1896-1907 Manuscript Diaries of a Dedicated Farmer Spending His Golden Years Tending to His Land and Animals in Rural New York

On offer are two diaries of Mr. George William Tibbits, a dedicated New York farmer living in Sands Point, Nassau County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These diaries span 11 years of Mr. Tibbits’ life, beginning when he was 69-years-old and ending only six months before his death at age 80. Mr. Tibbits’  entries are clear, concise and descriptive. In addition to describing his daily farming tasks, they also contain a list of sales receipts for agricultural products and provide an excellent overview of the prices of various food products at the time. Many of his products may have ended up in the markets of nearby New York City.

Our diarist, George William Tibbits, was born in 1827 and passed away in 1907 at the age of 80. Our informal research has not been able to find any additional information about him but his family name appears on a street in the village of Sands Point, New York.

Although his entries are brief, they are concise and offer a great deal of information about his daily life.

Below are some excerpts from George’s first diary, which spans 1896-1899, when he was 69 to 72 years old. It’s quite impressive to discover how active and engaged he was in his chosen profession, even in his golden years:

:Clear cold & windy. Ewe died lambing wrong" [Jan 5, 1896].

"Warm with heavy showers in the afternoon. Finished plowing corn in the orchard working in the garden & cleaning out the sheep hovell" [June 6, 1869].

"Colder, rainy. Topping up oat stack & putting some shingles on house & moved hay on the barn floor" [Nov 15, 1897]. 

"Cool and cloudy heavy rain in afternoon hauling firewood from lot and cleaning cow stable" [Sept 11, 1899].

Well into his 70’s, he maintains and active lifestyle filled with physical labour and the many varied tasks of running a successful farm.

"Clear and colder. First frost digging post holes. Self to City to sign deed to Golf ground...." [Oct 25, 1901].

The Sands Point Golf Club is located quite close to Tibbits Lane.

In 1906, at 79 and the year before he passed away, he was still working his farm. Below are excerpts from his second diary, which spans the years of 1900 to 1907, when he was 73 to 80 years old: 

"Clear & cool Finished planting fodder corn hoeing potatoes" [June 4, 1906].

In September of 1906, he notes a visit to the area by President Roosevelt (Theodore):

"Thunder shower at night raining during the day Great Neck Review at Oyster Bay in presence of President Rosevelt and splendid pagent of yachts from all quarters..." [Sept 3, 1906].

His last entry is March 29th 1907. He passed away 6 months later.

For a social historian, these two journals offer a very clear picture of what daily life was like on a New York farm a century ago. 

This collection contains two diaries. The first covers 1896-1899 and is 176 pages long and 100% complete. The second diary covers 1900-1907, contains 302 pages and is 100% complete. Both diaries measure 12.25 inches x 4.5 inches and are in good condition. Both of these books are hardbound ledger-style books that have been used as a diary/journal. The handwriting is very clear and legible.