ACKER FAMILY DIARIES, SC #2050

SCOPE AND CONTENT
This collection consists of 1 Hollinger box and contains the personal diaries of Rockingham County residents Isaac Acker and his son, David. The elder Acker's diaries cover the years 1880 to 1905, while his son's diaries cover the 11 year span of 1889 to 1900.

The Ackers were avid farmers and also had an interest in carpentry. Isaac Acker was born on September 4, 1832 near Broadway. He served in the Confederate Army as an orderly sergeant in the 7th Virginia Cavalry under Generals Turner Ashby and Thomas L. Rosser. Like his father, David Acker was born near Broadway on October 11, 1869. He was devoted to agriculture and was influential in founding the Rockingham County Farm Bureau, where he served as president for many years. He also served as director of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and was a member of both the Agricultural Advisory Council of Rockingham County and the Agricultural Conference Board of Virginia. In addition, the younger Acker was president of the First National Bank of Broadway and secretary-treasurer of the Rockingham Mutual Telephone and Telegraph Company. He was married to Martha M. B. Sellers and fathered three children.

The diaries of both men are similar in that they discuss the day-to-day events in the lives of the Acker family. There is much overlap in the diaries as topics such as farming, weather, and daily chores appear frequently in both works. Other popular topics discussed in the diaries are weddings, funerals, and trips.

There are two indexes to the diaries in Folder 8, one compiled by Agnes Kline and one by the EMC Historical Library staff. The assistance of EMC is necessary to correlate entries from the index to the diaries at JMU.

PROVENANCE
The collection was placed on deposit by contract with the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wayland, John B. Men of Mark and representative citizens of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Virginia. Staunton: The McClure Co., Inc., 1943.

History of the Shenandoah Valley: Family and Personal Records. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1952.

ORGANIZATION
Box 1                Series I: Isaac Acker
Folder 1             1880-1885
Folder 2             1886-1891
Folder 3             1892-1896
Folder 4             1897-1902
Folder 5             1903-December 1906

Series II: David C. Acker
Folder 6             1889-1894
Folder 7             1895-1900
Folder 8             Indexes