Prior (1855)
Next (1857)
For the year 1856
Prior (1855)
Next (1857)
Behold the New Year now has come
0 may it prove a prosperous one.
May everyone that now is here
Remain to greet another year.
How many changes time does bring
Some painful and some happy things.
Within the year that now is past
Many to us, have breathed their last.
Some to a happier land have fled,
Others in thorns have made their bed.
Left home and friends and all for what--
The lowest pleasures earth has got.
4 Jan "Elder Sister is m a k i n g
a surtout for Elder Bro. & she is trying to get it
finished before he goes the journey with CC."
Abby is working on table mats, Clarissa wiring bonnets.
7 The brethren have had "a number of things taken from their sleighs & wagons
where they stop (in Albany) & no clue could be found to the thief. A few
days ago, FSW had two pairs of mittens taken & today they met someone who
knew of their mittens being offered for sale. The boy was found & sent to
jail to await triaI.
Vandemark came in the evening to talk with the brethren about buying the wood
on the River Farm.
8 CC & FSW start on western seed journey.
15 CM attended court about the steding of the mittens; the boy was sent to
the penitentiary for 3 months--there were other offenses brought against h i m .
Joflhn Decker takes a donation to the Albany Home for the Friendless.
For dinner they had some of the Weed family & the wife of John L. Schoolcraft.
16 Sylvester helped the SF butcher yesterday & today a SF brother came & drew
3 loads of bricks from Winne (at Nfskayuna) for h i m .
18 Two women brought 3 children named Simons--2 boys, 1 girl, youngest 5 yrs.
They left them on trial. The grandmother, who has taken most of their care,
lives in Greenbush, the mother in Albany.
20 Sun Quite a number of sleighloads came,thInking we had began having meeting. "They
came into the Office & warmed as long as they pleased."
21 "An Englishman came last night without money or friends, wanted work so they
concluded to keep him a while."
23 Have a woman, Adeline Watson, come to show the sisters how to operate a
Wilson sewing machine.
Abram Lansing came from West Troy bringing a poor woman named Ha Isey who
wanted to have her 5 children taken, husband dead.
25 Orin Bates Sr. came to see his children, Lucy & Orin; behaved right well.
26 Elder Sister & Maria G i I let went to Troy to see the children.
28 Brought thdrest of the^arpets they ordered home from Schenectady.
30 Jan El t zabethjseel eybegan to varnish bonnets at the iron room. Lydia is putting
on braid & crown lining & the like. C. Miller goes to Troy to get a gallon
of varnish for the bonnets.
The brethren have a laboring meeting to teach the younger men. The Ministry
brethren attend.
31 The sisters had a laboring meeting in the evening. Sister^etsey came to see
& show how it should be done. "She was very pretty indeed."
Clarissa fixing crowns & wiring bonnets l i k e everything.
1 Feb CM "takes Leonard Castle & oldest Simons boy to go to their parents. He did
not like their appearance & wanted them to go."
Lucy Fairchild brought bonnets she had finished from the NF.
4 Brethren had another laboring meeting in the evening.
Hired men & boys begin sizing broom corn on the machine at the mill. With
"little Patrick" there are 13 of them.
6 Hester is appointed physician, Sarah Taylor is to help Lucy; Harriet Ingham
is to take the dairy. Sisters had a laboring meeting.
8 A little boy named William Smith came, said his parents were both dead. We
sent him to the shop, Elder Brother took hirrjtoCharles & "gave him up for trial,
9 CC had to leave his team in Denmark and FSW his team in Boonville--it was
impossible for them to travel, the snow in the roads being 4-5 ft. deep &
the drifts 10-15 ft.
Thejfather & step-mother of the boy that came yesterday came looking for h i m .
Thejfather had been looking a couple of days.
10 Letter received told that Mary Lyal had been kidnapped from Lebanon 2d Order
by her father. (SEe DAB's Journal.)
13 Sisters had a laboring meeting. "Eldress Asenath went in & spoke some in
relation to the wastefulness in the kitchen, etc."
15 William Edwards (16 yrs) decided he wanted to leave. Came to Office & stayed
all night. FSW, Elizabeth Harrison & Maria G i l let wentto Albany to see
about taking some girls & brought home two.
16 CM gave Wm. Edwards an overcoat, a hat, paid his passage tdjMYC, gave him $4
& all the clothes he wanted, & took him to Albany.
