Name/Title
Diary of John H. HallEntry/Object ID
ARC884Scope and Content
A diary kept by John Hite Hall (1841-1900), handwritten throughout in pencil. On the first page is written, Market Book of John H. Hall 1886. In this book, John Hall recorded sales of products from his farm (e.g., kale, strawberries, lettuce, butter, eggs, corn, potatoes) and kept a diary of his farm work (e.g., plowing, planting, harvesting, cutting wood and hay), the weather, trips to sell produce, and his family's social activities. Most of the book consists of daily entries from January 1 to February 20, 1891; April 7, 1892, to December 16, 1893; and February 19, 1894, to March 27, 1895. The last entry notes that Hall and his family are leaving their home. Thirteen pages dated 1886, 1891, 1892, 1893 contain lists of products and amounts of money, apparently received for the sale of the items.
One loose paper is an 1892 letter from John L. Briscoe to John H. Hall noting that T. C. Greene will be handling Briscoe's business in Charlestown.
The brown, cloth-bound diary has modest decorations on the covers, an extension of the back cover overlaps the front cover, and a piece of material is sewn into the inside back cover to hold a pencil.
John Hall married Louisa Tabb (1849-1928). They had six children: William Baker Hall, Elizabeth Hite Hall, Louisa Tabb Hall, John Harrison Hall, Virginia Opie Hall (married Richard B. Pue, Sr.), and Katherine Caroline Hall. (See www.tabbfamilyhistory.com for more information on Tabb-Hall families.)
According to the JCM historian, the John H. Hall family had a farm east of Charles Town and south of Harpers Ferry Pike (present-day Rt. 340), roughly encompassing present day Jefferson, Euclid, and Prospect Avenues (adjacent to Belvedere farm).Acquisition
Accession
75Source or Donor
Charles Town LibraryAcquisition Method
GiftArchive Details
Date(s) of Creation
1886 - 1895Archive Size/Extent
One brown, cloth-bound diary 5" x 7 3/8" x 1/2"
One loose paperArchive Notes
Date(s) Created: 1886 - 1895