George W. Fetterman Diaries

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

George W. Fetterman Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Summary

Extent:
1.25 Linear Feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

George W. Fetterman Diaries, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Background

Scope and content:

Contains a sixty-year account of the life of George W. Fetterman, a western New York farmer. He started out as a laborer in Clarkson, NY, working for local farmers, including the Dennison, Garland, Garrison, Moore, Green, and King families. He later moved to Pendleton, NY, where he had a farm with his wife Eliza Prosser and daughter Dorothy. He frequently mentioned the nearby city of Lockport where he conducted business.The brief daily diary entries describe events of the day, chiefly work accomplished. Some of his main farming duties included working in orchards, threshing wheat, and harvesting corn. In the earlier diaries (between 1890 and 1910), his main form of recreation was attending church, prayer meetings, and "sings" several times a week, as well as reading books in the evening. In later years, he tended to listen to the radio for evening entertainment.

Ephemera includes mostly promissory notes and coupons.

Acquisition information:
Purchase.
Processing information:

Accessioned and minimally processed by Benjamin Bromley in September 2010. Processing completed by Lisa Sparks Carpenter in December 2010 and January 2011.

Physical description:
60 volumes.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard