Theobald (Toby) Barrett – Rural Diary Archive

A black and white portrait of Theobald Barrett in formal attire, with personal details like his birth year (1895) and occupation as a farmer listed.

Coverage Dates: 1911 to 1959

County: Norfolk

Township: Woodhouse

Lot: 12

Concession: 2

Gender: Male

Year of Birth: 1895

Year of Death: 1969

Ethnicity: Irish

Religion: Church of England

Occupation: Farmer

Relationships:

Father: diarist William Henry (Harry) Barrett
Mother: Rebecca Julia Perry
Step-mother: Hattie James
Brothers: Richard (Dick), Frank
Wife: Marjerie Clarke
Son: Harry B.
Daughters: Helen, Anna, Lilian, Mary

Archive: Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph

Posted on Rural Diary Archive: Yes

Age During Diary: 16-64

Coverage: 30 years

Biography:

Toby begins his diary after his father remarries and the family move to their farm, “Cnochfierna”.  When not busy with farm chores, he visits his cousins at “Riverbank Cottage” in Port Dover.  His diaries are complimented by other diaries in the Barrett Family Diary Collection, Archival and Special Collection, University of Guelph.  This includes copies of the originals and an adapted version of Toby’s 1911-20 diaries entitled “Short and Simple Annals,” which he lovingly illustrates and gives to his father as a gift in the early 1930s.  What a close-knit, creative family.

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