Dossier 23 - The Canadian Pocket Diary for 1885.

Daily entries by Isaac Lucius Bowman in which he records his and his family's work and leisure activities. Isaac would appear to have been very busy man in 1885, as he records many surveying contracts, deeds registered, plans drawn up, etc., as well as his work as treasurer of the Town Council, a post to which he was appointed on January 9 of that year. His cash accounts for the Council are to be found in a notebook later used by his son, Hervey Bowman, now in SCA274-GA417-3-30. He also records (on Feb. 4) that he performed a marriage. Although the entries are fairly straightforward accounts of activities, they cast light on some little-explored aspects of life in nineteenth-century Berlin, as in this entry from Saturday, July 18, 1885: "Attended Love feast, it was a precious sacrament, Receiving of Members in forenoon Baptism in the afternoon at 2 o'clock P.M. in Grand River. 7 immersed and 2 sprinkled. Sunday School Children's meeting at 3 p.m. 6 speakers took part. It was an interesting time ..."