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C. COTTON : 1822 ORIGINAL PRINTED NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL ALMANAC WITH OVER 45 PAGES OF HANDWRITTEN ENTRIES FROM AN ALBANY MAN DETAILING HIS LIFE AND TIMES AS A LANDLORD AND CHURCH GOER

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is a fascinating and fantastic 1822 New York State Agricultural Almanac. The front cover contains its defining information: "The State of New-York Agricultural Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1822. Being the second after Bissextile or Leap Year; and (until July 4th) the Forty-Sixth of American Independence. Calculated for the Horizon and Meridian of Albany -North Latitude 42 degrees 45 minutes - from the English Observatory 73 degrees and 30 minutes west. By S. Southwick. Albany. Sold by Daniel Steele, No. 472 South Market-street. Packard & Van Benthuysen, Printers.” The almanac was owned by a man named ‘C. Coffin’ who has signed his name at the top of the cover page. The almanac contains much of the same information as others: calendars, advertisements, astrology, zoology, fables and stories, weather patterns throughout the year, information on raising livestock and planting seeds, and much more. What makes this almanac special are the diary entries and copious notes of the owner, Mr. Cotton, interleaved through most of the almanac. The notes deal pretty exclusively with the weather (temperature, wind, clouds, precipitation), news of friends and family (many who are sick, and a few who die through the year), and information on his Universalist church. Interestingly there is also a remark about the 1822 New York City Yellow Fever epidemic. There are generally a few pages of notes in between each page of the almanac, written on slightly smaller paper than the almanac itself and stitched into the creases between the pages. Research has not turned up much information on ‘C. Cotton’, but he does mention himself that he is a landlord of at least one home. The almanac has quite a bit of wear, especially near the front and back. Almost all the pages are at least a bit frayed at the edges, and there is significant corner creasing, again more near the front and back. There is no cover to the front or back. The original stitching is no longer there, probably replaced by Mr. Cotton himself, so he could stich his own paper into the book and use it as a diary. As such, though the binding is still pretty tight, it is evidently done quite haphazardly. The almanac itself is roughly 100 printed pages and there are 47 handwritten pages stitched inside at various places. These pages are also show a good bit of wear and age-toning as well. However, the handwriting is legible and readable throughout and the ink is still mostly dark and easy to read. The book measures 4.5 x 7.5". Text: “January 25, 1822. Friday. N West wind sever cold, but fair 4 noon, afternoon and eve the same - Abraham Bradley Sexton to the Society of Universalists in this city buried a son a man in years, the Funeral attended by many of the Society, and Friends, of the Father of the deceased - had a very large rout, or Tea party of Friends at our house, the last I hope that will ever take place in my day. “April 1st, 1822. Monday. Dull lowry morn wind southerly and no frost to be seen, as the effect of the night past, before or about noon, the wind got s. Westerly and blo’d fresh, and cool, and so till night. Austin Abbott died six o clock after noon this day, his family occupied some tenements in my house while he lived, and I trust his spirit now occupies a house, not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.”; “July 4th, Thursday. Little southerly wind and some Foggy morn, but not excessively hot, though full warm enough for comfort, towards night the clouds seem mustering together for more Thunder showers so farewell 4th July 1822 it is well it comes but once in each year.”; “August 19. Sunday. Wind for N East to south, with Thunder, lightning and some Heavy showers, of rain, a number of people got up from New York to Escape or avoid the Epidemic fever raging there this time, which by account seems very prevalent there.” OVERALL: G+. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good +

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