The Jones Family diaries collection at the Lambton County Archives contains diaries from three different Joneses: two diaries from Henry John Jones Sr.; a single diary from Julia Maria Jones, Henry John Sr.'s daughter; and thirty-four diaries from Henry John Jones Jr., Henry John Sr.'s son.
Henry John Jones Sr.'s diaries documented between December 11, 1831, and September 22, 1833. He tended to record weather readings, such as thermometer, barometer and wind speed. He recorded details about agricultural activities, farm accidents and visitors. September 28, 1832, he noted, "Townsend arrived with workmen to finish bridge. 2 boys stopped in search of horses." (page 123). His diaries provide a great snapshot of activity at Maxwell during its heyday.
Julia Maria Jones kept a diary from May 20, 1830, to August 28, 1830. It documents the journey from England to Canada, and through to the site for Maxwell. "Our view of Maxwell even at first was favourable..." Julia notes, commenting on the beauty of the landscape and the hard trek she endured to reach her destination.
Henry John Jones Jr. documented an extensive portion of his life with diaries. His first diary was "Remarks on the zoology of the neighbourhood of Maxwell," a summary of the animals around Maxwell without much detail about the activities of the humans. He kept regular diary entries until 1843, then the collection abruptly stops until 1852, when it picks up regularly again. It is possible that he quit writing for that period, or the diaries were lost over time. The last diary in this collection ends in June 1883.
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