In October 1913 a fifty-nine year old man, George Hyland of Hingham, Mass., was given a hardbound standard diary by his representative to the Massachusetts state legislature, Rep. Charles H. Waterman. Rather than using the book as intended–filling one page per day for the year–Hyland instead began recording, in dense script, his life story, beginning with his childhood memories of the Civil War. Once he reached the present, Hyland continued to keep a diary until 1922.

This presentation depicts one page from his diary from the year 1919. In these entries made in the late spring, Hyland describes the weather, the work he performed, dances, balls, and concerts he attended in Hingham and Boston, and other daily activities ranging from playing music to buying U.S. Bonds. He also includes notes on trips made to surrounding towns, New York City, Canada, and Europe.