The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

The Life Of George Holcomb – Moving A Barn And Buying The Farm

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Friday, April 4, 1828: I sledded a few slabs with my twin steers from the little barn where Wm lives to my house, and Samuel plowed with the horse team, and this afternoon we laid up rail fence, a lane through the orchard, and I rode round the neighborhood asking teams to come and help me draw the small barn where brother Wm lives home for a wood house.  I called on to Pool Hill to the Baker Bull’s to see if he was baking cake for me to peddle in Pittsfield, but he concluded not to for he thought it would not sell.
Saturday: This forenoon I cut and drew and hewed the runners for to draw my wood house, and this afternoon we drew it by my going after another yoke on West Hill.  Mr. Hatch’s oxen, six yoke, disappointed me in coming after promising.  We had nine yoke in all and it drew very hard.  Today I borrowed a two gallon jug of cider brandy of George W. Glass.
Monday:  Today I borrowed Mr. John Russel’s stone boat and drew a few flat stones to put under the corners of my wood house, and I chopped some blocks to put under the wood house.  I trimmed my nursery and apple trees.
Tuesday: This morning Mr. Zach Chapman and Gideon Barnhart and brother Wm helped me pry up my wood house and I drew the floor that we took out of the wood house with my twin steers, and the rubbish up to my wood pile.
Thursday: This morning I load spring rye and Samuel plowed it in and this forenoon I took the cart with Wm’s oxen and twin steers and drew stone to fence the burying ground near the Presbyterian meeting house, and this afternoon I sowed rye and fixed my wood house.  Tonight old Mr. Bristol stays with us, he is trimming our apple trees for the brush for fire wood.
Friday: I finished boarding round under the sills to my wood house.
Sunday, April 20: On this day and night a very high wind and on this evening I paid brother Wm forty-six dollars, which makes out the nine hundred and fifty dollars for his half of the sixty acre farm that I live on, and he handed over the deed signed by him and his wife.