Martha Keldgord was the daughter of Danish Baptist immigrants who lived in Center Township, Shelby County, Iowa. This is her journal, which she started in 1911 when she was about sixteen. She documented day-to-day life on her parent's Iowa farm, and mentioned approximately 500 friends, neighbors, and family members as they went through World War I, Spanish influenza, and technological changes.

Notes are added to expand on and explain some of the various people and events mentioned in the original journal. The book also includes several family portraits and photographs.

Indices of both people and places are included.