Alice Gerard

Nicholas Gesner, 19th Century Farmer Alice Gerard

Nicholas Gesner, a farmer who lived in Palisades, NY from 1765 to 1868, kept a diary in which he recorded his farming chores, his problems with neighbors, events such as cholera epidemics, meteor showers, shipwrecks and other aspects of his life. This book excerpts the most interesting entries from Nicholas's 1600 page diary. As well as farming, he taught school, built ships, and acted as a lawyer to his neighbors, writing wills and deeds and surveying property. He was a bit of a curmudgeon and sometimes wrote five pages about something when he was upset. Nicholas began the diary to keep track of the comings and goings of his neighbor Polly Concklin, with whom he had a very unusual relationship.