Selling Chickens And Sheep
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Wednesday, August 19, 1846: Today my two sons and daughter Sarah went to the north part of town and got half a bushel of blackberries and jam and Mary Wylie went with them. Today two men who were employed by Henry Hull came and paid four dol and 12½ cts for thirty three chickens, my son John F. had the money for the fowls.
Friday: I this forenoon put shoes onto my sled.
Saturday: Towards night E.C. Hughes called to see how many subscribers I had got to his paper.
Sunday: Quite rainy. We got ready to go to E.C. Hughes meeting but the rain stopped us.
Monday: We this forenoon got our sheep home and sorted out thirty that were old and poor, a few small lambs, and left them handy for sale, and this afternoon I took my two wheel carriage and rode to Lebanon to old Mr. Benonie Shermon’s to let him know that I had oxen and sheep for sale and he agreed to come and look at them.
Tuesday: I took my two horse team and carried about 12 bushels of onions to Pittsfield for Aaron Merrils in the way of changing works, and he agrees to make wall two days to pay me. He went with me and sold his onions at 1/6 pence per bushel. When I got home I found cousin Henry Campbell at my house, and then I went with my team to the old widow Hunter’s after his mother that is my sister Miriam Campbell and Susan Brown, a girl that had lived to my sisters from a small girl up to to now.
Wednesday: Benoni Shermon came and bought thirty sheep from me at fifty cts per head and I sent my son John F. to drive the sheep to him and Henry Campbell went with him, they went with the one horse wagon and carried two or three of the sheep for the sheep were getting old. I gave the two boys each fifty cts for driving the sheep.