The School Master Moves In
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Tuesday, December 9, 1845: I called to Sylvenas Carpenter and he rode with me to Joshua B. Maxon’s and I signed and paid five dollars for the election room, and I reckoned with said Carpenter and Maxon my account. I had paid Simmons towards building the school house fifty six dollars and the sill was one dol and fifty cts and now my school house tax is to be deducted which is 21 dollars and 34 cts and the remainder due me to be paid yet by the said trustees. From Maxon’s I rode to Kent Hadsell’s to see if he meant to buy my fat bull but he told me he could not pay but two dollars per hundred and I told him if I concluded to sell the bull for that price I would let him know it.
Thursday: I rode up to Squ Leland Sheldon’s and was sworn with Mr. John Russel to appraise the personal property of Zachariah Chapman, deceased. On the way I called to the post office at Howard’s and got my Troy Budget and paid nine cts for the two back numbers of the Boston Repositorys. On the way I called to the widow Mosley’s where Orra Holcomb was and he signed all his claim on the household furniture off to me that he bid off in 1842 of his Father’s that was mortgaged to me. Towards night Mr. John Russel and myself appraised the before-mentioned property of Zachariah Chapman deceased at his last residence where Mr. Prentice Johnson lives. I then returned home at day down and this evening I cut up sausage meat. Today my oldest son Geo P. went out with our ox team and he helped Mr. Alonzo Rodgers draw the old school house that he bought.
Friday: We butchered our bull and Mr. Reuben Chapman helped us butcher said bull, which pays me for going to Squ Leland Sheldon’s and appraising his goods, and I paid him two dol. I walked up to Sylvester Carpenter’s vendue and bid off a horse rake 81 cts and two old augers and paid for all and Geo P bargained and bought and paid said Carpenter four dollars for an old cutter and tonight he went and got the cutter at Thomas Carpenters the son of Sylvester Carpenter and I paid over the four dollars to my son Geo P. On this evening I took my cutter and carried our sausage meat to Lias Dike’s to be chopped.
Saturday: We rode to Lias Dike’s and got the sausage meat, 179 pounds. I stand indebted for chopping 79 cts. On this evening we filled sausage.
Monday: Today Charles Gay began to board with us, he is the school teacher in our district and said Doctor Charles Gay pulled a tooth for me and I paid him 12 cts for pulling said tooth.