This collection consists of 33 diaries, kept by Charles Morris Cobb (1835-1903), spanning the years 1850 to 1862, with the bulk of material written between 1851 and 1854. Each diary was assigned a sequential number and continuous page numbering by Cobb. Portions of Cobb's earlier writing from 1848 and 1849 were inserted and copied into the diaries, which Cobb consistently referred to as a journal. Subsequently, there are some discrepancies in chronology in the journal, the most notable of which is Cobb's insertion of an earlier written diary, beginning April 17, 1850, and ending May 19, 1850, as No. 14 extra 2d. Other earlier dated writings also appear interspersed in the journal. From 1851-1853, the journal consists of almost daily entries. However, beginning in 1854, entries become much less frequent, usually with gaps of a month or more between, and each of the final four journal volumes covers a period of two years. The journal, in part, reflects Charles Morris Cobb's identity as an avid musician. Details of his musical education, opinions, and career as both a performer on multiple instruments and band teacher are discussed as well as musical composition and theory. Music has also been inserted into the format of the journal. For example, in journal volumes 18 and 19, music for Catel's Harmony appears in an inserted "Weekly Journal of Music" and in journals 24 and 25, there appear several volumes of Cobb's "Musician's Own," which contain dance tunes and music. Other topics discussed in the journal include: mundane details of daily life (family and neighborhood news, farm chores, machine shop work, leisure activities, etc.), literary and social commentary, and politics (local and national election results and calculations). In terms of national politics, the presidential election of 1852 was of particular interest to Cobb. Sketches, memorandum, copies of letters, ball announcements, and pages and tables from published books have been inserted or copied into the journal. Regular mention is made of Charles Morris Cobb's mother and father, Gaius and Lucia Cobb, and of two uncles, Henry Cobb and Charles Raymond (related by marriage). Largely, the journal records details of Charles Morris Cobb's daily life in a traditional diary format. However, also interspersed into the journal are hand-written pseudo-periodicals, written by Cobb. These include the "LIBRARY AND JOURNAL OF STUDIES," "The Review," "The Recorder of 1849, Weekly," "The New Weekly Experiment," "THE COLLECTOR & RECORDER" and "The Vermont Collection" among others. Some variation in focus, format and tone exists between these pseudo-periodicals. The "LIBRARY AND JOURNAL OF STUDIES" is focused on music whereas "The Vermont Collection" is a miscellany and the others primarily mimic a newspaper format with news ranging from the household and neighborhood (e.g. "Home Affairs" in "The Review") to the governmental (e.g. election results) level.
