Prior (1870)
Next (1872)
For the year 1871
Prior (1870)
Next (1872)
12 Sept Electa Thomas to live with Eldress Aurelia at NF.
14 Sept A woman named Betsy Miller, formerly lived at Hancock some 35 years ago,
walked here from Newtonville.
15 Sept "Betsy Miller stayed all day, visited around here and there."
16 Sept Jesse went to Albany and "Betsy Miller went home with him to our great joy."
23 Octt End of public meetings.
25 Nov Jesse's horse, Jack, "got cast in the stall last night" and Jesse and Ghauncey
both were hurt trying to get him up, but Jesse and Jack went to town again
today.
26 Nov They have been doing a great job "down north" taking the creek bank off and
drawing it back and filling up the hollows, plowing it deep and subsoiling.
12 Dec Lydia commenced making some pants, etc. "Samantha is stitching some leather
gaiters - a new kind for us to have."
15 Dec "Jesse took a load of brooms to the SF to bleach."
"Samantha has been to work on small needle books today. Lydia notched the
flannel in the evening..."
19 Dec Found the Hudson!.(River was still open and boat would leave for NYC in evening
so all made a rush to send things - 2d Family 3 loads of potatoes, GF 20 bbls
of thyme, etc.
1871 ~"""^"
5 Jan Something apparently wrong with door of Office and it was taken off and to
Freegift s shop to be repaired. Today it was very cold and Freegift came
and worked on the door outside. "It is a great job for a man between 85 and
90 but no one can do it so nice."
8 Jan "The father of little Lewis came last evening to see him, he stayed all
night and bound him to Nehemiah. He then visited a while and bid the boy
good by and he went back to Albany very much pleased that his little boy
had so good a home."
9 Jan "Fred Bisgrove, one of our hired men, drove so near the team of a man named
Noxon that he nearly broke one of his legs and hurt the other. He is not
very much of a teamster, probably did not turn out enough and the wheel went
onto the horse." Put the horse in the Office barn.
10 Jan Noxon came to see about his horse, if it was alive this morning. He left
word that if the leg was broken to have the horse killed but they did not
think but what it could be cured.
12 Jan C. Miller pays taxes for CF- over $1400.
21 Jan An Englishman came with his nephew thinking of leaving the young man.
Ephraim sent him to the SF but Brother Albert informed him they would take
no one until April.
25 Jan Noxon's horse died last night. "He was 21 years old and they think something
else set in."
29 Jan "We had a reading meeting this morning, mostly of Father Joseph, Father John and Mother
:Sun, Lucy's sayings and doings. "
31 Jan Brother Albert Lomas delivered a lecture last evening at the Newtonville Church. Noxon
Ireland came to see CM and demanded $200 for the horse that got hurtby one of our hired men.
2 Feb Noxon, the owner of the horse that died of old age and being hurt, came and took off the leg
of the horse to have a farrier say ifit was broken.
10 Feb Jesse and CM took wfygt to Cohoes to have ground because Morrell, who formerly had the mill
at Vischers Ferry, is now in Cohoes and being an excellent miller they wanted him to do it.
Sarah Ann Male visited and brought Martha and Rutha (2 yrs. old),
16 Feb Polly and Lydia made a trade of baskets forchair frames with Robert Wagan and Polly Lewis of ML
18 Feb The new reservoir on the hillhas considerable water in itand has commenced running some in
the barn and at the 2d House where there has been very little this winter.
20 Feb "Edwin and Mark (Male) father is going back to England. He is disappointed in not getting
a house and farm for his wife and daughter to livein to exactly suit. "
21 Feb "Lydia begins furnishing the baskets the Mary's and Nelson's have made. Eliza Wells makes
the open work and thimble baskets for trimming and the emery balls and Lucy runs the wax. "
A man came near night with a boy to have taken.
22 Feb They decide not to take the boy and he left with his father after breakfast.
23 Feb C. Mil ler starts for
II lino is.
