A daily feature from our surrounding historical societies.
George Lukens’ diary illustrates life in Towamencin 200 years ago. George lived all his life (1768-1849) on the Lukens family farm, today, Dock Academy. He 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.
First day 8th
It quite wet we were about home, they returned in the evening
Second day 9th
Seth & I started with the cattle. I went with him to J Heists then I returned went with the jury, came home got dinner then went again & remained till near night, then took care of Creatures. Seth came after night had sold 5 head.
[The Heist family operated a tavern established circa 1785, on the east side of the Sumneytown Pike between present-day Upper Valley Road and Gwynedd Manor Road in Upper Gwynedd Township. The tavern was also used for local cases where a jury was sometimes needed to reach settlements.]
Towamencin History/Facebook Third day 10th
We went to Wilsons [in Towamencin] Seth killd cherrys calf & took off damsels to raise, there was no sale, we returned towards evening Seth and Mary gone to the city [Phila.]
[Cherry and Damsel were two of Lukens’ cows]
Fourth day 11th
I shaved A Delps timber towards Jos Cassels barn then started went on to J Kenderdines I sold 4 head, I staid J Kenderdine returned in the evening
[Mennonite preacher Joseph Cassel’s barn along the Allentown Road at present day Weikel Road had burned down last month on August 16. George was preparing timbers for a new barn on the Cassel farm.]
Towamencin History/Facebook Fifth day 12thSixth day 13th
I went to Metzs pd 99 Dols, there remains 100$ unpd I came home went to work
[The Metz family were Towamencin Mennonite farmers]
Seventh day 14th
Kept up but very unwell, this evening John had the little mare to go to see his uncles
ABOUT TOWAMENCIN HISTORY:
• 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.
