Daily journals kept by Reuben Lewis "R. L." Bartle (1844 - 1917) of Washington County, Indiana. The journals cover the years 1884 to 1893; January through May of 1894; and 1903 through 1911. They are written on lined legal paper often bound into small gatherings. Bartle frequently heads each year's journal "Family Journal." He records daily happenings and financial transactions, visits, trips to Henryville and Salem, the nearest towns. Bartle was a notary public and often records when his neighbors brought legal documents for him to witness; among these are often Civil War pension applications. He makes frequent mentions of family members and neighbors and occasional references to news.

Five typed pages of research notes on the Bartle family and the Reuben's journals written by Reuben's grandson Glenn G. Bartle in August 1966 are included with the journals.