Thomas Terrill was born in Virginia in 1850. When Terrill was three years old, the family moved to Cedar County, Iowa where they started their own farm. By the time Thomas was eleven, he and his siblings were orphans as both his parents had died by this time. Thomas went to live with the Blaylock family and moved with them down to Keokuk, Iowa. By age twenty-one, Thomas started writing the diaries he is so well known for. Thomas Terrill had no formal education. The diaries span from 1871-1912. As was the case with so many other diarists of this time, Terrill wrote most about his day-to-day activities on the farm.
Although most of the diaries recovered by Terrill had to do with farming, later in his life he began traveling and several accounts of these times can be found as well. The diaries are an interesting read for those who desire more information on what farming was like every day during this time period. Today many of Terrill’s diaries can be found in Iowa colleges and museums.
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