Description
Description: William C. Warrant (b. 1812), initially a Rochester resident, writes in a hardbound journal he calls a “register” about his daily activities. We learn that he was an avid reader who probably did not have time for it later in his life. He stops mentioning reading and writing in 1839.
The diary begins in 1833, the year he turned 21; he continued his “I rose at…” entries until August 24, 1834. An early riser, Warrant studied grammar, read or wrote for a couple of hours before he began his work days. The register begins with a little mystery when he writes in indecipherable signs about someone special, wishing that he could “enter that beloved town upon the same terms that [he] left it” [Yarmouth]. We learn that he attends church and participates in a debating society where he successfully defended the position, “Has [sic] females more influence in society than males?” He has a brother and sister with whom he travels to Detroit, Michigan, to settle a sale of some land. Very descriptive entries as they travel through Lockport, Medina, Buffalo, Ann Arbor, Detroit, etc. For example, as they pass through Lockport he writes about the Erie Canal, “The name of Lockport is given it on account of there being 10 locks in the canal at the village. These locks are 5 for boats going one way, and five for boats going the other. The size is 60 feet. This piece of wall constitute the finest piece on the canal. The canal passes through one huge rock of two miles and the locks are cut through as well and built with the stone. This presented, in the making of the canal, an almost insurmountable difficulty. There were a great many people killed in blasting out the rock. The village is a very busy one.”
From his sporadic, but brief, Plainfield, MI, 1839 & 1845 entries, we know he worked in a shop where he drew, split, and cut rail timber. He also mentions farming, “ploughing ground for spring wheat” and sowing and cutting oats. His April 15-18, 1846 entries briefly list his “farming operations.” The last few pages of the register include some rough sketches of architectural features of a house. It is likely that he was also a carpenter by trade, as his son, Frederick is listed as one.
8″ x 7″ volume has approximately 136 manuscript pages with marbled boards and a leather spine. Item #AM00296
Condition: Entries are very organized and written in a tight small hand… quite readable. Some light soil and spotting, generally very good.
