Harvey Devoe (1828-1914) farmed most of his life and kept a diary for one significant year of that life 1861. The diary transcribed here in its entirety gives a day-by-day view of the life and hard work of a mid nineteenth entury farmer and the coming of a national tragedy.Illustrated with family pictures and annotated for a clearer view Devoes words are both humorous and sarcastic and although brief give a unique look into a vanished world.