The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Christmas: A Supper & A Temperance Lecture

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Thursday: December 14, 1854: Today Russel Palmer came to Geo P. and butchered a cow for him and butchered a yearling bull for me. At night I went with my cutter and fetched the meat home. John F. agreed to pay said Palmer in turnips for butchering said bull, and this evening John F. returned from Albany, he got 88 cts per bushel for the potatoes he carried, and he paid three dollars and fifty cts for half a ton of ground plaster.
Friday: I went to Lebanon with my horse and cutter and my wife with me, I carried Patrick Rafferty a hind quarter of beef at six dollars per cwt, it weighed 101 pounds. I carried my bull’s hide 70 pounds and got 5 cts per and carried a cow hide for Geo P. 83 pounds at five cts per and got the cash for the whole. We ate dinner to the Shakers  and visited a spell  with cousin  A. Potter. Today John F. drew two loads alder wood from the Rodgers swamp and Patrick Rafferty chopped alder wood in said swamp. Today Patrick begins to work by the month at 4 dollars per month.
Friday, Dec 22: My two sons rode to the Shakers with Geo P. horse and cutter and Geo P. bargained with the North Family to buy the nursery, all that was fit or large enough to set at 9 dollars per hundred and they agreed to take towards payment one hundred bushels of carrots and one hundred bushels turnips at his farm at 25 cts per bushel.
Saturday: I am quite lame, I did not do any chores.
Monday, Dec 25: Today I and my wife visited to Geo P. together with Wm McMurray and wife  and Elick Ostrander and wife and Aaron Sackett and wife and we had a Crymas supper and this evening they all visited to my house. Today John F. and two sisters rode to the Baptist church to a temperance lecture, they rode in a sleigh of four horses with others.
Saturday: Today John F. bought one acre of timber of Geo P. and is to pay him 100 dollars for it.
Monday: Today my two sons chopped and drew chestnut timber from off Geo P. hill where John F. bought one acre of the timber of Geo P.
Tuesday: My two sons worked in the forenoon chopping and drawing chestnut timber from off Geo P. hill and in the afternoon Geo P. chopped a spell, John F. did not draw off for he was unwell.