The Bell Is Installed In Its Belfrey
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Thursday, June 17, 1847: Today I plowed and hoed corn. Tonight said Mercy and Kingsman (workmen for the belfrey) came to board with me.
Friday: Today I and Ezra Sackett hoed corn and finished weeding corn, Gilbert Brown rode horse to plow corn and Geo P. weeded carrots part of the day and John F. and the two Brown boys weeded carrots. Today I went over to the school house twice to see if anything was needed to be done while Mr. Mercy was working at it.
Saturday: Ezra Sackett worked half a day, which makes five and a half days this week. He dug ditch with Geo P. Today I worked all day to the school house helping frame a place to put the bell, and I walked to Moss K. Hadsell’s and got his tackles to draw the bell up to the belfrey, and went to J. B. Maxon’s and got a new rope thirty five feet long to ring the bell with and we got the bell up and ready and hung it about the middle of the afternoon, and tonight I paid Samuel Mercy for his three and a half days work on the belfrey of the school house at one dollar per day and his hired man at sixty two and a half cents per day, which makes in all five dollars and 69 cents. Today some rainy. Tonight Pardie Belcher came and paid me 22½ dollars for a two year old cow and calf.
Sunday: On this morning I paid Gilbert Brown for his five days works one dollar and 25 cts.
Monday: On this morning Mr. Ira Hand came and partly bargained and got the refusal of a cow for today, and this afternoon he sent two of his sons and paid me my price for the cow which is 28 dollars and took the cow. I only recommended the cow only to be a midling cow and to be the poorest cow we had. This afternoon or towards night I took the one horse wagon and Geo P. with me and we went to E. Goodrich saw mill and gave directions to have my few logs sawed and I told him I would pay for sawing except the poplar log he had sawed and divided. On the way home we called to Wm. Brown’s to notify him we heard of a stray horse in Lebanon as his horse had strayed, and today some showery. I ground axes and scythes.