Background: The diary of Matthew Griffin was discovered under some hay in the corner of a carriage barn in Fleishmanns, New York in the summer of 1916.

Matthew Griffin was born in Fishkill, New York in 1808 and moved with his family to Middletown, Delaware County, New York in 1823. He was an "Up-Renter": he disapproved of the Down-Renters (Anti-Renters). His diary provides vivid accounts of both the Anti-Rent conflict and daily life in Antebellum rural New York.

Table of Contents

455  1845, no month given -- Summary of Matthew Griffin's life to 1845; Common School education; marriage; employment

456  1845, no month given -- Summary of Griffin's life to 1845 (continued), sells farm; purchases a store of goods

457  1845, no month given -- Summary of Griffin's life to 1845 (continued); sickness and death of his mother (inflammation of the lungs) and father (cancer)

458  1845, July  -- Family; "Billious fever"; Dry weather

459  1845, July -- Dry weather; shooting pigeons

460  1845, July -- Son Wm sickness (cancer rash); long summary of Antirent "difficulty"

461  1845, July -- Summary of Antirent "difficulty" continued; son Wm has "scarlet rash"; persons accused of maliciously putting barnyard filth on a saddle

462  1845, July, Aug -- Barnyard filth case; dry weather; "billious fever" remedy

463  1845, August -- Fire in NYC; dry weather sickness; Antirent difficulty: murder of Under Sheriff Steele

464  1845, August -- More on the murder of Steele; bark fire presumably set by Antirenters; description of Antirent Indians

465    1845, August -- Antirenters stick together; Steele buried; Matthew Griffin rents a store; talk of Steele's murder

466 1845, August -- The search for Antirenters begins; find 10 Indian dresses in a chest; very dry--fish confined to puddles; Sheriff and a posse of 40 men come to Middletown

467  1845, August -- Sheriff and posse armed with muskets and bayonets hunt down more Antirenters

468  1845, August  -- More Antirenters arrested; Delaware County in a deplorable condition; men in hiding; crops not harvested; women and children morn loss of  husbands and fathers

469  1845, August -- Posse follows Antirenter into woods and captures him;  caught eels for supper; Delaware County to be declared in a state of insurrection in a few days

470  1845, August -- Description of upset stomach; Governor declares Delaware County in a state of insurrection; troops are marching from the Capitol

471  1845, September -- Griffin joins posses; great fear of the posses by many

472  1845, September -- Fear of posses; potato and oat crops light; few men now come into his store

473  1845, September -- Griffin is victorious in "scufling and jumping"; Griffin goes with posse in search of Antirenters--learn they have a den 1/2 mile from Griffin's house; Town Supervisor resigns

474  1845, September -- Griffin forced to accept nomination for Town Supervisor; attends a case of "bastardy"; accident with horse and wagon

475  1845, September -- Griffin visits a sick friend; youngest boy is unwell; captures 4 pigeons; trip to Otego; Antirenter's trials begin in Delhi; Vansteelburgh found guilty; Brisbane and Squires plead guilty

476  1845, October -- Griffin prepares to move to a store in Rondout; Antirenter's trials: O'Connor convicted of murder; indictments for rioting, kidnapping, being armed and disguised; sentencing begins

477  1845, October -- Vansteelburgh and O'Connor found guilty of murder--sentenced to be hung from the neck until dead; others sentenced; Antirenters threaten to act if Vansteelburgh and O'Connor are hung

478  1845, October -- Griffin is forced to sell property from the farm of a drunken cousin with small children

479  1845, November -- Mrs. Griffin ill - has blood let; Election: Antirenters nominate one Whig and one LocoFoco

480  1845, November -- Cattle scarce due to drought; Griffin sells his horse "Jack"

481  1845, November -- Honeybee seen; upcoming execution of Antirenters much talked about; Antirenters threaten to burn the village of Delhi if the execution takes place; Governor commutes sentence from death by hanging to life imprisonment

482  1845, November -- Griffin's views on the rent issue differ from that of his neighbors; Griffin believes merchants are not replenishing stock due to the "Nonpaying portion of Community (I E Antirenters)"

483  1845, December -- Potato dry rot; trip to New York City via steamboat; ice in the river impeded return trip

484  1845, December, January -- Fine sleighing; New Years Day

485  1846, February -- Youngest son troubled with worms; Antirent excitement has subsided; Griffin is of the opinion the courts are corrupted; Small pox in Delaware County

486  1846, February --  A young man accidentally drove his sleigh and horses over an old man, Griffin acts as his counsel

487  1846, February -- Snowy; roads drifted; people unable to get to the woods to obtain browse for their cattle

488  1846, March -- Youngest boy still not well; Griffin travels to New York City to stock his new store in Rondout; goes to Delaware Co. to pick up his family

489  1846, April -- Brought family to Rondout by stage; youngest boy dies ("derangement of the bowels") and is buried in the Presbyterian Burying Ground

490 - 494 1846, April -1847, January -- Griffin family in Rondout--not included

495  1847, January -- Griffin's views on the Mexican War; measles in Rondout

496  1847, February -- Antirent prisoners pardoned by Governor Young

497  1847, February -- Mentions fuss made over the return of Antirenter Edward O'Conner from prison; famine in Ireland, Scotland, France.

498  1847, March -- No full moon in February; unpopularity of the Mexican War.

499 1847, March -- Unpopular Mexican War started without the consultation of Congress; ice on the Hudson River prevents freight from moving

500 1847, March -- Ice on Hudson River; Stage takes 3 1/2 day to reach Delhi due to drifted snow

501 1847, April  -- Ice on Hudson River; Sickness in Rondout neighborhood

502 1847, April -- Commodity prices high due to famine in Ireland; Mexican War battles of Vera Cruz and Buena Vista; Antirent difficulties in Columbia Co: Indians tar and feather a man

1847 - 1852  Not included. Griffin returned to Delaware County in 1848.

523  1852, May -- Griffin goes to Albany to be examined to practice law.  Amasa Parker (an Up-Rent Judge he knows from Delhi) is one of the examiners. He passes the exam despite the fact he lacks the advantages of even a complete Common School education.

1852 - 1861  Not included. Griffin wrote sporadically in his diary from 1847 to 1861.

Matthew Griffin's diary courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association Archives, 46549 State Hwy 10, Delhi, NY, 13753.