Prior (1854)
Next (1856)
For the year 1855
Prior (1854)
Next (1856)
7 July Ruth Johnson's funeral in Meeting House at 4 p.m.
9 Considerable many spectators considering the heat. "Only 29 sisters came
Sun. to meeting."
10 Gathering cherries from trees by the Office.
11 FSW went to Albany on foot. "Has been subpoened to appear as a witness in
plank road business."
15 Had painted Meeting House & shingled shed & C. Miller computed costs:
Cost for materials to shingle shed - $190.00
Church Family pays 2/3 (CF & NF) 126.67
2d Family (WF) 3/5 of 1/3 37.99
South Fami iy 2/5 of 1/3 25.34
Cost of paint for MH, fence & out bldgs 103.97
Church pays 1/2 51.99
2d Fami Iy, 3/5 of 1/2 31.19
South Family, 2/5 of 1/2 20.79
Amount to be paid by Church Family $178.60
11 " 2d Fami Iy * 46.13
11 " South Fami Iy 69.18
18 Foundn out they could get $1/50 per bushel for currants in A l b a n y
so Sisters
begin picking morning and night.
20 Picking currants. "It seems as though we should be burnt up" - hot, no rain.
22 Last of the currants - about 25 bushels.
George Peavy came to see our Ministry about Henry Hanson. (David Buckingham
had just begun his Journal and notes that Hanson was to be exposed as a
fraud - had forged letter and false statements about going to England, etc.
Ministry decided to expose him but not to imprison h i m . )
24 Rained most of the day - "all exceedingly thankful."
25 FSw went to Troy with Elder Issachar & Geo. Peavy tojsee the spiritualists
again about Henry Hanson.
CM went to M e c h a n i c v i I Ie
to order a lot of "light stripe"(materia I)sent
to Pleasant H i l l .
28S & Daniel went to look for some kinds of herbs & also looked at some land for
saIe at Rosendale.
29 CC & CM went to look at the land for sale.
I Aug Philip (?) began to make brooms.
8 CC & CM went to see about the land, met at the SF's West Farm with Asa &
Alexander "as they are determined to have a part or all of it."
II CM went about one mile beyond Schenectady & got 1500 broom handles.
12 - Daniel went after more handles - got 2000.
Both So. Union, Ky. and Union Vlg. Ohio Ministry visiting.
75
29 Dec Lydia finished sewing braid on Lucy's bonnets; this makes 7 doz. ready for
trimming., 34 doz. are crown lined, Clarissa is w i r i n g
some.
CC walked out from Schenectady, arriving home at 8 p.m. (He was then 51 yrs.)
30 Have drawn 227 loads of manure from Yates ' in Albany, most by James Cass
with oxen.
BOOK 5
4 Jan "Sarah Jane Markwel I made up her mind to go to her parents & we thought it
was best for Rosanna to go & live with her parents too, for she did not
appear to be one that would make a Shaker." FSW took them to their father.
"Eli Horton came to the Office (just as we were going into meeting). He
also gave out word that he chose to leave." CM away in Schenectady on Soul
case, decision not until midnight on 5fh, so Eli had to wait.
6 CM took Eli to Albany, bought him a surtouf, cap & trunk, gave him 2 hours
to do up his business. He then paid his passage to Chicago & gave him a
ticket, some money & saw him on board the cars. He is going to his brother
in Mich igan.
The men are going to Waterford everyiouple of weeks to buy "feed."
13 Clarissa has wired almost" 20 doz. bonnets.
15 Some talk of dividing the county & the brethren are opposed to it.
16 Have 11 hired men. No water in Office, has to be brought from creek or pond.
(In the winter the men are busy hauling & sawing wood and ice.)
19 Took donation to Home for Friendless in Albany - barrel of potatoes, carrots
& beets, bushel of apples, bushel onions, 2 gal. applesauce, 4 pies, 2-3 Ibs.
cheese, 2 brooms,, and a load of wood. About 40 inmates, mostly aged females.
20 Ella Benedict is taken into CF "after Ministry gave liberty" for it.
Sat. (Ella lived at'CF until near its end, dieing in 1921.)
"All the Ministry attended evening meeting & administered a keen gift against
the flesh & all that pertains thereto."
