Wednesday, December 9, 1840: Today I took my sleigh and horses and carried my wife to Pittsfield to brother Jay Wylie’s on a visit. I carried eleven bushels of apples and sold at fifty cents per, cash, and I carried 27 cabbages and trusted them to a French family name I have forgotten – eleven cabbages at six pence per head and the rest at five cts per head. We returned home at nine o’clock this evening.
Thursday: I drew three loads of wood from my Rodgers farm.
Friday: Today I drew three loads of wood from my Rodgers farm. This evening my children went with my sleigh to Elder Couriers singing school near Nicholas Gardner’s.
Tuesday, December 15: Today I went over to my Rodgers Farm to see about the trouble of my cattle getting lost in the stalls for they were too thick. Hiram Newton made them so thick contrary to my wishes and he was to the expense of brother Sylvester altering said stantions and making them over on the barn floor. I went home and got my wagon and horses and returned to my Rodgers farm and chopped and drew two sticks from my swamp and small sticks for stantions. I chopped and drew home a load of wood.
Thursday: Today my two oldest daughters and my son John F. went to Lebanon to the Baptist Church to hear a Thanksgiving discourse. Fleetus Pierce and his sister Freelove rode with them.
Friday: This afternoon I walked over to Green’s and Clark’s factory to see if my wool was manufactured. It was not, but said Green told me it was to be wove by next Wednesday and he said he could finish the cloth in four days after it was woven and agreed to fetch it to me. I called into Hiram W. Brown’s and paid my tax to the collector Roswell Brown, which was nine dol and seventeen cts and I paid three cts for bitters. On the way home I called to James Adams and engaged him to make me a bucket.
Thursday: I drew a load of wood from my swamp. Today I lent Alfred Clark twenty five cts and I paid Nathan Sackett 19 cts which pays him up for the use of his watch for Angeline to keep school. I paid 44 cts in all for the use of said watch.
Friday, December 25: Today I chopped wood to the door and I took my double sleigh and carried my two oldest daughters to Calvin P. Sackett’s and left them on a visit, and on this evening I walked up to Mr. Corey’s to see if he wanted to buy a fat cow and sheep. He did not give me a direct answer or could not tend to it at present. Today Henry Roseycrantz took dinner with us.
Saturday: Today we only did our chores, it was a snow and very windy.
Sunday: Tonight Henry Roseycrantz stayed with us.