George Holcomb

 

Saturday, March 30, 1850: This afternoon John F. took the one horse wagon and rode to Squ Strait’s to engage him to come and survey the line joining Benj. Nichols, but said Strait was not home. John F. called to Samuel Beers and then to Sq Wm Hands and made oath to his school bill.

Sunday: I gathered five barrels of sap, and we boiled sap today.

Monday, April 1: I gathered six barrels sap and tended to boiling sap and I boiled sap all night. Today Geo P. and John F. rode to Berlin and Geo P. bought a four year old horse of the son of Asher Wheeler and paid one hundred dollars cash in hand. Today Rensselaer Sheldon began to work for Geo P. for five months at 14 dollars per month.

Wednesday: Today I went onto my Rodgers farm and met Benj. Nichols there and we had Squ Strait survey or run the line betwixt us. I went and engaged said Strait, and said Nichols is to pay him for running the line. There was no variation in the line from the old line.

Thursday: Quite a rain storm all day and we only tended to chores and I cut up straw for horse feed. Geo P. and his hired man Sheldon sorted over and barreled up thirteen barrels of his grafted apples for market. Today or towards night Sarah O. was taken quite sick with the mumps.

Friday: I took the one horse wagon and went after Doctor Bates for Sarah. I met him on the road coming this way for Kent Hadsell’s and he came to my house first. I called to Ludwick Babcock shop and got my 24 new harrow teeth that he made out of my stock.

Saturday: This morning I walked to Lebanon to let Doctor Bates know that Sarah was better of the mumps and he was not wanted to come again, but I went one road and he came the other road. I took the ox team and wagon and carried 10 barrels grafted apples for Geo P. and I went with said load to Canaan Depot and Geo P. went with one horse wagon and carried three barrels apples which makes thirteen barrels that Geo P. sends to Boston. John F. went to Eber Rollo school examination.

Sunday: We gathered seven barrels sap and we boiled sap and I boil sap all night. Today sister Hannah Twichel came to visit us from Cincinnati Ohio.

Tuesday: I tended to boiling sap. I am lame and John plowed sward.

Saturday, April 13: Quite a snow storm and wind today. At four this afternoon brother F. Jay Wylie and wife returned home and I took my one horse wagon and carried sister H. Twichel over to Simeon Wylie’s and left her. Today John F. quite unwell with the mumps.

Sunday: Quite blustering, John continues unwell and tonight he got cold and the mumps went down out of his head into his bowels.

Monday: This forenoon I took a horse and cutter and rode to Lebanon after Doctor Bates for John F, for he is more unwell for his mumps settling down and is painful.

 

Thursday, March 21, 1850: John F. drew manure on the garden with the oxen and sled and I helped load, and we drew some seasoned wood from the young orchard. Tonight a man stayed with us by the name of Wilson from Pittsfield, he is in insurance in buildings and insuring people’s health.

Friday: I tended to chores and drew appletree wood from the orchard to the cheese house to boil sap.

Saturday: This forenoon I walked to Lebanon and had Dr. Bates come to Geo P. Said Bates left some medicine and ordered mustard seed draughts applied to his throat where it was swelled with the mumps and this afternoon I took the one horse wagon and carried part of my Franklin stove to Hancock to Lapum’s furnace, 150 pounds at one cent per pound and exchanged for five cultivator teeth at the same price, one dol and 50 cts, and I had one pint mustard seed charged to said Lapum’s store, and I called to Mr. J. Acox and paid 18 dollars interest for one year on three hundred dollar note paid up to April the first in 1850.

Sunday: Today Doctor Bates called to see Geo P., but did not leave any medicine. He ordered phisic and blistering. I gathered one barrel sap.

Monday: I tended to boiling sap. John F. took the one horse wagon and carried six bushels of ears of corn to be ground at Hancock mill and got my grist that he left the other day and he carried three and a half pounds butter and traded it at Lapum’s store for family necessaries. Today continues cold and freezing, today and tonight we had our first lambs four of them, Geo P. continues to be sick with the mumps and quite weak,

Tuesday: This forenoon I walked over onto my Rodgers farm with Benj. Nichols to divide fence and find the line but we could not find all the bounds and said Nichols agreed to pay a surveyor or I would get Mr. Strait to come and survey the line betwixt us according to our deeds. He would pay what said Strait charged and I agreed that I would go and get Strait to come and survey the line.

Thursday: John F. took the one horse wagon and rode up to Mr. Canada’s and carried boosums for him to carry to Troy. Canada had gone to Troy and John F. fetched the boosums home again. Geo P. is some better of the mumps.

Friday: This afternoon I took the ox team and went to Wm Bliss Maxon’s and helped draw battery that was joining the Sach Chapman house. We only drew it into the highway. The teams, six yoke of oxen could not draw it up to the house that Wm. Bliss Maxon lives in and we quit and he concluded to take the building down.

Monday March 11, 1850: This forenoon I and Geo P. went with oxen and sled over across by Philander Hatches on to West Hill to Mr. Horton’s to get a load rye straw and he would not let me have any unless I would take the short headings and I would not take it and we called to Mr. Ezekiel Knapp’s and got a load of eighty one bundles and paid one dollar and 62 and this afternoon Geo P. took the one horse wagon and carried 4 bushel ears corn to Hancock village mill and left to be ground to feed his fat sheep and I sent 20 cts to buy book to put with 80 cts worth small books that we had bought to Pittsfield, all for John F. to give his schollars the last day of school. This afternoon I tended to carrying up hams to H.P. Wylie’s and put in his smoke house to be smoked, and fetched away some that was smoked.

Tuesday: This forenoon I and Geo P. went into my Rodgers swamp with the ox team and sled and chopped three small pine trees and drew home and this afternoon I dug out pine sap troughs.

Wednesday: I made pine sap troughs and began to soak barrels and pails for sap. Today John F. school is out.

Friday: I and John F. and Rensselaer Sheldon this forenoon tapped 31 sap trees and got a load of wood.

Saturday: I and John F. tapped sap trees and we gathered over three barrels of sap. Today Geo P. and his two sisters returned home from Sand Lake. While Geo P. was to Sand Lake he went to Troy and stayed to Orra Holcomb’s one night, he got his miniature taken and paid one dollar and 50 cents set in a frame, and he got boosums to Bennett’s and collars to Valkenburgh for our people and others to make.

Sunday: We gathered two half barrels sap and boiled sap and John F. boiled sap all night. Tonight Geo P. taken quite unwell.

Monday: Today quite a snow storm. I and John F. boiled sap and we drew three loads of wood out of the meadow that Patrick chopped when he worked for us.  Today Geo P. is quite unwell and we sweat him and give him phisic.