Larsen, Hyrum Morgan, 1872-1956

Larsen was a farmer in Newton, Utah.

Larsen was a Newton farmer and a local merchant. His journals are of interest because they document ordinary events during the life of a Cache Valley farmer. He is very thorough on writing down what farm work was taking place during a given season. He also records the weather on a daily and a seasonal basis. Information on seed and crop prices can be gleaned from the journals. Also, he recreates the changes that occurred over time in the home and on the farm, such as modern appliances and new farm machinery. In addition, some of the volumes contain blacksmith and land rental accounts for a given year.

Within each of the three volumes were found loose papers. These papers were removed from the volume they were in and placed into a folder as indicated in the register. Some of the items found here were newspaper clippings and purchase invoices. One broadside found in the collection informed voters about a bond election to be held to secure funding of the improvement of several valley schools. The bond money would be put together with federal public works dollars to finance the projects. This item dates from the mid 1930s.