He is going to rent the farm there for 5 years to a man named
Watson who lived not far from Peter Lansing. (CM back on March 2d.) Watson's family went
on ahead and he is to meet CM at Utica,
2 March "In the afternoon Brother Albert Lomas brought Friend Peebles here to look about some and
at 7:30 we had a gathering in the meeting room and heard a lecture from him. Very interesting.
He told of his travels in the old world, also of being a spiritual ist. "
17Mar Adelaide and all the girls and young sisters thatcan be scared up began labelling the cans.
CMi is selling them and they have to scour them all they are so rusted.
1 Apr Two of Nehemiah's boys run away again today.
C. Miller has received the appointment of Postmaster, the office to be called Shakers.
Mark Male and John England leave our employment.
Charles Rockwel I rang the bell 1/2 hour before time "to April fool" the family.
4 Apr Susanna Haynes's brother Benjamin came to visit her and stayed al I night.
5 Apr Susanna has concluded to go with her brother and Jesse took them to Albany.
7 Apr The grandmother, aunt and mother of the Stephen boys came, having heard that Armsdale had
run away but he had returned so they had a cup of tea .
8 April Freegift worked all day on asparagus. Gardeners are setting out roots, plowing, doing spring
lot. work generally.
James Duck had a brother and nephew arrive from England. They walked all the way from Albany
carrying a large chest containing their clothing.
10 April Freegift worked so hard outdoors on Saturday in the unseasonable heat that he is very sick
and, after dinner, they took him to the sick house. He does not realize it,it is thought to be
his lastsickness.
13 Apr A woman named Martin who keeps house for Professor Hall in Albany y came with her own horse to
select some things for a fair to be held in England for'rhe benefit of the poor French people. "
She took and paid for $45 of baskets.
15 Apr Freegift died. Mathew and Chas. Rockwell were watching with him.
16 Apr His funeral. 2d Order came, the elders from the 2d Family and many more . Sisters walked to
the grave. "Thus finishes the earthly partof Brother Freegift Wells, a true Shaker for 70 years."
17 Apr Getting a daily mail del ivery established. Once a day a boy named Smith will bring it from
the Centre where James Pierce (Pearse) is thepostmaster.
20 Apr "Lydia received an order for3 doz, baskets from Polly Lewis at ML and only 1 doz. were finished
and 1 doz. were braided but not bound. Mary finished them and Mary Call & Lydia rrade the
smallest size and got them ready to send." . x
/] Apr Elder Daniel has trimmed 4 1/2 doz. splint fans for
Lydia and she put the handles on them and
finished them off to sell.
C. Mil ler went to Schenectady to see the postmaster as our mail has to come by way of Schdy.
25 Apr Eldress Elizabeth, George and Ruth go to Albany with horse and wagon, took cars to No, Troy
and returned with "a nice large girl named Matilda Joslin. It was her own notion coming and
hope she may do wel I. "
27 Apr Matilda had been staying at the Office but today they took her to the dwelling. "Catie Nelson
Is to look afterthe earthly part and Sister Catie the spiritual. "
1t
30 Apr Elder Sylvester released by 2d Order and Nathaniel put in his place and Chauncy Dibble to
live with h i m .
6 May "Matilda Josl in thus far has Ldoane w e l l .
She is in the kitchen bake room .... "
9 May Sarah Ann's mother died Sunday and funeral is today. All of the Englishmen working for us
Tues. went to the funeral and CM letthem use the teams.
15 May Raised the barn that Samuel Waterman has been framing. Some of the CF brothers, all the hired
men, Thos. Beal and 5 or 6 of his men came from the 2d Order.
"Two lloads ofgentpy came, some from Arsenal, and Ephraim showed them around and they bought
a chair and a few things in the store.
18 May "Johnny Palmer's brother came after him and he went with him. He dressed in a suitlike the world,
20 May "George is making a bridge acooss the creek by the bee house where the sSne one was washed
away in the flood two years ago."
27 May Planted 8 acres ofpeas at the River Farm.
i/
4 June Sister Mercy Harwood died. "She has not been conscious for the past two days but when she had
her senses was very anxious to go to her long home. Her age was 79 and has been a Shaker all
her days or from 9-10 years of age."
