The papers consist primarily of diaries kept by Albinus and Frank B. Webster. In addition there are two account books apparently kept by Frank Webster and one folder containing several genealogical charts, obituaries of the two men, and a certificate of admission to the Old Settlers' Association of St. Croix Valley, Wisconsin issued to Frank Webster. For several diaries both original and xerographic copies exist (1871, 1872, 1897, 1900, 1903, and 1906). There is no diary for 1898.
The Albinus Webster diaries consist of brief daily entries mentioning weather conditions, activities of his wife and children, names of visitors to the farm, and his own daily pursuits. Among the latter were attendance at Grange meetings, town meetings, and other occasional social activities; trips to town, to the feed or grist mill, and to call on neighbors; and occasional service as a school board member, e.g., building maintenance and taking the school censuses. Many of the daily entries and the scattered accounts found at the end of the volumes concern farm operations. They include mention of farm chores (plowing, sowing, threshing, wood cutting); exchanges and sales of livestock and agricultural produce (often showing amounts and prices); payments for supplies, labor, and other farm and household expenses; occasional loan agreements; contributions of labor and teams for town road work; and names and hours of labor of his farm hands.
Frank B. Webster kept multi-year diaries containing entries on a single page for that date for four or more years. Entries are more varied and descriptive than those in his father's diaries although they include many of the same kinds of information. The Frank Webster diaries also mention his work in the home, activities of his wife and children, family health problems, and his regular attendance at Farmers' Institutes and church gatherings. The diaries often have detailed descriptions of agricultural practices and business transactions.