FSW & CC were taken to Schenectady to go & finish their journey & bring
home their teams.
19 CM made some boxes for bonnets & packed 50 doz. for market.
Water froze in Office kitchen & they had 11 men to be cooked for.
20 CM took Patrick Burke & Tom Kelly to Troy. Tom sent $120 to Ireland to
bring his family over and Patrick sent $35 tobring his daughter.
Bonnets were taken to Albany to be shipped to NYC.
23 Elizabeth Ostrander, 12 years old, brought by her mother & taken on trial.
24 CC & SFW getteme at 4 pm. They have had a very hard time. CC had to go
right to bed.
28 Feb Elder Brother Freegift & James Watkins went on a "missionary tour" in the
neighborhood of Glenville.
Five brethren went to pick a place to put a house they think of moving &
putting near Geo.Dunford's to rent.
29 "This is the day kept in commemoration of Mother Ann's birthday. 1 1
Lucy Fairchild & Laura Prentiss brought down from NF 7 doz. bonnets they
had made.
1 Mar Some chaps from Albany came out here to shoot their dog, k i l l e d
Clarissa's
torn turkey., they then ranfdown the lane as fast as they could.
A load from WF & SF went to hold a meeting where Elder Brother had gone
to prepare the way.
3 Cold & blustery. A young man & 3 ladies from Albany on sleigh ride came this
way on way back. Got as far as Farmers Inn & could go no further. Came here
after supper,ladies very frightened, we kept them all night & made comfortable.
6 Galusha has taken the job of building the Island barn & he "is some began
this afternoon so as not to begin on Friday."
7 Sold some broom handles to a brother from the Lebanon Hill Family in trade
for some fancy brushes.
8 Sold some broom handles to Lewis Morris.
Elizabeth Ostrander has been at SF for 1 week on trial & is now brought back
to CF by Eldress Paulina.
10 John Decker, Elder Sister & Mercy Harwood, went to Brunswick, 6 miles beyond
Troy, to return Elizabeth to her mother, "not thinking she was very bright."
11 CM, Matilda & Lydia go to Albany to get a 14 yr old girl, Sarah Witbeck. "Her
father very ill with consumption. "She is to stay a week & see how she likes
Believers & then return & see her father."
13 Judith Rich died at 11 pm.. Had worked within the last few days. After
supper, sat in her chair and "had her cap put on."
Abbie Godard and two of hert assistants came with 14 scholars, took tea
& went around some.
(see below)
14 CC, FSW & SB went to Albany to attend to the Pierce case suing for Charlotte's
wages.
17 CM & FSW took Sarah Witbeck to Albany.
CM shipped 8 doz. bonnets to Hyde, Felt & Hall, NYC.
Fourteen people getting garden seeds & had dinner.
Drawing stone from the quarry.
24 Have 13 hired men this week, 10 of them working on the wood.
Reece, the mason, began laying the house foundation "out east."
2 Apr (Wed) Sarah Witbeck came back,called at Office, then went on to SF.
FSW came home from Albany where he has been since Monday helping Benjamin
Gates get Mary LyaI, the one her father took away from Lebanon. The
judge decided she might go with whom she pleased.
4 Luther Wells came to help FSW cut out from "open frocks."
7 Lydia sewed some bindings on the carpets for the front room, Sewed on machine.
13 Mar CM took Sarah Witbeck to SF to see if she could stay there. While he was there
Joel brought 2 boys from Schdy but SF did not want them. CM brot them to CF,
Eld Bro saw them & said he would keep "but they were soon among the missing."
9 Apr FSW went to Lebanon to show them about cutting, (clothes)
10 CM brought home from Troy 100 yds of chambray from B. Marshall.
"Three loads of gentility come, had lunch, look around some, bought some
things in the store."
11 Eldress Paulina & Mary Ann Ayers came & took 10 doz. bonnets, No. 6, & 1 doz.
of No. 8.
12 CM packed 45 doz. bonnets to ship to Ida Felt & Co., NYC.
14 CC & CM brought 2 boys$ from Albany. Their mother is dead & their father is
baggage man on the railroad to Rochester.
Clarissa wired 51 bonnets.
17 General turnout to rake the dooryard. Catherine Van Slyck came to see her
I i ttIegirl.