5 June A woman came in afternoon to see if we would take her child/, a boy 4 and girl 9. The Eldress
came to see her and promised to take the girlon trial.
8 June CM having some trouble about some cabbage seed. Some parties losttheir crop because of
planting too late and claim damages. They sued CM last year and now it is revived. He is
getting witnesses - those that sowed their seed early had a good crop.
9 June CM/ Jesse and Nehemiah went in to attend court but it was postponed becuase an important
witness was sick.
Jesse brought Matilda Joslin's sister,
Lucy, aged 7, to Shakers to live.
12 June Fanny, the gray mare, had her colt last night and CM called him Ned.
16 June Samantha and Julia went to the north farm after some rye straw for bonnets.
June Samantha scalded and stripped the straw,
19 June Having a fair in Albany at Tweddle Hall for the benefit of the poor Protestants of the city.
Ann and Lydia will board with Benjamin Payn and go with Libbiie, hiswife, to sell Shaker
baskets at the fair.
23 June Ann and Lydia came home. "Had tolerable success, sold over $100, gave $25 to the Union
Aid Society. All seemed satisfied."
24 June Laid the cornerstone of the new Capitol today. We heard the cannon.
27 June Ruth is inh the shed working on peacock feathers dusters this week.
1 July Eldresses Ann and Polly have made each sister a lace cap, starched and ironed "and drawed them
up and put them all on. . . "Also made them for 2d Family.
Elder Frederick Evans sailed forEngland in company with Friend Peebles.
7 July A young couple came from Cohoes to see if they could sell us some worsted webbing for
seating chairs.
15 July James Irving, who had been in Schenectady, stopped here in evening. He and his horse were
tired out so he stayed all night.
16 July James Irving, having his team and apparatus for taking pictures, concluded to try to take a view
Sun. while the teams were all in the lane or avenue.
22 July There Is a greatcall forstramonium but itis scarce.
Samantha worked up in the garretsplitting her straw. Itis beautifuland white. She has
bleached itthis week in the new bleach house Elder Daniel built while he was here for the accom-
modation of all.
24 July Charles and his boy went after stink weed (or stramonium) near West Albany.
28 July Senator Pruyn, wife, family and five from Washington came for a ride, look around, bought a
few things in the store.
Samantha has woven six straw bonnets yesterday and today.
11 Aug School children and all the young sistersin theSociety had a picnic in theNF woods with one
of the elder sisters fromeach family. Each family provided something for the occasion.
13 Aug There never was such a splendid concourse of people - they could not allget in the Meeting
House. Senator Pruyn's wife was here with the Duke of something or other and five young
Englishmen having some grand names such as Lord, Earl$ or Duke.
16 Aug Charles and his boy go after some herb almost every day. Today it is lobelia, last week it
was catpip.
22 Aug Jesse took the covered wagon with Betsy Hawkins, Catherine r Moriah Gil letand Sarah
Taylor to see Barnum's Menagerie which was camped on 3 acres between Albany and Troy.
2 Sept. Lydia is 56 today. (Is currentlythe author ofthe journals.)
Jane Cleveland, Elder Elizabeth's sister,came to visit for a week.
27 Sept. Caty Ferguson and Julia start making soap. They get potash from Albany.
28 Sept Eliza Ann Hayns comes "to live with us again."
Elder Giles cutscorn today, "he is a splendid hand."
4 Oct Maria Gil letand Abbie Messenger go on cars from Troy to Hoosick to see Delia Van Hoesen who
brought Abbie up from a small child. She is 84 years old and cannot lastlong. Back on Oct. 6.
9 Oct Send a large trunk packed full of clothing to Groveland because of the fire they had some months
back.
10 Oct. Hear of Chicago fire.
31 Oct C. Copley took Lucy Cox and Anna Neal to Troy and left them with their friends.
4 Nov "Lydia and Rachel pulled burdock, burrs, thistles and beggar lice in the henyard in the afternoon
and cleaned and shoveled the manure and old stuffin the yard and under the sheds."
