The Life Of George Holcomb – A Death From A Wagon Accident

Thursday October 25, 1827: Today my wife took the wagon and rode to Hancock to Rodman Hazard’s.  On this day cold and some snowy.  This morning Mr. Wm Haskett went to Lebanon to shoemaking and took the leather to make Samuel a pair of shoes and mend mine towards his board and we reckoned for his board up to now, which was three dol and reckoned with his wife for her work up to now, which was ten weeks work for spinning, washing, and milking at 62 cts per week excepting one week’s pay in apples at eight cts per bushel that week.  She dried apples for us that she has her pay in apples and the rest of the time she washes one day in a week and milks for her board.
Sunday: Today I took the single wagon and carried my wife and sister Eleanor to Elder Jones meeting house to the funeral of old Mr. Jeremiah Landon and said Jones preached.  On the way home we were stopped at Calvin Carpenter’s to see the sight of Benj Carpenter’s son Henry that was hurt by a horse running away and turning the wagon over.  He was badly jammed.
Thursday, November 1: This morning I told Mr. John Russel that I had a pile of wood to the school house and that wood I should not make use of there as he was going to work round said school house.  I told him not to meddle with it nor let no one else, but as near as I can find out he and others cut up my wood and put it into said school house and put a lock on the door, all this for what purpose I know not.
Wednesday, November 7: Today quite stormy, snow and rain.  This morning Henry Carpenter died with the wound from falling from the wagon on Sunday the 28th of last month.  Said boy had his skull broken in and Doctor Batcheler trapanned him.  He was wounded mortally otherwheres about the head.
Thursday: Today I took the single wagon and carried my wife and Mother Holcomb and Miriam Newton to the funeral of Henry Carpenter, the son of Benj Carpenter.  A sermon was preached by Elder Jones at the Seventh Day meeting house.
Friday: I carried my children to school and I chopped and knocked up old wood in my wood on the hill, and I took on a load onto my horse sled and broke down in the woods, and I took off the horses and came home.  This evening, tonight my son George P was quite restless with a stoppage on the lung.
Saturday: I began to help brother Wm kill hogs, but I was called home and went after Doctor Graves.  Tonight I sat up with my son George Pease, he continued quite sick, a stoppage in the stomach.
Sunday: Tonight my son quite restless, I went to Doctor Graves and I got more medicine, for he continues distressed at the stomach.
Monday, November 16: Today I carried my children to school and we laid up rail fence round the orchard and turned our swine into said orchard and we took Wm’s ox team and got down the broken sled and two loads of wood, and at night I took the wagon and rode over to Doctor Graves’ and got more medicine for my child, but we did not give it tonight, for the child was a little better.