Towamencin History: This Week in Towamencin in 1833, courtesy of George Lukens' diary

 George Lukens’ diary illustrates life in Towamencin 200 years ago. He lived all his life (1768-1849) on the Lukens family farm, which is today, Dock Academy.

Lukens was a Quaker, a farmer, an abolitionist, and a schoolmaster. There are no changes to his diary you can see how common English was written during his time. This excerpt is from Aug. 4-10, 1833:

First day 4th

Amos Moore came & pd me for the cow he got, the sow had more pigs than she could suckle I offered to give him three to which he agreed, the girls & Elin were at meeting in the waggon Seth on horseback, soon returned for dinner. Amos came got 4 & one was killed so she has eleven left. Jacob Delp & his son John were here, it rained towards evening tho’ they all came home

[Amos Moore was a Towamencin neighbor and former hired hand on the Lukens farm]

Second day 5th

Seth & John went to work on the road. I was about home towards evening Cousin Abm Claytons young people came and staid

[The Lukens often helped build and maintain local roads and bridges as did other Towamencin residents.]

Third day 6th

John went early Seth staid till they started then went Robt Kenderdine was here, they day wet they went on, at work on the road

Fourth day 7th

I took the wool & went with it stopped at R Kenderdines he pd me in full thence to the [wool processing mill] factory, had 40 lbs sheet & all came on to Moses Lukens had victuals, & got the Rake pd 1 Dol came on home. Esthers boarders came from the city

[Sheets of wool were passed through rollers with thin wire teeth that arranged the fibers into flat sheets.]

Fifth day 8th

Edith & I went to Quarterly meeting thence to John Micheners had dinner, thence to Jos Lukens Seneca s son & staid

Sixth day 9th

A wet morning, but did not last long, we came on home found all well, thanks to the Father of Mercies

Seventh day 10th

We got the last Oats in John distressed with tooth ache Neighbour Isaac Wampole wife & young women came & two young men acquaintance of the young women & they staid, today I pd John Delp pd 232 Dols towards his cattle

    George Lukens diary August 4-6, 1833
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• Most Towamencin families were farmers. They grew what they needed, and sold the excess locally, or at the Philadelphia market where they bought things they could not make or produce themselves. The Lukens usually went to the Philadelphia Market twice a month by horse and wagon to buy and sell in town.
  
  
• Towamencin farm families often practiced skills like carpentry, weaving, blacksmithing, butchering, harness, and shoemaking for additional family income.
  
  
• George Lukens, like most Americans during his time, used the pound, US dollars and various foreign coins interchangeably for daily purchases. The currency symbols he often used were: £ = pound. D = pence (when written with the pound or shilling symbols). S = shilling. D, Do or Dols = dollar.
  
  
• George never wrote the days of the week or the month of the year in his diary, instead, as Quakers did, he numbered them because their names had pagan origins.

Follow Towamencin History on Facebook. While a historical society does not officially exist in Towamencin Township, Morgan Log House & Historical Research Center is a resource for the history of Towamencin.