25 "Oliver Prentiss concluded to leave the Society as he would not conform to
the rules & would have had a great deal of hurt. The Ministry & Elders did
all they could to have him do one thing or the other. Justice settled with
him & took him to Troy.. He talks of setting up a society with more liberal
views etc. He appeared to feel very bad, shed many tears when too late ."
(David Buckingham's comment was that Oliver "has gone to enjoy what he can
of the world, flesh and devil.")
26 "Brother Daniel went to thefed Order to makejsome labour with Smith Taylor (47
years o l d ) whohas been very intimate with 0. Prentiss but he refused to
comply with anything required and was left until morning to make up his
mi nd what to do."
27 Brother Daniel went to 2d Order in morning, came back & sent CM over to
settle with Smith. "He was very saucy to Brother Daniel but he behaved very
well to CM. After dinner CM took him to- Troy . He also shed many tears
when too I ate."
30 Jan An aged man came from Lansingburg with a boy named Milford Davis. Elder
Brother concluded to keep him on trial and, if he does well, take his
younger brother.
31 Alexander Youngs moved from NF to WF and George Peavy has taken his place.
1 Feb Smith Taylor came & stayed overnight. He wanted to get some more of his
things and they agreed to let h i m .
2 CC bought 200 'Ibs. of broom corn in A l b a n y
Ministry decide to bring Elder Sister Eliza Wells & Phebe Ann Smith from
NF to CF and send Catharine Vedder to NF as Elder Sister, Lucy FairchiId
as 1st Deaconess & Lucy Fuller to become 1st Deaconess in CF. Tell the
family at supper time. (People actually moved on Feb. 6th.)
7-8 Feb FSW in Albany with legislators about proceedings concerning the Shakers.
9-10 CC and CM to Helderbergs for "timber."
14 "Miller, the school inspector, came to visit the school, seemed well pleased."
15 Bought a used Howe sewing machine for $32; new cost $65-70.
21 Henry Watson decided to leave; CC settled with him & took him to Albany,
he is going west.
22 Putting a new furnace in Meeting House.
23 Had Befts come from Albany to fix their Dewing machines. Now take him
2 fowls, 2 brooms, set of table mats, and 1-2 gal. applesauce in payment.
27 CM walked home from Schenectady. He had gone to Oswego on Feb. 19 to sell
seeds in & around there. (41 yrs. old).
Frederick Evans came in evening, walked most of the way from Albany.
28 (Nothing said about Mother Ann's birthday.)
1 Mar FSW in A l b a n y
"to see to the bill pending in the Legislature touching the
property of the Shakers."
2 CC, Clarissa & Lydia to Schenectady to buy cloth, crockery and tin.
4 Families would not come to meeting becuase of sickness & Meeting House_was
Sun. not warm enough. (David Buckingham said they couldn't get it above 58.)
6 FSW goes to Albany, Anson with him to testify regarding "the woman that was
knocked down at the end of our lane by a German & he violated her person.
She screamed & the hired men ran to her assistance."
8 Packed 75 doz. bonnets in two boxes & CM took them to send to NYCity.
10 CM walked out from Albany. Two men from whom they bought the Meeting House
Sat. furnace came to start the furnace & see how it would work.
Calvin Green came from Lebanon.
13 Hired men are John Gordon, Edward Howley & Anson who saw, Dan & James Cass,
John Burk & John Marr who draw, load & unload; Patrick is at the Office
woodhouse, & Geo. Dunford is at washhouse woodhouse.
13 Mar CC & CM go to look at woodland about 20 miles from Little Falls that Truax
of Schenectady wants to sell.
Daniel Brainard went to get a truss.
14 DS went to Schenectady for a keg of powder and a load of safety fuse for
blasting logs.
15 Put a register at far side of meeting room near the Ministry door.
Wheel broke at mill, taken to Albany to be fixed, no sawing.
19 BS Youngs "taken with a kind of pleurisy." They think it is doubtful if he
surv ives long."
Wilson Youngs died at WF. <*. *75"-//~>^
21 Get bonnets from WF - 50 doz. of them - packed & shipped them.
22 Great part of sisters very anxious to have soapstone oven in Dwelling House
cookroom and CC & Jesse went to Albany to get one.
23 Brother Calvin Green is taken to Albany to go back to Hancock. Has finished
the revision of the book with B SYoungs.
ob'l-^
AX i
24 BSYoungs died/^ Has been confined to his^room a little more than 2 years.
Sat Elder Brother Freegift and Chas. Brackett make his coffin.
