The Widow Jane Carpenter Dies Suddenly
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Wednesday, November 22, 1848: I hewed a sill to the addition to the hog house and Geo P. and Sarah went in a cutter to the funeral of John Mathews. This evening I walked up to Mr. John Russel’s to see the widow Jane Carpenter for she is taken speechless but a 24 hours since was well.
Thursday: Today I took my one horse team and carried six bushels turnips to Pittsfield. I carried two bushels of turnips to Mr. the book binder and he is to credit me 50 cts on account and I left him six volumes of the Ladies Repository to be bound in black cloth at 55 cts per volume. I sold two bushels for 50 cts cash and I took dinner at brother F. J. Wylie’s and I paid to Plunkett store 54 cts for six yards bleached cotton and I paid to the hardware store 25 cents for a flat file to file my cross cut saw, and I came home by the way of Lanesborough and paid Mr. Manchester ten dollars that Geo P. sent which pays up for the oxen he bought of said Manchester and I got home at ten o’clock this evening. On the morning at four o’clock the widow Jane Carpenter died. This afternoon Ralph O’Dell came to make shingle again.
Friday: Today I went to the funeral of the widow Jane Carpenter to the lecture room in the school house and Geo P. took our two horse wagon and carried Frederick Russel’s family to the funeral.
Saturday: This evening I took my two horse wagon and carried my three fat hogs to Moss Kent Hadsell weight 871 pounds at six cents per and he paid me for said pork which was fifty two dol and 26 cents
Monday: This forenoon I took my one horse wagon and fetched Aseneth Newton and she helped this afternoon and evening pick turkey and Cornelius Macnaut’s wife helped pick turkey, and my boys got 63 turkeys picked in all with the help of my family.