Charles Trowbridge resided in Wilbur (near Kingston), New York, and was employed by D. E. Donovan, an operator of a bluestone quarry nearby. Much of the diary describes the active bluestone commerce of the area along with the extensive shipping operations at the confluence of Rondout Creek with the Hudson River. Many of the steamers, schooners, and sloops mentioned in the diary are named. Other forms of transportation are noted too, such as horse drawn wagons and railroads. The diary also includes comments and anecdotal information relative local events such as the Joseph Waltz murder case and appearances of P. T. Barnum and Frederick Douglass.
