The Life of George Holcomb

This book consists of excerpts from a diary written by a farmer in Stephentown, New York from 1809 until 1856, with essays about the historical background of people and events mentioned in the diary, providing a portrait of everyday life in the early republic. In addition to poignant stories about the life of George Holcomb and his family, it touches on such matters as medical practices of the time, the currency used, how public education worked, practices for handling poor people and the mentally ill, and business development in the first few decades of our nation’s existence. Much of this material originated as a weekly column in the Eastwick Press, a weekly newspaper in Rensselaer County, NY.