The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

George Holcomb

Cutting Ice

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Tuesday, February 13, 1855: I carried the dinner to Geo P. and John F. and Patrick, they are drawing ice. Geo P. drew four loads on the wagon with my horse and his horse and John F. drew four loads  with his horses on his bob sled and Patrick drew two loads with the ox team. Edward Manning sawed the ice and helped load it.
Wednesday: Geo P. and Patrick packed ice in Geo P. ice house this afternoon.
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Geo P. Makes Lucrative Apple Tree Deals

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Monday, January 29, 1855: This morning a rain and a thaw.
Tuesday: This forenoon the constable Elisha Bennet and son Jackson came to my house and took dinner with us, he came to see if John Merrils was moving out of our house that is near James M. Glass’s and said Bennet found that John Merrils moved out while he was at my house and Bennet returned home without any further ceremony. I learned that said John Merrils and family is moved into our house  that Edgar Brown lives in with him.
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John F. Goes To Court To Collect Rent

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Thursday January 18, 1855: This morning I walked up and had Geo P. come this forenoon and butcher two pigs and this morning  Elisha Bennet returned to my house and took breakfast, I gave him one bushel turnips and he served a summons on John Merrils. Today John F. went with my horse and cutter to Nassau to see Squ Smith Strait, he was not home and did not see him. This afternoon Geo P. went to Lebanon and I sent by him three dollars enclosed in a letter to the Washington County Insurance Company which was an assessment on my Premium note.
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Christmas: A Supper & A Temperance Lecture

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Thursday: December 14, 1854: Today Russel Palmer came to Geo P. and butchered a cow for him and butchered a yearling bull for me. At night I went with my cutter and fetched the meat home. John F. agreed to pay said Palmer in turnips for butchering said bull, and this evening John F. returned from Albany, he got 88 cts per bushel for the potatoes he carried, and he paid three dollars and fifty cts for half a ton of ground plaster.
Friday: I went to Lebanon with my horse and cutter and my wife with me, I carried Patrick Rafferty a hind quarter of beef at six dollars per cwt, it weighed 101 pounds. I carried my bull’s hide 70 pounds and got 5 cts per and carried a cow hide for Geo P. 83 pounds at five cts per and got the cash for the whole. We ate dinner to the Shakers  and visited a spell  with cousin  A. Potter. Today John F. drew two loads alder wood from the Rodgers swamp and Patrick Rafferty chopped alder wood in said swamp. Today Patrick begins to work by the month at 4 dollars per month.
Friday, Dec 22: My two sons rode to the Shakers with Geo P. horse and cutter and Geo P. bargained with the North Family to buy the nursery, all that was fit or large enough to set at 9 dollars per hundred and they agreed to take towards payment one hundred bushels of carrots and one hundred bushels turnips at his farm at 25 cts per bushel.
Saturday: I am quite lame, I did not do any chores.
Monday, Dec 25: Today I and my wife visited to Geo P. together with Wm McMurray and wife  and Elick Ostrander and wife and Aaron Sackett and wife and we had a Crymas supper and this evening they all visited to my house. Today John F. and two sisters rode to the Baptist church to a temperance lecture, they rode in a sleigh of four horses with others.
Saturday: Today John F. bought one acre of timber of Geo P. and is to pay him 100 dollars for it.
Monday: Today my two sons chopped and drew chestnut timber from off Geo P. hill where John F. bought one acre of the timber of Geo P.
Tuesday: My two sons worked in the forenoon chopping and drawing chestnut timber from off Geo P. hill and in the afternoon Geo P. chopped a spell, John F. did not draw off for he was unwell.

A Snowy Thanksgiving

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Wednesday, November 22, 1854: A snow storm. John F. drove the cattle home from the Rodgers farm and Capt. Skinner came and skinned four hogs for us and paid three cts per pound for the skins, they came to three dollars and 30 cts. This evening John F. rode to Lebanon and could not market the hog I expected said Tanner to buy but he could not take the hog.
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Geo P. Loses In Cow Court

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Wednesday, November 1, 1854: Today I and John F. only tended to some chores for both is unwell.
Thursday: This forenoon Geo P. and John F. tended to dividing their sheep and John F. got his oxen out of the Rodgers barn, they had got to the corn for the door was left open by some one. This afternoon John F. unwell. Today some of my family sewed some to John Merrils wife sewing bee.
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