by Alex Brooks
Sunday, August 26, 1832: This morning I took my single wagon and carried Mr. Chapman and Mr. Newton home and fetched my wife and children home and said Chapman went to I. Newton’s last night and found my wife and children there. He returned and stayed to let me know where they were. Today I got a load of hay into the barn and this afternoon I took the single wagon and carried my wife and brother Wm’s oldest daughter to meeting at the meeting house near the pool. Elder Leland preached at the request of Martin Van Buren.
George finished haying by the end of the week and began the cider season at the beginning of September. He cleaned out his cider mill and began peddling cider, beginning with the Williams College commencement in Williamstown on September 5.
Saturday, September 8: This afternoon I took the single wagon and carried my wife and three oldest children to Capt. Abner Bull’s Tavern to see a caravan of animals, a lion in with the rest. I paid half a dollar. On the way home I stopped to Squ Nathan Howard’s. He took my affadavit what I had heard my Uncle Levi Pease say John Fikey was in the Continental Soldier and I had said Howard draw two teeth.
Sunday: I am unwell with a cold.
Sunday, September 15: This afternoon I went to the Presbyterian meeting, Mr. Hudson preached, he is from Canaan. On this day a funeral was at Elder Jones meeting house. A young man by the name of Brockway was found dead in the well. No one knew the cause of his death. It is a guess whether he meant to kill himself or not.
For the next month George made many sales trips to training in North Adams, Pittsfield, Berlin, Schodack and Brainerd, selling apples and cider.
Monday, October 15: Today my hired girl Fanna Roberts time was done with me. She worked twenty three weeks and I am to pay her twenty two dol and 75 cts. I made her a present of a set of silver tea spoons and I paid her two dollars and seventy five cts and I stand indebted to her twenty dollars.
Thursday, October 25: I wired my shoat’s noses and put them into my orchard. Old Mr Simpson helped me wiring my pigs, and I paid him in cider.
Sunday, October 28: This afternoon I went to Mr. Newel’s meeting at the Select school house near Doc E. Graves, and I handed Samuel Holcomb two dollars on the subscription of Mr. Newel’s preaching for us this year.