Conditions Governing Use:

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.

Conditions Governing Access:

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.

Preferred Citation:

Farm Diaries (Virginia), Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information:

Purchase.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and described in June 2009 by Ute Schechter, Warren E. Burger Archivist.

Scope and Contents

Twenty-two diaries kept by unidentified farm owner or manager for the years 1923-1944 and 1954. Entries are mostly brief and note daily weather and chores performed on the farm, which employed 6-8 men year round and up to 60 on the orchard during picking season. Most entries give the full names of workers employed each day and broken down by task.

The identity of the farm and location have not been positively established at this point: The seller notes that the farm was assumed to be Bocock farm located in Albemarle County near Stony Point and Burke Hills farms; entries mention trucking apples to Keswick and Charlottesville. An 8 November 1935 funeral note mentions that the deceased was a 'gardener at Castalia.'

Arrangement of Materials:

Chronological.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Agricultural laborers--Virginia
• Diaries
• Farm management--Virginia--History--20th century
• Farms--Virginia--Albemarle County
• Orchards--Virginia