John F. Cuts His Foot With An Ax
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Saturday, March 20, 1847: I this forenoon chopped and split apple wood in the orchard and this afternoon I walked over to Henry Cranston’s store for a jury on a case between David Duncan a black man and Elem Andrews. Said Duncan sued Andrews for an ax that Duncan’s father had put in Andrew’s keeping but never had called for the ax legally and Andrews non suited Duncan. Squ Strait and B– Shepard was Duncan’s council and Sanders from Berlin and Beckwith was Elem Andrews council. I got 12½ cts as juryman.
Tuesday: I this morning split wood in the orchard a spell, and an old man, a stranger, afoot, was passing and I paid him 1/6 pence for a hatchet ax, and on this forenoon I took my one horse wagon and carried my wife to Hiram Newton’s on a visit. I carried a bag of corn and a bag of oats to Adams mill to be ground and then I called to Henry Cranston’s store. I returned to Hiram Newton’s and took dinner and then I walked to Geo W. Glass Ville where the committee of Anti-rent met but the committee refused giving a Democrat the nomination to head the ticket and I withdrew from the committee and the anti-rent committee made a choice of Geo W. Glass as a Supervisor and he is a whig anti-rent and the same committee made choice of Alexander Gardner for Town Clerk, he is a Democrat. I returned to Hiram Newton’s and took tea and fetched my wife home. Today John F. cut his left foot bad with an ax on the instep.
Wednesday: Today I and my son Geo P. tapped sap trees and got a load of wood and gathered one barrel sap. The barrel we had borrowed of Hiram Newton and clensed the cider taste by putting in hot water and hot ashes.
Thursday: We tapped sap trees and I borrowed a barrel to Philander Hatch’s and fetched it back home and I clensed it with hot water and hot ashes and this afternoon I walked up to Lathum Village to Lapum’s Store and paid nine cents for half a pint of rum to wash or bathe John’s foot. Today Geo P. gathered two barrels of sap.