William’s long daily entries tell of events on his farm and in Guelph, Rockwood and Everton. He is relieved when his barn is raised without any disturbance. He debates with the school teacher about virtue and vice. And he shares his love of horses and recipes for cough medicine with us. His son is born in the 1857 diary and in his surviving diaries for the 1890s, he is caring for his aged Aunt and Uncle who raised him as a child.