Sunday January 8, 1837: Today I took my double sleigh and carried my two oldest daughters and Jane Wylie to the funeral of Rufus Rose. [private]He cut his own throat with a razor on Friday morning after he had eat his breakfast as usual, but no one knew the cause of self murder. The funeral was attended by Elder Jones and a large congregation of people attended.
Friday, January 20: I chopped three loads of wood in my swamp and drew two loads home. On this morning the collector Mr. Sheldon called and I paid my taxes which was eight dol and five cents. Tonight I had a cow got her head hung betwixt the bars in the stable and died. The cow was the one I bought of brother William.
Saturday: This morning when I went to my barn I found the before-mentioned cow dead, hung by her head betwixt the bars reaching after hay. I had prepared the adjoining stall for brother Jay Wylie’s horse and left out the cow that stands in that place and said Wylie left his horse to Platt Wylie’s which left the stall vacant, and by that means I lost the cow. I took my cutter and rode up to Mr. Cory’s and got Mr. Hires’ butcher knife, and he rode home with me and skinned my cow. I then carried Mr. Hires to Pittsfield with my cutter to pay him for butchering my beef last fall and skinning this dead cow. Said Hires went after his son George’s chest of clothes and watch. He found them to old Henry Ostrander’s. Said George Hires is in Lenox Jail for stealing cloth. Today I carried my cow hide to Mr. May in Pittsfield, it weighed 60 pounds and he paid me the cash at 5 cts per. Said Hires and I had quite a stormy day to ride. On the way over we stopped to Broad’s old stand to warm and we took a drink brandy, and on the way home we called to Nichols store and had a drink rum.
Sunday: Today quite stormy and today a funeral in Hancock of a self-murder, a Mr. Philander Hand cut his own throat on Friday.[/private]