Scope and Contents:
Daniel Torrey (1808-1896), a master scythe maker, owned a wagon and blacksmithing shop in Payson, Adams County, Ill. In the 1830s Torrey moved from his home state of Maine to Quincy, Ill., and later, to Payson, where he established his shop. In 1856 he moved to Missouri and, after 1870, to Fairbury, Nebraska.
This collection, arranged chronologically, consists of materials from Torrey's time in Maine, Illinois, and Missouri, and contains documents relating to real estate, fire insurance, voter registration, and local taxes. The collection also includes a letter from his wife's relative, Amos Blood, regarding an order of steel ploughs and other farm equipment; a small notebook, filled with diary entries, personal and business financial records, and home remedies for common illnesses; and a certificate for land in Milan, Missouri.
The Nebraska State Historical Society donated the collection to the University of Illinois Libary in 2009.