Getting Started On The Hog House
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Monday, April 17, 1848: Today I went to Pittsfield and carried ten bushels apples, Spitzenburghs mostly and sold them at 75 cts per. This day Samuel Mercer finished the belfrey to our lecture room and school house and his bill is eighteen dol and 37 cts but not settled for, and he boarded with me about two thirds of the time to work finishing said belfry. Said Samuel Mercy and hired man by the name of Henry Allen stays with us tonight as well as other nights to work on said school house and said Mercy has agreed to work for me repairing my buildings and build a hog house. He agreed to work at one dol per day and 75 cts per day for Allen, and on this evening Geo P. hired man by the name of Abraham Mac Gowan, come to work for two months at twelve dollars per month to help graft and do other work.
Tuesday: Today I helped to prepare and wait on a shingling Mr. Mercy and man noon and this afternoon we drew timber I this morning and Abraham with me. With the one horse wagon went over to the school house and fetched Samuel Mercy’s chest of tools and I carried Simeon Wylie’s long ladder home and today I sent by Mr. John Russel and had 16 pounds nails charged to Gays & Pierce’s store. Tonight a snow storm.
Wednesday I tended to my hired man repairing my cider house and crib window and this afternoon we cut and drew timber.
Thursday we cut and drew timber from off the hill for hog house and said Mercy and hired man continued to work hewing and framing and Geo P. hired man helped.
Friday: Mercy and hired man continued to work framing and Geo P. hired man helped frame and helped plow and scrape a place to set hog house. We broke ox yoke and we borrowed Mr. John Russel’s yoke. Lias Dike came and paid five dollars for two calves.
Saurday: Today said Mercer and man continued to work framing and Geo P. hired man continued to help framing, and I sent six dol by James M. Glass to Troy and bought Timothy and Clover seed.
Monday: We plowed, scraped, and laid the stone under the corners and put the sills to my hog house. Said Mercer and his man continues to work framing and Geo P. hired man works with us this week.
Tuesday I went to Pittsfield with a two horse wagon and my wife and Charlotte went with me and visited brother F. Jay Wylie’s and I carried apples, onions and potatoes to the amount of eleven dollars.