The Valley News is publishing accounts of the life of Asa Stannard, a school teacher who lived in the Town of Granby area during the 1850s. The town was the recipient of a transcription of Stannard’s diary.

The diary, according to Granby Town Historian Elaine Woolridge, shows what local life was like in the 19th century through Stannard’s eyes. The diary was given to the town by Kenneth and Beth Webb, residents of Edmonds, Wash. Stannard, who lived from 1827 to 1903, has ties to the local Cook family, Mrs. Woolridge said.

The majority of the diary recounts Stannard’s life before he moved to the Syracuse area. He eventually traveled north, however, and settled in the Granby area.

The following is a continuation of the Asa Stannard journal. It has not been edited. The year is 1854:

Thursday May 18th. Weather quite pleasant. Rained considerable during the night so that the ground was rather wet to harrow, but I went at it in the field where we intend to plant corn. Worked until noon. In the afternoon Charles Lewis and I fixed the fence around the Potato Patch and built a fence from the horse barn to the Milk house. Aquilla plowed most of the day with the oxen. I have a Boil on my left Thigh which is very painful. Carlon has been plowing his corn ground. He has Mr. Youngs’ old mare to work with old Sorrel. Has his colts forward of the old mares. Father is somewhat unwell.

Friday May 19th. Weather quite fine. This forenoon I finished dragging the Potato ground. This afternoon I marked the ground. Father plowed in the forenoon and after Tea. Aquilla plowed the rest of the afternoon. My Boil is very bad.

Saturday May 20th. Weather pleasant. I got Aquilla, Charles and Thomas to plant Potatoes. They got them done. I got Edgar Howes to help build fence. I helped him while father finished plowing the corn ground then I went to harrowing and Edgar drew each with the oxen. I harrowed until Tea time when my Boil pained me so that I concluded to give it up so I turned out.

Sunday May 21st. Weather pleasant in the forenoon. In the afternoon it rained considerable. My Boil kept me awake nearly all night. Today I have lain in bed early all the day, my Boil poulticed. It is no better.

Monday May 22nd. Weather pleasant but air cool. Today Aquilla and father harrowed for me on my corn ground or Aquilla worked this afternoon. My Boil is so bad that I have done but very little. Shelled the seed corn, cut some Potatoes, and did some other choring. Carlon planted his corn.

Tuesday May 23rd. Weather pleasant .This morning I went to marking my corn ground and Father, Carlon, Aquilla and Eden Hicks went to planting. I finished marking about noon. This afternoon I helped plant. Father did not plant in the afternoon. We finished a little before sundown. There was something of a frost this morning.

Wednesday May 24th. Weather very warm part of the afternoon. The rest of the time tolerably cool. This morning father and I got a jag of hay at Carlons’s barn. Then I went to plowing for Oats, and father split some rails. Quite a frost this morning.

Thursday May 25th , 1854. Weather rainy in the forenoon. Rained considerable in the morning. After doing the chores I put some twine around the corn field, then spread some manure. This afternoon I plowed. Last evening Mr. Wooster and his family came here. His health is better than it was last spring. Today he and Caleb went fishing, and caught a number of small ones. Father has quite a lame back. It is raining this evening.

Friday May 26th. Weather quite comfortable. This morning I finished plowing my oats ground then went and got my drag which Mr. Blakeman borrowed a day or two since. On my way back called and helped Mr. Kellogg castrate his colt. I harrowed my ground, sowed a few oats and dragged them in. About 4 P.M. eclipse appeared on the sun. Commenced on the lower right edge, passed to the left, and disappeared about 6 oclock.

Saturday May 27th. Weather pleasant. Today I finished sowing and dragging in my Oats. Intended to go to the Lock towards night, but did not get through with my oats in time.

Sunday May 28th. Weather

warm and pleasant. This afternoon Phares, his family and Mr. Howard, his wife and daughter came here.

Monday May 29th, 1854. Weather tolerable warm and pleasant. This forenoon I took my team, and Carlon, Aquilla and Cynthia went to the Lock. Carlon took Mr. Young’s mare home and rode home with us. I took a hog for him which he had contracted, and Butchered this morning. We took some butter. Cynthia weighed the butter before we stared, and they made it about 4 Ω lbs. less. Henry Ellis weighed it but could not believe he had made a mistake and so we got nothing for it. This afternoon I harrowed the ground and then went to plowing on the flats. Find it very bad work.

Tuesday May 30th. Weather pleasant but quite cool in the afternoon. This morning I took the horses, and went to plowing on the flat but it was so hard work that I came up and put the team out. Father thought the oxen would plow it and we went down and he drove around then I plowed until noon, then I gave it up and this afternoon I used the harrow.

Wednesday May 31st. Weather pleasant and quite cool and windy, wind from the North West. There was quite a hard Black Frost this morning. This morning I took some ashes and ashed part of the corn. Father and Mr. Shoots have been at work on the Flatt. He hired Benjamin Fompkins—a man over 60 years of age to split some rails. Mr. Shoots plowed some.

Thursday June 1st. Weather cool with high winds a part of the day. I finished getting ashes onto the corn. “Uncle Ben” keeps us all listening to him when he is here. He is a great talker. Aquilla and Caleb have been hunting. Father’s back is getting better. Frost this morning.

Friday June 2nd. Weather pleasant, tolerably warm in the middle of the day. Quite a frost this morning. This forenoon Cynthia helped me clean some oats which I took onto the flats intending to sow them, but Mr. Fuller came and brought word that there would be a car at Camel’s and he could draw and load his Heading, so we went to drawing this afternoon. The car did not come and we piled the heading near the Rail Road.

Saturday June 3rd. Weather quite warm, as warm I think as any we have had this season. I drew Heading this forenoon and one load this afternoon then drew a load of wood from the Saw mill.

Sunday June 4th. Weather quite warm. Carlon and family have gone to Mr. Young’s. Aquilla went hunting.

Monday June 5th, 1854. Weather quite warm. This morning I loaded some ashes which I got of Calista and went to sowing them on the Wheat. Sowed a few then went and helped load a car with the Heading we have been drawing. The train came along just before we had it loaded. They waited until we got the heading into the car. We then run it onto the switch, and they attached it to the train but the load was so heavy that it took them some time to start. We got onto the hind car and rode to the platform before Mr. Camels; I got off and Aquilla told me if I would hand him his gun he would ride to Lampsons. The gun he had lain across a stump close to where we load with the muzzle toward us. It having been left in that position I supposed it was not loaded and took it up somewhat carelessly as the cars were under motion and it had to be done in a hurry if done at all. I took held of the gun near the muzzle and pulled it toward me suddenly when the dog caught on the stump and it discharged, the ball tearing the flesh from the underpart of my arm, but fortunately has, I think injured neither the cords nor bone. It cut out about and inch of the large artery and has left me a very bad looking arm. We went to Mr. Camel’s and dressed it with Whiskey and Lobelia then came home and dressed it again. It has pained me much this afternoon Aquilla went to Jacksonville and got some Whiskey for me to put onto it. Father went to Syracuse. Got home in the evening.