26 Funeral in D w e l l i n g
House. CM carried th^corpse to the grave with his team.
30 CC & CM took quite a long walk in a.m. looking over the woods on the 60 acre
lot.
2 Apr Tom WaIde moved away from the farm he had occupied for 5 years & had never
been able to pay the rent for.
"The turkey buzzard on Elder Brother's chimney blew off."
3 Phillips., the man who is taking the farm, is ready to move in.
4 CM takes Sally Taylor to Marks (an attorney ?) "to have the matter settled
about the bounty land that she is heir to."
Elder Brother goes to Schenectady "to learn something about a kind of machine
for drying clothes."
9 Jacob Groat has accused Henry White (of the Shakers) of cutting pipe stems
on his land & case has come up in court.
12 Got water running in Office again. Have not had it since Jan. 1st.
14 Brother Richard came to report that a little boy died last evening in their
family from scarlet fever - sick 2 days. (Munson Kiersey)
16 Line oven in Office kitchen with soap stone.
17 Put scow in river,
Elder Brother DAB and FSW go to Albany to be measured for trousers and have
a pair cut that wi I Ifit.
20 Island nearly under water but scow is all right.
21 Plow the lot south of the old mill, to plant radish seed there.
23 Two men come from Crescent to have us take a little girl whose mother
is dead.
25 Simon Atherton from Harvard to see about roots & bonnets.
26 Farmers are plowing the lot near the burying ground and also the other side
of the creek for a garden for cabbage & turnips.
27 To Albany on Jacob Groat case. "They had a pretty warm time."
Hallenbeck children's mother came.
28 Ministry said they would "give liberty for the families to have bought tea
twice a day if they would be satisfied with that, etc."
1 May Elder Sister goes to the SF and brings home two little girls.
3 Sisters all trying very hard to finish the order for bonnets this week if
possible so as to begin cleaning house next week.
4 Ship bonnets to Harvard & NYC and "herbs & things" to England.
5 "Elizabeth Seely & Lucy Fuller set up & finish varnishing bonnets."
9 "The whole of the sisterhood is engaged in cleaning house; all is confusion
from one end of the house to the other."
14 CM and Solomon Gale go to Niskayuna to get the seed into the botanical
garden there.
15 School began today.
16 Brother Richard Dean came from SF with the father of the two little girls
we took from them on May 1. "The father said he wanted the children & had
provided for them. They all returned to the SF to have the matter settled."
19 Brother Daniel Sherman returned from New Lebanon. Walked from Troy. (42 yrs)
22 One of James Stark's horses "got cast in the stable" on the Island & was
dead & cold when they found it. They skinned it & cut out some of thejfat
& brought it home for he was in good condition.
28 FSV is quite laid up with rheumatism. Thought he might be able to drive
Ministry into Albany.
Two men came to see the Treadways to get them to sign a quit claim to some
land owned by their father in Illinois but they refused to do so.
29 Abiah Crary came to ask for the last timeffor "a privilege among Believers."
Wed Elderess Paulina being here helping clean the Meeting House, came and talked
with Abiah & then went & talked with the Ministry & they "gave liberty for
her to be taken."
(Abiah was then 70 years old; she died in 1860, aged 75, is in cemetery.)
31 An order from Albany for 1000 bushels of popcorn.
"Two women came very late, one had an infant in her arms. We kep-frrhemall
night and in the morning they went to the SF to see if they could find a
home, etc., but it is poor stuff."
7 June A young woman from Kentucky came from Albany with her brother, bought
some books & other things in/the store. They took dinner. "She heeded not
the storms, her anxiety was so great to see the Shakers. She had some ac-
quaintance with a girl that had lived at South Union.''
8 Got basswood plank for broom handles. Used 2 yoke of oxen to haul from
railroad - some they store in barn that Abram Groat used last year, some in
dooryard at Niskayunajand some they bring home.
9 Considerable excitement this morning soon after breakfast. A Child was
found in a basket at the end of the lane by Mary (?) who came to help us.
Was a little girl about 3 months old,,it had only a few rags on, an empty
baby bottle, and a scrap of paper pinned on basket said "Please take this
child to adopt if as your own, Mr. Shaker." FSW & Lucius went to Troy &
told the poormaster & he came to see about it but Mary had taken it home.
