Includes a very detailed ledger in the front half of the book covering 1844-1869, the back 23 pages include a mix of accounts, diary for various years between 1852 and 1865, and in between is a diary for mostly 1868-1869, with 3 entries for 1871 and one entry for 1872. Also includes a few loose papers of account entries. The Howell family farmed in the Brantford, Galt area, specifically Carlow Township. He evidently had at least three children and amongst other activities raised bees. The first three pages are a listing of names, evidently those whom Harvey Howell dealt with. Then begins the ledger with the left hand page being expenses and the opposite page being the contra. This section of the book records sales by a young farmer of butter, chickens, tobacco, horse rental, all frequently in trade for labor. The second part of the book and the most important is Harvey Howell's diary beginning on January 1, 1868 through December 31, 1869. The diary covers such diverse matters as daily farm life, roads, weather, work mentioning in particular such things as the murder of a man named McIntyre by Nicholas Lee in 1868, Dominion Day 1868, Christmas and New Year's days, taverns and hotels such as Leabach's Tavern, The Beal House, a forger in jail named Clarke, tea socials, Hon. George Brown visits to the area, farms selling for {dollar}3500.00, friends and neighbors and workers by name, etc.
