John Harrington Ferguson 

John’s diary bristles with the strivings of a young man trying to be the best he can be. His high school education is cut short when his father falls ill, and he has to take charge of the farm. For the next fifteen years, he writes of agricultural improvements, taking his prize-winning horses to the fair and his activities as a school trustee, devout Methodist and temperance advocate. John shares more details, observations and opinions than most diarists.