19 Sat A poor woman came late, we kept her.
21 The poor woman went away after breakfast "with many good feelings toward us."
22 Roads very bad but 12 Shaker teams went to Albany - 4 for guano, 2 for manure.
Two women came from Upper Aqueduct for seeds & were obliged to stay overnight.
24 FSW & CM brought 2 women (the mother of the boys & a Mrs. Webster) and 2 boys
from Albany. The mother lives in NYCity. Boys are 13 and 10 years, named
Francis & John MCQuade.
Also 2 women and 3 boys they wanted to be taken came in a hired coach & driver.
We gave them dinner & they went on to the WF. "They showed Negro blood very
plain, as we thought."
25 The first two women taken to Albany.
Finally got scow into the river to go to Island.
27 Sun Young Dr. Wade came & vaccinated some of the children. Smallpox is about in
the neighborhood.
28 The two McQuade boys ran away this morning. "They were not contented."
29 Sarah Witbeck takenfro Albany to see her father.
Desire Harwood & Lucy Fairchild brought 12 doz. bonnets; they have made
60 doz. in all.
1 May Sarah Witbeck went in the house to live, in the charge of Caroline Downs.
5 A gtrl about 14 brought from Troy. Her parents wanted CM to take her, Lydia
agreed with Eldress Paulina & Ministry "gave liberty for her to stay at Office.
Barn raising at Island. Started raining after breakfast & the word was sent
to the families to postpone it, but the WF had started & thought they could
raise better than plow; so a IIhands went down & got it nearly up so a few
could finish." About 60 ate dinner on Island.
The girl "took to her heels in morning & since then nothing has been seen of he
Rebecca Witbeck,Sarah!s sister, came intending to live with her.
Benjamin & Betsy Markwell came to see their c h i l d r e n .
11 May Lydia "took a potion of mandrake today."
12 Charles Torrance was taken to Albany.
19 Woman & 2 children who came 2 weeks ago taken to Albany.
Eldress Paulina brought Pauline White, 3 yrs old, daughter of Ann White.
28 Three brethren went to Lansingburgh to get a pump for the quarry.
23 "Four constables came in the evening, wanted somqfsupper & their horses cared
for. They pretended to be in pursuit of someone. All they & their horses
had was given to them."
31 Ephraim Prentiss taken in a fit in meeting & was carried out. Knew nothing
for \.
3 June Thankful Copley of SF came to teach CF young sisters to make soap. Stayed
3 days.
7 CC & Sylvester Prentiss went to Guilderland to make arrangements to have their
wool worked (probably at French's Mills) & also to find .someone to shear
their sheep. No luck in latter.
9 A man & woman came & brought a boy to be taken. "The father is dissipated."
They had dinner but Shakers did not take the boy.
10 Thankful Copley came to see how the soap was coming. STayed all day & helped.
12 All the brethen that could & were willing worked on the highway.
James Hall came to shear their sheep. Sylvester is h e l p i n g
all he can but
he has 6-7 boils on his knee & leg.
19 Wool taken to French's Mills to be"worked" (made into cloth)
20 Thomas Kelly has been working on the fence & garden where he is going to live
when his family arrives.
23 Took Sarah & Rebecca Witbeck to Albany to see their father.
25 Seven people from GlenvlIle, where Elder Bro. Freegift & company had meeting
last winter, come, had supper at WF, stayed overnight with CF.
27 Loisa Van Slyck's mother came & took her away with her.
5 July Efder Samuel Russell, Eldresses Adeline & Melinda Russell came from North
Union, Ohio. Have been from home 10 weeks. A d e l i n e has
had a cancer cut out.
7 Little P a u l i n e White
taken to SF to see her mother,Ann.
9 Elder Samuel & Eldress Meltnda went to NF visiting (Adeline too feeble),
15 Flora MarkwelI (16) and Sarah Maria Buck (Jff) let it be known that they
wanted to leave. Came to Office & stayed all night.
16 Ephraim 8,CM took Flora to her parents & CM is trying to find where some
of Sarah Maria's friends were.
17 July Channlng took Sarah Maria & Caroline Buck to their uncle, David Hyde, beyond
Troy. "John Dunn (23) saw the wagon start with his beloved & took to his
heels & pulled out after at the top of his speed, rather a novel scene."
(They settled with him on Aug. 4.)
20 After dinner, Orin Bates (15), David Morey (15) & Ambrose Peacock (14) "came
Sun to the Office to stay until they could be settled with."
