Much of Ichabod Cook's diary is in rhyming verse, although prose becomes more frequent in the later volumes. He identifies himself as the author in the entry for 13 November 1843. Cook frequently comments on the weather and his agricultural activities, including the sale of butter, eggs and cranberries and haying. There is much description of visits to and from friends and relatives. In 1837 he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and the diaries for 1838 include much about his time to Boston. There is also a great deal of information about Cook's religious activities. He was a Quaker and regularly recorded attending meetings and which of the men and women present preached. In time, he became dissatisfied with Quaker doctrines and in 1843 he was involved in the creation of a "Community of Friends," which split from the Quaker meeting and had its first worship in Bellingham, Mass. on 20 August 1843. In the 1840s Cook began to record many dreams--his own, those of people he knew, and some he read about in books or periodicals. In his 1847 book A Brief Examination of Some of the Most Prevalent False Doctrines and Ceremonials of the Christian Sects, Compared with Apostolic Doctrines Cook wrote "Dreams having been occasionally used to confirm me in revelations; these have been also used more than any thing else to confirm me in this. Fortunately for my present purpose, I began six or seven years ago to note down in my memorandums dreams of other people, as well as some of my own, that appeared most remarkable; so that I have hundreds to turn to, as occasion requires. Almost daily do I see something transpiring, which was pointed to by these dreams" (p. 147). In 1847 diary entries describe writing A Brief Examination and proofreading sheets as they came from the printer. After its publication late in July, 1847 Cook records several months of traveling to "peddle" his books through towns in eastern and central Massachusetts. Two volumes are missing: Cook's #18 [July 30, 1841-March 21, 1842] and his #23 [June 11, 1844-April 12, 1845].
