Appraising A Farm
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Monday, February 21, 1848: I took my cutter and carried Sarah to Hancock. I called to Wells harness shop and paid 12 cts for mending my single harness. While I was in Hancock I was quite unwell, puking on the occasion of taking Jones drops.
Monday, February 28: Today I took my two horse pleasure wagon and carried my daughters to the new Baptist Church to the funeral of the child of Orra Holcomb, Elder Mathew Jones preached. The child was nearly three years old and came to its death by a scald, falling into hot water. It died in eight hours after scalding. Her name was Mary Samantha.
Tuesday: Today I took my cutter and rode over to the farm of the widow Amy Moffitt to Mr. John Mathews to prise off [appraise] the cows and sheep and hogs and hay and potatoes with the help of Apollas Rollo, as appraiser with me. We first see fit to value the 17 cows to be worth 50 dollars more than the same number of cows that said Mathews had with the farm two years past, for said Mathew placed six young cows in the place of as many old cows. Next we saw fit to value the 15 sheep the same as when took them and valued the six hogs to be worth as much as the eight hogs that said Everetts left on the farm that we judged to average to weigh 160 pounds each. We judged the six hogs to weigh 1340 pounds, and then we see fit to say that the hay taking the hay in the mow in the bay of the barn to be up the same notch that was cut on the posts when Everetts left the farm and to say 7½ tons and the same quantity of hay in three places in the sheds as when said Everetts left, then we said the pile of potatoes to be 60 bushels, which was 20 bushels less than Everetts left, or 15 bushels for said Everetts had a priviledge to use 5 bushels out of the eighty. The pile of 69 bushels that Mathews left was quite defective with the rot and the pile that Everetts left was a little defective with the rot and it is for the parties to agree what the difference in value of the quantity and quality of the potatoes. I do not get any pay for my time and trouble coming today.
Wednesday: Today I took my cutter and one horse and carried ten half bushels of apples to Pittsfield and sold them for 59 cents per bushel. I called into Buckley’s and Benjamin’s store and bargained for a barrel superfine fresh flour for to pay six dollars and 63 cents and to take said flour tomorrow. Tonight I stayed in Pittsfield village to brother Frederick Wylie’s. Today has been uncommon windy and snow to drifts.
Thursday: This morning I called to said Buckley’s and Benjamin’s store and got the barrel of flour that I agreed for yesterday, and I paid said Buckley and Benjamin six dollars and 75 cents for it, which was twelve cents more than he agreed to let me have the flour for, he tried to excuse himself for taxing me the additional price by saying I did not pay for the flour when bargained for.