The Wool Buyers Back Out Of The Bargain
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Sunday, Sept 20, 1846: Today I and my four children went to Hancock to meeting. Mr. Hughes the Universalist preached and a collection taken and I paid 25 cts and towards night I and my son John F. and my two daughters rode to Lebanon Springs to hear the same Rev. Hughes preach but no meeting and we returned home.
Wednesday: This afternoon John F. took the ox team and went to Hiram Newton’s drawing a corn crib and then went to help Franklin Bull draw a barn and got it part of the way and left it for tomorrow for more teams. He left the oxen but they got out of the lot and came home tonight.
Thursday: I this forenoon took my ox team and returned to Franklin Bull’s and helped draw the barn that was left yesterday.
Saturday: This forenoon two young men from Chatham by the name of Piders called and bargained for my wool. They selected out 25 fleece and agreed to pay 31 cts per and the remainder to pay 35 cts per and I agreed to deliver the wool to Chatham Four Corners on Saturday next, if pleasant, if not a week from that day. They paid me two dollars to bind the bargain.
Friday, October 2: Towards night I and Geo P. took the two horse team and rode over to Elder Matthew Jones and I bought 24 lambs at 75 cts per head and paid him the cash in hand 18 dollars and we put them all but one on the Rodgers Farm and drove an old sheep of Jones with them and left her for a spell to lead the lambs and we fetched the buck lamb home.
Saturday: Today I took my two horse team and cousin Elisha Morton from Rome with me and I went to Chatham Four Corners or what is called Groat’s and I carried my wool to Piders according to last week’s bargain with the two young men Piders but the older brother would not take the wool because they had not bargained cheap enough to suit him but his excuse was that I had told them he had offered 35 cts per in June, but the fact is that the old Pider told me without looking at the wool it probably was worth 35 cts per and these words I told his two brothers and more particluarly I told them that he had not seen my wool, and then they said they did not care for what had been said, they made their own bargains and then he paid me three dollars in addition to the two dollars that his brothers paid me, which was five dollars to pay me for drawing my wool to Chatham and home again.