Trading In Potatoes, Starting The School House
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Sunday, May 18, 1845: This evening I walked over to Adam Brown’s and bargained with his son Wm. for ten bushels of potatoes at 37 cts per.
Monday: I mended some fence and this afternoon I went over to Adam Brown’s and sorted out and measured out the potatoes that I bargained for last night and then returned home and got my one horse wagon and went over and got them and got two bushels of apples at 37 cts per and paid him for the whole, which was four dollars and 50 cts.
Tuesday I took my two horse team and went to Pittsfield with potatoes, apples, and vinegar. I sold seven bushel of potatoes at 50 cts per to Chapin. I sold the remainder of my potatoes four bushels at 50 cts per and I sold the two bushels of apples for one dol and 75 cts, and then I went to Pomeroy’s plaster mill and paid him 59 cents for one hundred and 68 pounds plaster and then I returned home.
Saturday: I set posts and made board fence to my milk yard and today I got seven bushel of potatoes of James M. Glass for two pigs and he paid me one dollar cash for the third pig and he took them away today.
Tuesday: I worked a helping fence the school house and digging and laying the foundation for the underpinning. My two sons worked this afternoon with my ox team and wagon drawing stone to put in the ditch under the school house.
Wednesday: Today the house of Elder Sands and the Navano and dwelling of Luke Rock was consumed with fire but the principal part of the furniture was saved.
Thursday:This morning Seth Leonard signed a warranty deed to me of my home farm and the farm that I call my Rodgers farm. He has an old Indian title of the Van Rensselaer patent that is now in dispute and I paid him fifty cents.
Friday: I took my one horse wagon and went to Pittsfield and carried Mr. Chapin forty pounds of pork and I paid him 38 cents in cash which pays up the three dol and thirty eight cents in full for the half barrel of mackerel I bought of him on the 29th. I took dinner to brother F. J. Wylie’s and I fetched ten cheese boxes home from Wylie’s that I had stored there and fetched a band box and hat for Mrs Glass.
Sunday, June 1: Today Herman Palmer was drowned going in swimming into E. Goodrich’s saw mill pond. He is the son of Russel Palmer.
(Herman was 5 yrs old).