Chauncey P. Holcomb farm diary

This volume is a farm diary kept by Chauncey P. Holcomb of New Castle County, Delaware, between 1843 and 1850. Holcomb recorded information related to his crops and livestock, as well as references to the weather, his health, and his involvement in agricultural reform.

The bulk of Holcomb’s diary relates to the daily management of Devondale Farm, where he raised herds of livestock and grew a variety of crops, including corn, wheat, potatoes, and peas. Holcomb was especially interested in his herd of Devon cattle, noting bovine ailments, when cows calved, and how much milk the herd produced each season. He also captured the seasonal rhythms of farm life, recording when various crops were planted, fertilized, and harvested. Most of his entries contained observations on the weather and how it affected life on the farm.

Holcomb’s interest in the agricultural reform movement is evident throughout his diary. He recorded receiving various agricultural journals, including The New England Farmer and American Agriculturist. He was a member of a local agricultural club, attended agricultural fairs and exhibitions, and made frequent speeches on the topic throughout the Mid Atlantic. Holcomb’s diary also shows that he was an active member of the Whig Party, and made occasional trips to Washington, D.C., on political business. After traveling to Washington in February 1843, he observed that he was “much more interested with the pursuits & occupations of my Farm than with any scene I witnessed at the Capital.”

Holcomb also made frequent notations regarding his health, especially references to his “excitable” pulse and a chronic cough. Holcomb treated his ailments in a variety of ways, abstaining from coffee and cigars, and consuming regular doses of Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral and cod liver oil. He also noted when there was illness in his family. Holcomb’s entries following the death of his youngest son, Chauncey, in April 1850, are the most personal in the volume, and one of the few places where Holcomb discussed his religious beliefs.

The volume is bound in marbled paper over boards with a black leather spine and black leather corners. An inscription on the front cover reads “Journal/January 1843, to October 1850” in black ink. The volume contains wove paper pastedowns and flyleaves. On the inside of the front cover is the inscription “Chauncey P. Holcomb/Journal of farm affairs” written upside down in black ink. The volume contains 64 leaves of faintly-lined wove paper, although several other leaves have been cut out. It contains handwritten text primarily in black ink, although there are several entries in handwritten blue ink.