Midwinter Hay
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Wednesday, January 2, 1850: Today Nelson Rhodes moved out of my house into Daniel Gardner’s.
Friday: Geo P. went to Pittsfield with cutter and carried four bushel apples and sold at one dol per and carried three cheeses and sold at seven cents per.
Saturday: This evening Geo P. went up and bought of Mr. John Russels cheese 454 pounds and paid him the cash at six cents per and today brother Simeon Wylie and daughter Deborah, his daughter with him.
Sunday: This morning Alonzo Rodgers daughter died, a child five months old (Lauretta M., Presbyterian Cemetery). This evening I took my cutter and carried my wife and two daughters over to meeting to the lecture room, Elder Stoewell was expected to preach but did not come.
Monday: Today I took the ox team and sled, I carried Russel Palmer one bushel carrots which pays him for butchering my half the beef I fatted to the halves for John Wylie and I carried half a bushel corn to Aaron Merrils which pays him for a peck of beans said Merrils fed to my sheep, and I carried a bag of corn and oats and left to said Merrils to feed to my sheep.
Tuesday: I took the cutter and carried my wife and daughter Charlotte over to the lecture room to the funeral of Alonzo Rodgers child.
Wednesday: Today I took the ox team and Geo P the horse team and sleds and we drew each two loads of hay from Lebanon from the widow Perry’s meadow that was stacked that Geo P. bought the grass and today Geo P. paid the widow Perry the cash for said hay which was seventeen dollars and 25 cts.
Thursday: I and Geo P. drew four loads of hay from the widow Perry’s with the two teams.
Friday: I and Geo P. drew each a load hay from the widow Perry and a high wind, snow and rains and part of my load blew off and I left the hay on side of the road.
Saturday: This forenoon I and Geo P. went with the ox team to Lebanon to the widow Perry’s meadow and drew the rails back to where we took them from last summer to fence the before-mentioned stack of hay, and then we took the remainder of the stack bottom and the hay that blew off my load yesterday.
Monday: I took the cutter and went to James Sweet’s store, there I paid my taxes to the collector Runnals. I paid ten dollars and sixty nine cents, and on the way home I called to Hiram Newton’s. This morning Geo P. started with cutter to go through Pittsfield and Lanesborough to engage young apple trees to sell, did not return tonight.