21 CM took Orin to Albany & sent him to his father in Red Wood. David went on
the cars to\Waterford & Ambrose found his uncle in Albany & has a home there
for the present.
23 6-7 brethren from NF went to the Island to help with the haying & Phebe Lane
went there to help the sisters cook.
2 Aug Have cut 173 loads of hay on River Farm.
3 Sat A young lady came to public meeting "that was here two years ago. She seemed
to have quite a love for Believers" & they took her to SF.
7 CC & DS went over the river & bought a yoke of oxen for NF to work in the
quarry getting out stone for their barn.
8 Took 2 loads of popcorn to Albany for shipment to NYC & brought home a hogshead
of sugar and 304 chests of tea,
16 FSW very gad with rheumatism, "can just keep alive."
18 CM & FSW go to Waterman's to see them about their cattle being in/the road so
much & they promise reformation etc.
21 Have had 9 inches of rain; cellar under old house full of water, has caved
in & around barn & in garden. 1st house cellar full, creek running thru new
woodhouse.
Electa Thomas (55) moved to NF; "they pulled very hard for her."
23 The Book "Christ's 1st & 2d Comming" finally printed, brought box from Albany.
13 hired men & boys most of the time.
28 Have had an Englishman there 6 weeks combing worsted - cost $40.
30 Morrel I Baker & Albert taken to Albany. "They are going to Old Enfield &
the salt water intending to spend 3 or 4 weeks."
2 Sept Took 2 Witbeck g i r l sto see their father.
3 "A drover stayed here all night. He wanted to pasture some cattle a few days.1
5 At breakfast it was determined that the farmers' horses, harness & small
lumber wagon had been stolen. After breakfast, CC & John Decker started off t<
look in West Troy, get advertising out, notify horse co., etc. CM went to
Cohoes for the same & Channlng & Maynard to Albany. All back at night without
hearing anything. CM went to Amsterdam for same reasons.
Harriet Slater's husband came to see Anna (daughter). Stayed in Blacksmith's si
6 Anna was leaving with her father so "we fixed her things as soon as possible
& Channing took them to Albany.
(continued)
6 Sept Lucretia Smith (18) also wanted to leave so her father was sent for, her
things were packed up & Philip (her brother) took them to the depot.
In the evening a man came from Schenectady & said he knew where horses & wagon
were & would have them here by morning.
7 Sun During public meeting a man drove up with the team & claimed the reward.
CC & CM went to Schdy "to look into the case, paid him $50 & the 6 bushels of -
oats the man stole went for keeping the horses." (This was the first they
knew that 6 bu. oats & 6 bu. wheat had also been stolen.)
9 CM took cars to Schdy & found the 6 bu. wheat.
10 PAB started helping Clarissa (Veeder) with baskets she is making & continues
each day.
12 CC & FSW went to Irelands Corners (Loudonvi I le) to attend a meeting to detect
horse thieves.
15 Sisters go to NF to pick hops.
16 Morrel I & Albert come home. Walked part of way from Albany.
17 Someone got in Stone Shop & stole a number of rolls of butter.
Have 20-21 hired hands working on the corn on the Island.
29 DAB went to Lebanon to see Ministry about all the children coming to one
school. The WF has requested it.
1 oct News came early that the Island was covered with water due to recent rains.
Scow got away but caught on brush & someone had tied it.
Jesse took Elizabeth Train & Azuba Train out for a ride, "the latter is
very f Ii
3 Four men & boys tried to cross river to get buckthorn berries but neither
of ferries running. (Were ferries at Forts^Ferry, Vischers & Dunsbach's)
(Dictionary says buckthorn berries were dried unripe berries & powder or
extract which is used to dye mordanted wool & cotton. From shrub or tree
of genus RHAMNUS.)
5 Sun Sylvester, ES & Lucy went in the woods after a woman that has been there
a day or so.
6 CM went to Westffroy to poormaster & requested him to come after the woman who
has been staying in the shed chamber; can hardly tell whether she is crazy
or not.
7 Poormaster came. She is an old customer of his. She had run away from poor-
house once this summer & had been in Lansing ! s woods & kept a fire for 2 weeks.
8 Began to put an addition on school house. Reece, the mason & son are here.
10 Have finished gathering apples. Poor season, only 54 barrels,
11 Have finished harvesting broom corn - 75 acres in less than 6 weeks, in spite
of high water.
