Henry Edgar Whittelsey was just twenty-three when he took pen in hand to begin this diary. He was a merchant in the village of Leeds, located in the Town of Catskill, Greene County, New York. He and his uncle, Peter Whittelsey, managed a general store owned by Henry's father. His view of the world was that of a single young man, interested both in advancing his career and in enjoying the wholesome pleasures afforded by life in his world. That world was not restricted to the environs of Greene County: on frequent business trips to New York City he attended the theater and, also during the period covered in the diary, he and a friend toured as far as Ohio and Michigan (by railroad, stagecoach, canal boat, lake boat, and lumber wagon) to see the sights and visit relatives. He was an interested (and interesting) traveler, reporting not only on such tourist standards as visits to historical sites, the beauties of nature, and the perils of travel, but also on the quality of houses and business prospects in communities he visited throughout New York and the Midwest. In brief, this diary expresses the views of a bright young man, aware of and interested in what was happening around him, and able to express himself clearly and succinctly.
This diary truly captures small town life without being parochial. The editor, as a former manuscript curator, has read and cataloged hundreds of diaries. This is one of the most interesting he has ever seen. While it can (and will, undoubtedly) be plumbed profitably by researchers from any number of fields of scholarship, it is first of all a highly readable and enjoyable account by an interesting young man from another time.
