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.