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1878 Diary of Aaron Ward Towne
Arkwright, Chautauqua Co., NY
Aaron Ward Town(e) (1854-1933) was born to Horace J. (1823-1909) and Florella S.
Ward (1835-1879)
Town in January of 1854 in Arkwright. Horace and Florella owned a large farm occupying most of lot 2 in Arkwright and a piece of lot 58 in Villenova, a farm that remained with the family at least until 1948.
Aaron had first married Parthenia Jay (1854-?), daughter of Joshua and Catherine Jay of Villenova, in 1877. The two known diaries of Aaron's cover most of 1877 and 1878, the years that he married, and apparently divorced Parthenia (Tena). This diary, covering April to December of 1878, recounts his work days on the farm, visitors, his local travels, the birth of his daughter Katie B. Town (1878-1946), and his travels late in the year to Michigan where he worked at least until the end of the year for his uncle George Clinton Ward (1841-?). One of the last pages of the diary gives the name of the village that his older cousin Arad B. Town, son of Horace's brother Bethuel Harvey Town, lived for many years - Unionville in Tuscola county, Michigan - a cousin with whom there is little evidence of contact.
In the December 31 entry Aaron says that he bought another diary, one that likely describes his work and movements in Michigan, and may substantiate the lore among his descendants that he had gone to California to work but had lost a leg in a railroad coupling accident. Unfortunately, that diary is not found.
He returned to farming in Arkwright, married Amanda Gustafva Eriksson (1874-1948; who had immigrated from Sweden in 1892) in 1893, and later lived (after his father Horace's death in 1909) and worked dairying on the farm until his death in 1933, and she until her death in 1948.
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