This collection contains two diaries. The first was kept by Abner Taylor in 1830-1831. During these months he graduated from Amherst College and taught at schools in Connecticut and New York. The diary shows the impact of evangelical religion on the period. Abner, who hoped to become a minister, for the most part recorded his religious activities and analyzed his spiritual state. The diary also contains a biographical essay about Abner, written after his death in 1832.

The second diary was kept by Abner's brother Horace over the years 1834-1844. In these years Horace traveled as an itinerant peddler through Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey. He also taught school in New Jersey and worked as a fisherman in Massachusetts. The diary describes his travels, his various jobs, and his religious activities and concerns.