there to Delhi."

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Courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association Archives, 46549 State Hwy 10, Delhi, NY, 13753. 

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