| Description | Farming diary, no. 17.
This volume is very worn and has a mottled cover. The diary's dates are written on a sticker on the front. The volume is faintly lined and the writing is generally neat and legible. Scots words, particularly farming-related terms, and idioms appear in the text. The action of the diary is mostly limited to areas in and around Mosshead, Mr Mathieson's farm.
Most diary entries record Mr Mathieson's agricultural tasks, which vary according to the season; they finish with a brief summary of the day's weather. On Sundays Mr Mathieson usually worships at Church along with his wife Bella, and other family members. Friends and relatives sometimes come to Mosshead to visit.
Notable events from this diary: attends church praise meeting with Isa; goes to Aberdeen with Bella - does errands and visits Uncle Robert; attends Andrew Middleton's baby's funeral; enjoys visit of the Duthies and Peter Philip very much; Alec attends Aberdeen feeing market; engages man at Inverurie feeing market to work the horses; pays rent at Kemnay House, poor rates at the public school and pays account with the smith; heavy snow in late November; has very bad cold; reads from 'The Brief Narrative of Facts relative to the New Orphan Houses for 2,050 Children on Ashley Down Bristol and other objects of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad' by George Müller; David is anxious to see a ploughing match at Little Clinterty; keeps town on the Sabbath; the Flora cow calves; attends Fanny Mathieson's funeral in Aberdeen - she was his niece; makes calls in Echt and Skene; Miss Rattie, teacher of the Laird's school, comes for tea; uses the steam mill for thrashing; votes in the County Council election; sells quey to Robert Dey for £17; visits Aberdeen for business; insures cattle and horses with Mr Macgillvray for £400; has extremely bad cold; pays James Diack 9/6 for moleskin trousers; the Jamie cow calves; attends Mrs John Christie of Aquithie's funeral; injures eye with paling wire; the Bell cow calves; John Gibb loses a foot in severe accident with quarry engine; sells John Lyon two stots for £35; writes to the solicitor J. Watson Stuart in Glasgow and to Auntie Mary; buys brush wood at Fetternear roup; attends to business in Aberdeen; an unknown minister preaches on the Sabbath - 'didn't like him very well'; stormy showers of snow in April; the Betty cow calves; finishes the sowing for the season; sells his four Canadian bullocks to John Lyon for £73..3..7; replaces window which Andrew broke; finishes thatching the byre; the Mary cow calves; the Doctor visits Isa who is unwell; the Maggie cow calves; hires a man to work the horses at £10..10 and a boy for the cows at £5 at Inverurie feeing market; the Mary mare dies of colic; Mr Lendrum preaches at Church - 'not very much of a preacher'; buys a new mare for £20 at Whiteside of Tullynessle; goes to Aberdeen, does business at bank and visits Uncle Robert; pays rent at Kemnay house; the Doctor sees Isa again; attends lecture given by Miss Rainy on mission work in India - '[l]iked her very well'; A. Alexander collects money for a wooden leg for John Gibb; buys manure, bone and superphosphate from John Milne of Dyce; attends Gospel meeting at Kemnay Village; the Maggie mare is kicked by the other mare and is seen by the ferrier; Mr Alexander takes a group of bairns, including Mr Matheson's, on trip to Bennachie - they enjoy it very much; hires man at Inverurie market for harvest - £3..12..6; takes train to Alford and visits the Toms; the boys, Andrew and Johnny, have week in Aberdeen; visits Aberdeen for markets and sees Uncle Robert; they commence the harvest on 8 September 1890; Auntie Wilson at Broomhill of Echt dies - she dropped down dead 'when doing her ordinary jots of work in the house'; attends Auntie Wilson's funeral; James Harwell dies; attends James Harwell's funeral; they take clyack; attends Frank's Mother's funeral; buys five queys for £11 per head at Aberdeen sale; visits Aberdeen for bank, cattle sale and corn market; puts out cattle 'to get a dance'; acts as town-keeper on Sabbath; uses steam thrashing mill; gets £50..14..10 at Inverurie for oats and barley; engages Frank and a boy, James Christie, for the winter half year; Alec Forbes leaves Mosshead; pays £35 rent at Kemnay House; meets Mr Emslie in Aberdeen; attends sale of horses at Bain's stables; Mr Crombie offers him a pony for nothing, which he accepts; Willie Lovie visits from America; attends performance of the Messiah at the Music Hall with Auntie Mary; attends Frank Beattie's funeral; visits friends in old Balmuir area haunts with Willie Lovie; the Flora cow calves; the Bell cow calves; pays tax for the buggy at the Stamp & Tax Office in Aberdeen - £1..1; Mr Reid of Roquharold tries to collect signatures for the Church defence at Mosshead - 'but he did not get any here'; attends sale of fat cattle at Laurencekirk; Bella enjoys the preaching of Mr Smith; exam day at the Kemnay Schools; sells three stots to Mr Dey for £59 plus another £1 'if they weigh well'; the Jamie cow calves; sells four queys to John Lyon for £56; attends Mrs Niddrie's funeral at Kemnay; attends Church meeting about the opium traffic; the bairns miss school due to snow; buys four queys at Duncan's sale at £13..2..6 per head; James Diack photographs Frank, the horses, the pony and the buggy; Willie leaves for America again; the Betty cow calves. |