John Cornelius Lane account book and journal, 1835-1852 (majority within 1835-1837, 1841-1852)
1 volume
John Cornelius Lane of Frederick County, Maryland, used this volume as an account book and journal from 1835-1852. He recorded his accounts with individuals for farm produce and sundries, and composed daily diary entries about his life and work as a farmer in Frederick County.
Pages 1-86 and 356-401 contain accounts for the sale of dry goods and agricultural products. The earlier accounts (May 1835-December 1837) are organized by customer, and record Lane's sales of sundries and enumerated items, such as a barouche. The later accounts (August 1841-March 1844) are organized by product, such as cattle, corn, wheat, and flour. Many pages in the second group of accounts are blank. Receipts addressed to Lane are laid into the volume.
The remainder of the volume (pp. 96-354) is comprised of John C. Lane's daily diary, which he kept from September 28, 1841-December 31, 1852. Lane reported on farm work, travel to Boonsboro and Frederick, and family matters. Lane grew corn, wheat, potatoes, rye, and oats; he also sold logs to a sawmill and slaughtered hogs. Lane occasionally mentioned family visits, the health of his wife and children, and the births and deaths of his children. Other entries pertain to Lane's purchases of slaves and to the births and deaths of slave children. The Lane family lived in Mount Pleasant, Maryland, from September 1841-November 1846, and in Harmony, Maryland, from November 1846-December 1852.