Diary
of George Warner of Berne, NY - 1862 Introduction
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| Notes
on the 1862 Diary of George Henry Warner by Allan Deitz In 1862, George Warner lived in the present day village of Berne, New York, Albany County. He was 16 years old when he wrote much of this diary. On August 23,1862 he turned 17. You will notice George entered facts in his diary. He expressed very few opinions or feelings. But these facts tell a lot about him. We know he attended church regularly, usually across the street at St. Pauls Lutheran Church where Rev. Ludden was the regular minister. He attended school occasionally during the day, spelling school some evenings, and singing school some evenings. He sawed or chopped wood often, apparently to earn money for clothes and other needs. At one point he asked Issac Hallenbeck for a permanent job.( Issac was an undertaker according to "Our Heritage".) In January, he took a two week trip to Troy where he visited his sister Mary and family and went to several factories, churches ,and places of entertainment. He noted marriages, births, and deaths of Berne residents in his diary. From all this, we can see a young man who was religious, physically strong, interested in local and national news,(especially about the Civil War), had many friends, and liked to sing. He liked math, but struggled with spelling. In September 1862, George enlisted in the 177th Regiment of Infantry for a nine month tour of duty in the Civil War. Specific notations will be found throughout the diary when they may be helpful in learning what life was like in Berne in 1862 as told by the diary of George Warner. The Beers Map of 1866 complements the diary by showing where many of the people mentioned in the diary lived. The John Warner house (George's father) is shown there across from the Lutheran Church parsonage. |
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