10 Nov "Itis becoijniing tobe tedious, it is wet and cold and no place to warm."
14 Nov "Lucy Fuller goes into the palm leaf shop with Fanny and Anna Bennet, trying to have them
learn to do something at it."
15 Nov John Burk and Philip Wiseman finish making extract.
16 Nov John Burk starts making brooms and Philip goes to the mill to work.
Nov CM bought 5000 broom handles.
23 Nov Take Anna Bennet, a girl who has been here about 2 years, back to her mother in Stillwater.
26 Nov "We had a labouring meeting this morning for the young to exercise in the hollow square. "
Sun.
28 Nov Men went to Troy on the cabbage seed case - opponents spent whole day examining their witnesses
against the Shakers so CM and Nehemiah stayed in town.
Margaret Laneur of NF died, funeral on the 30th.
1 Dec Stanton Buckingham, DABuckingham and Jesse went to Troy with CM & Nehemiah incase they
were needed for evidence. It was 10:30 p.m. when they got home. Jury had been out over
an hour.
2 Dec Jury out 18 hours and stillcould not agree; were 10 in favor of Shakers, 2 did not agree. So
judge disbanded them and now have to begin over again. Their lawyer, Tremain, is confident
of success this time.
4 Dec Mathew P.nLtack-er decided toleave Shakers. CM gave Elder DAB $50 for him and all his
clothes and after dinner George took him to Albany.
$ Dec Lizzie Turk's mother came to see her.
7 Dec George took Turk woman and Lizzie to Newtonville Stage. Lizzie had lived here 4 years, is
16 years old now and wished to leave.
8 Dec. Working at making the pond or cistern "on the hill " larger.
1872
3 Jan A German carpenter by trade is helping Philip Wiseman at the mill. He has his
dinners here. That makes 14 for dinner and 13 the other meals. Charles
Hooper is in the blacksmith shop most of the time.
4 Jan Alice Strong's mother came to see her.
6 Jan Alice Strong's mother went back to her home in Amsterdam where she works in
the knitting factory cutting garments.
9 Jan Take their wheat to Waterford to be ground.
11 Jan Get flour from Waterford - 38 barrels.
Mt. Lebanon North Family has a seed route they intend giving up because John
Robe, the brother who has been making it, has moved to the Church Family.
Have offered it to Watervliet CF and C. 'Miller goes to see about it,
13 Jan Taxes are $1303.15. Have filled their ice house.
15 Jan Samantha went to Ministry Shop where Eldress Ann is teaching her to make
"the square spool work box." "Eldress Ann is not about to do any more."
16 Jan Today Eldress Ann was teaching Samantha about "the little fancy chair^ .,the
sample one Janett brought from Hancock."
17 Jan Dr. Wade vaccinated "some of the younger part" that had not been, because
smallpox was around and "it is to be-dreaded."
20 Jan C. Miller went to Albany to attend court. The seed case is to have another
trial.
26 Jan "Some weeks since Ruth missed her pocket book containing $10 etc. and this
week some things has leaked out that fixed strong suspicion on a boy from
the SF that has been after the mail. C. Miller went up there this morning
and it has been proved. He owns to all the stealing that is found out, even
to a tin pepper box and contents."
27 Jan "I understand Albert Lomas has taken the boy David (that did the stealing)
to his father or to some house of refuge."
29 Jan C. Miller is hiring a man named Clinton Brackett from Brackett's Bridge
to go on the seed journey taken over from the Mt. Lebanon North Family.
2 Feb Making some.;seed boxes because of the additional business to take care of.
Elder Giles and Nehemiah are sawing the wood "at the wash house above the
boiler room."
3 Feb It snowed and blowed so" hard in the afternoon that the elders sent word
Sat. for the sisters in the Office not to go to meeting "but they had a very
extra one without us. Lasted more than 1% hours. '
5 Feb Ruth & Lydia went to the shawl factory in West Troy and bought 9 double
shawls and 2 single ones for $40.
8 Feb "Adelaide and Mary Nelson went to see the dentist, the former to ascertain
if she could wear a plate on account of a humor she has in the mouth. The
doctor told her she never could wear a plate."
For the year 1871
Prior (1870)
Next (1872)