He wanted her to keep it a week, hoping to get some clue to its mother.
13 Sarah Mully/came & stayed in the Office (this indicated she was getting
ready to leave).
14 CM took Sarah to Albany to her fathers house.
15 Sarah Cook came with Harriet Slater's husband to see Anna Cook and "if
possible, get her to go with them." Elder Sister came with Anna & spent
most of the day with the aunt. Sarah & co. left on 16th.
16 Lucy & Lydia have framed 4 doz. bonnets this week besides other work.
Men are putting in new lead pipe in water system. Bring 2 men from Albany
to solder it.
19 CM, ES, Lucy & Lydia go to Mechanicvi I l e to the linen thread co., home by
way of Cohoes & arranged to "have the worsted combed and spun."
23 Daniel started forjlsland but river so high he could not get over. Much of
Island under water; fear corn will be spoiled.
25 Susan Remer (27 years o l d ) decided to;leave. Her mother came S^pent the
day with her. An inventory taken of her things in the evening & they were
packed ready for a start.
26 Elder Brother Freegift thought it most proper for-hin^o accompany Susan to
Michigan where her brother lives & then he could visit North' Union and
Grove I and. Went to Schenectady to take train.
was'hed.-22---blankets & coverlets of hired men & boys.
28 Miller, the school inspector, and 6 others came, had dinner, visited schools
at CF and Wf.
30 Very hot. CC & Daniel to the Island, CC came home on foot. CM paid off
2-3 of thefcaddies tha-^ere not going to work & discharged them.
1 July Jonathan Wood, Prudence Morrell, Hannah Treadway & Eleanor Potts of Lebanon
Shakers were in "Springs" (Saratoga?) for their health for past 3 weeks.
Today they comefho Watervtiet.
4 "Seems as though the flies would eat us up. There never was as many before
this time of the year."
5 Prudence Morrell is very feeble and unable to go anywhere.
9 CM went to Albany with CC to hire "a still worm." Theirs has failed and
v
|
"6"
"it is time
CC went with
to s t i l l
the
the roses."
covered wagon to
Picked
take the
the first peas.
Lebanon sisters to Albany & put
them on the cars. Jonathan & baggage went with FSW. All were seated as
comfortably as possible in the cars "but there were in a feeble state."
10 Elder Brother Robert Fowle from Canterbury CF and Elder Brother Orvi I le Dyer
from New Enfield CF came. Have been to Groveland to see the land they own
in that v l c i n i ty .
14 Solomon Gale (of 2d Order - 34 years old) gave out the word that he was to
leave. Accordingly CM took him & his clothes to Schenectady. He is intending
to go to the far west.
CC took the two visiting elders to the cars for Lebanon.
Have had 12 hired men all week besides a l l those on the Island, River Farm
& Niskayuna.
15 Sat Good many spectators. 7 hired men for breakfast, 5 for dinner, 7 for tea.
16 The census man came. FSW attended to htm in the a.m. and the two Chaunceys
spend most of the p.m. trying to give him the information desired.
17 "We had 12 for dinner - dining room above, 12 hired men below, and it is so
hot & the flies so thick in the kitchen, it is hardly endurable. To put the
rub on, Abby Godard with her school of 64 girls all ages came. They had
their victuals with them & ate under the great willow by the old house."
Girls carried ice water & milk to them; 12 ladies & 4 drivers came in &
had a cup of tea.
27 "CC went to the river but it is impossible to do much of anything at the
haying or hoeing. It is rain, rain all the time, exactly the reverse from
what it was last year this time. They have been at work at the haying for
two weeks and have put only 3-4 loads in & that not fit. The rye is all cut &
stooked up, hope it will not spoil."
28 Have been having a great deal of rain. "Everything is covered with mold --
all the woodwork, floors, etc."
31 The Governor & his family (8 people in all) came between 12 and 1. We had
tojget them dinner. He had written to FSW but we did not get the letter.
-- ,
8 Aug Mary Ann Whttaker died, in the afternoon; funeral af terysupper, the corpse
smel led so bad'^hey'^nave had it the next day.
10 Four brethren to Van Schaik's Island for pennyroyal.
12 Sab Great many spectators - over 150 carriages.