http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/2044265798

The original diary of John Ballantine, 1737-1743; 1753-1774, is in the possession of the Westfield Athenaeum and is now almost illegible. This typed transciption was made in 1886 by Joseph D. Bartlett ( - ) of Westfield, Mass., and is heavily annotated by Bartlett. The annotations usually appear in parentheses but are sometimes difficult to distinguish from Ballantine's original text. Not all of the material in the original diary was transcribed and there are freqent errors, especially in the spelling of proper names. However, the diary transcription does provide valuable information in terms of the religious and political issues that were much discussed in New England during the 18th century. The diary also concerns social customs of the era, and Ballantine listed at the end of each month and year the number of births and deaths in Westfield, grouped by sex and age.

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