Irving Skeele Diaries Collection

Irving Skeele (1866-1946) was a local barn and house builder, living most of his life in Apulia Station, New York.  He created a series of diaries during his construction years, which allows us a glimpse into the life and times from 1893 until his death in 1946.  The first years of Irving's diaries do not give good insight into the "expansive" roots of the Skeele Family Tree, as Irving is constantly labeling his many family connections by referring to them as aunts and uncles and cousins.  At first reading, you would think he is using these terms as a reference to his closeness to the person, but in fact, after careful genealogical investigation, we have been able to ascertain the family relationship and provide the complete names and the relationship in parentheses.  These diaries contain information about general farm life, local train, stage and horse travel, his building of not only large area barns, creameries, ice houses and beautiful Victorian homes, but also information his about his daily accounting, the births, marriages and deaths of family & friends and the long hours of labor involved in his work and life.