acres and nearly 1000 was in woodland and about 125 acres in
wheat. At the end of his journal he added up that he was absent
from Watervliet for 11 days, 10 nights, traveled about 1500
miles--880 by railroad, 500 by steamboats, 28 by stage, 74 by
packet and 26 in wheeled carriages, and that he found both North
Union and Groveland more flourishing than he expected.
In 1857 he was released as Elder Brother at his own request. He
was now 72 years old. Five of his siblings had died, but four
others were still alive and in the Shakers. He now moved to a
room at the south end of the Herb Shop and set up a woodworking
shop for himself, making steps, partitioning off a room for
tools, putting up shelves, making places for his chisels, bits,
etc. Now his chores were to take care of the clocks in the
family and repair and construct anything that needed doing--
making coffins, frames for machinery, racks for drying. But he
was still rolling and casting silver pens and working in the
blacksmith shop when he needed to make screwbolts, etc. He was
keeping his own journal now and so in August he tells he went
fishing, got a bullhead and two sunfish, "small doings!" was his
comment. The next year he had his own garden, planting 56 hills
of melons surrounded by 70 hills of corn. He now also had an
apprentice, Thomas Almond, who was 10 years old, and they began
to turn brush and broom handles. In November he made a sled for
Thomas, so it was not all work. Two weeks later they finished
glazing 1212 panes of glass for the new laundry building.
Early in 1859 he and David Austen Buckingham, the elder, worked
together to make coffins for two notable leaders at the Church
Family--Morrell Baker and Frederick Wicker. In May he noted that
"in commemoration of the second anniversary of my releasement
from the office of Elder Brother of this family, I have started
my new buzz saw in my lathe room." He also repaired shelves for
Almira, buzzed out some "stuff" (his usual term) for a small
trundle bed for Caroline, buzzed out some stuff for Albert's
window blinds and so^me ash stuff for horse rake teeth, made a
shelf and pinboard for Marian Treadway. He also did his stint in
caring for Brother Francis Goodrich who was now in his last days,
watching one night, and staying all day another time "and had a
busy time of it." When Brother Francis died, he again made the
coffin.
In September he wrote that the caretaker of the boys had taken
the boys and "all rode out and I arn left without anyone to help
me. So I have wrote some and made a fly cracker out of a part of
the tail of a horse, Sneden, who had died a short time before.
In October he "bottomed a chair and stuffed it with fine
shavings," and was getting out stuff for tubs and tanks for the
new washhouse or laundry. On November 25 he recorded that he
"puttied 96 panes of glass, then got Jim and his wagon and went
on beyond the blackberry hill to a pile of turnips in the woods
covered up with straw; they were brought from the river where
they were raised. I filled four barrels with them and brought
them home and put them in the cellar. After this I cleaned out
my shop stovepipe and drum which was considerably filled with

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