CM brought home a load of baskets to pick popcorn in.
14 Mason work on schoolhouse nearly finished.
Cloth br&ought from French's Mills.
15 Oct Two women came from Rome with a little baby to have taken. They said it
was an orphan but we could not tell and "had no occasion for taking it."
23 The Shakers begin going to Albany without h a v i n g
to pay toll each time.
They have made arrangements to pay $9 each quarter for the 1st & 2d Orders.
26 Maria G i I let went to SF with Pauline to see her mother Ann White "who is
very sick & hardly expected to live."
30 Putting new floor in school; it is to be fixed entirely new inside.
I Nov Getting coal for the extract house; also use in garden shop.
3 CC, Clarissa & Abby go to Crescent trading. "They are selling off their goods
to move to Troy; consequently s e l l rather cheap."
4 Fourteen year old boy brought to be taken. His mother is sister to Lloyds,
carriage maker.
Hired men finish harvesting popcorn.
5 DS brings pipe stems from Schenectady.
6 FSW, Samuel Rose & 5 hired men went to fix the watering place between here
& Albany.
7 FSW, Samuel & 2 hired men finish the watering place for the present.
Have installed a coal stove in herb shop & now put one in "sisters' front room."
II CC & Justice go to Shirley. "All that gave or lent them money are to meet &
conclude what is best to be done with the factory as they are very much in
debt both to the work and Believers." (They return on 14th.)
17 James Starks was at the depot "drawing chips away to put on Niskayuna garden"
& train had pulled away from station & he was proceeding when the train backed
up, breaking his wagonR injuring one horse considerably.
24 Boys' school started - 50 students, DAB and Alex Youngs teachers.
I Dec Two sisters from each family come to clean the schoolhouse.
Elizabeth Train & Sylvester moving to NF, Cyrus coming to CF. Nehemiah to
take Sylvester's place as Deacon. Elizabeth Train will replace Electa in
charge of the girls.
Now drawing coal - a load for the school, a load for the dairy room, etc.
5 Take two Witbeck girls to see their father. It is not thought he can live
much longer. Left the girls but promised to pick them up in a day or so.
Sold NF's Howe sewing machine for $50 & bought a Singer for $136.25.
6 CC had very discouraging news; told them there was a great quantity of brooms
on the market & he had received orders for only 30 dozen.
8 Daniel get 12 barrels of flour from Waterford.
CC took his sleigh to get a cover made for it for his seed journey.
10 Daniel got 12 more barrels of flour from Waterford.
Haul some coal for SF.
II James Starks gets a load of coal for himself, "he is beginning to use coal
for his fami Iy."
15 Dec CC started north seed journey. Returned 19th.
17 CM & Stephen Wells get together & divide cost of schoolhouse.
18 Take scow out of river. Had a hard time. Decided to get Derlck Clute's out
but night overtook them & some got their ears frozen.
20 Two men came for more tax money. Had made a mistake at C. Van Vranken f s.
Were given all they asked, over $100 more.
21 Sun No public meeting "and none of the world came to trouble us."
22 CM saw Rebecca Witbeck in Albany and "gave her the offer of coming back now
that her father has died."
23 CC & CM taken to Niskayuna depot to go west. (Probably to Illinois)
24 Two men came from Troy. Wanted to see the Trustees about the Treadway
property in I I I Inoi s.
25 "This is Christmas today and long to be remembered. Elder Brother read a
letter from the Ministry informing us of the resignation of Eldress Asenath
She has been In that plafcce for 35 years and is almost 77 years and quite
feeble. Betsey Bates "is to have the first gift" and Eliza^Ann Taylor to live
with her, Eliza Sharp is to be the Elder Sister." (This is all in the New
Lebanon Ministry.)
26 Justice went to Rosendale to look at some broom corn & fell through a trap
door & was hurt.
28 Sun No more public meetings this winter.
29 Two men came with a little orphan boy, 7 years old, "but Elder Bro & Charles
did not see fit in their wisdom to take him."
30 Lucy & Lydia went to the mi I I& worked on CC f ssleigh, putting a cover on
for him. "Made a miserable job of it, left a raw edge all around."
31 "This finishes the year with all its cares, troubles & all Its joys."
For the year 1856
Prior (1855)
Next (1857)