12/1/1855 Saturday. Pleasant. Mr. & Mrs. Knowlton visited here. John & David went to the village to a celebration of a victory of the Americans. A good visit with Mrs. Knowlton. A beautiful day.
JCH: Very pleasant. Drew wood in the forenoon. Mr. Knowlton was here and I went to Batavia to a celebration of a victory of the Americans in N Y with him, a good time.
12/2/1855 Sunday. Warm & rainy. Attended church. Mr. Belden was there & sung. Mr. Sweetland & lady were there. Mr. L. Rolfe called at night. Another daughter at uncle Asahel’s.
JCH: Attended meeting at the south church. Mr. Belden was there and sung with the choir. Warm and rainy. Mr. Sweetland and his wife. Another girl at Mr. Shepards making 8. Singing school at the meeting house.
12/3/1855 Monday. Not very cold for the season. Considerable housework. John went up to his fathers and stayed all night. Charlie sick all day.
JCH: Chopped wood in the swamp. Chopped four cords of tamarack. Another cool day. Went up to fathers and stayed all night. Went down to see Charles Shepard – sick.
12/4/1855 Tuesday. Very pleasant. Ma & I visited to P. Showermans. Pa & John chopped wood on Mr. Holden’s farm. John came home at night.
JCH: Was up on Mr. Holden’s chopping wood about three cords and a half. Mr. Holden was there trying to sell his farm. Very pleasant. Came with a load of wood.
12/5/1855 Wednesday, Beautiful day. Pa & John chopping. Delos Marsh & Helen Hamilton here in the evening. Pa & Ma visited to P. Showermans. Joshua Huntington there. Mary West married to day.
JCH: Was chopping wood up on Mr. Holdens. Drew four loads. Delos was here with Helen in the evening. Very pleasant. Mr. Huntington was out from Somerset. Father and Mother Shepard went over to Mr. Showermans to see them.
12/6/1855 Thursday. Cool but pleasant. Went up to Father Hamiltons. Rode home with John on a load of wood. James Hamilton & Laury here in the evening.
JCH: Was cutting and drawing wood. Lorette went up to Fathers. Asahel Shepard raised an addition to his house. Family increasing. Cool but pleasant.
12/7/1855 Friday. Pleasant. Considerable housework. Martha Green & Maria Judd here visiting. John & I visited to Grandfathers Shepards in the evening, his health about the same.
JCH: Cutting and drawing wood up to Newcombs. Miss Green and Miss Judd was here. Went down to Grandfather Shepards this evening. He is unwell.
12/8/1855 Saturday. Pleasant. We went to Wm Stewarts & stayed all night.
JCH: Split and corded wood this forenoon. Lorette and I went up to Stewarts and stayed all night. Mr. Showerman paid me $2.00 for grafting. Rained and snowed.
12/9/1855 Sunday. Rained all day. Stayed to Wm’s all day on account of the rain. Intended to have gone south to church. Came home at night in the rain.
JCH: Mud and rain today. Stayed at Stewarts all day. Came home in the rain. Very unpleasant. Stewart paid me ten dollars.
12/10/1855 Monday. Snowed last night. Considerable housework. Pa went to Batavia to mill & carried off our dried apples. 11 ½ bushels.
JCH: Split and corded wood. Father Shepard went to Batavia to mill. Did not get his grist. Water to high. Cold and stormy. Snowed during the day.
TRANSCRIPTION NOTE: Genesee County Mills was located at the bend of the Tonawanda Creek in the Village of Batavia where Ellicott and Main Streets intersect. It was used to grind grains into flour. A sawmill was also located on the site.
12/11/1855 Tuesday. Cold & snowing. Mrs. P. Showerman & Ma visited to Mr. Calkins. I visited Helen Showerman, good visit. John & I attended a meeting at the stone school house evening. Mr. Filmore preached.
JCH: Carried mother Shepard and Mrs. Showerman over to Mr. Moores. Went up to Myron Putnams to grind an axe. Went down to the north school house to hear Mr. Filmore preach. Snowed part of the day.
12/12/1855 Wednesday. Pleasant. Pa, Ma, and I went to the Village and traded $11.50 worth and got 59 yards of cotton cloth. Mrs. Showerman went with us. John went up to his father's and stayed all night.
JCH: Father Shepard went to the village. I went up home.
12/13/1855 Thursday. Cool & pleasant. John helped his father kill hogs. We went over to Mr. P. Showermans at night.
JCH: Helped father kill hogs. Mr. Benedict helped him. Cool and pleasant but not much snow. Went over to Mr. Showermans at night.
12/14/1855 Friday. Rather pleasant. Pa & John in the house all day, John took Pa’s farm on shares. We went up to Nelson Hawley’s at night in a cutter, rained hard, staid all night.
JCH: Took Fathers farm on shares. Find half the seed and have half the crops. Paid one hundred and fifty dollars for a horse harness and some things thrown in with the trade. Made up our minds to keep house alone in the Spring. Went up to Nelson Hawleys and stayed all night.
12/15/1855 Saturday. Pleasant. Came home this morning on bare ground. Ma visited to P. Showermans. All of them here in the evening. Fixed over my parametta dress.
JCH: Pleasant. Came home in a cutter on bare ground. Chopped two cords in the swamp. Father Shepard bought four acres of wood land of James Shepard up on the Dixon farm.
12/16/1855 Sunday. Rained this morning. At home all day. Read & sung part the time. Pa went to evening meeting, Elder Williams preached.
JCH: Elder Williams preaches on this circuit. Did not attend church to day. Sung and read part of the day. Father Shepard went up to meeting in the evening. Very warm and pleasant.
12/17/1855 Monday. Pleasant but cold winds. Not very well all day. Pa bought 4 acres of woodland of uncle James. Paid $328. Snowed little in the evening.
JCH: Snowed some in the evening. Went up with father Shepard to run out his land, four acres. We gave eighty two dollars per acre. Very nice wood lot. Took up my horses to the blacksmith shop in the morning and had them shod. Cool and pleasant.
12/18/1855 Tuesday. Pleasant for the season. Considerable housework. Pa & John drove 4 hogs to the village for sale. John bought a pocket Diary for me & one for himself. Fixed for killing hogs tomorrow. Elizebeth here this afternoon. Heard that Samuel Hawley was married to Stone.
JCH: Helped father Shepard drive his hogs down to the village. One old hog and two pigs. They weighed 960 pounds at six cents per pound. Drew down some corn.
12/19/1855 Wednesday. Fine day. No snow. Killed hogs. Mr. & Mrs. P. Showerman helped us, got along first rate.
JCH: Killed hogs to day. Two hogs and a pig. The old hogs weighed nearly four hundred pounds. Mr. Showerman helped us. Cool but no snow.
12/20/1855 Thursday. Beautiful day. No snow yet. At work all day taking care of the meat. Henry & Helen Showerman here in the evening. Heard Lorette Putnam was married to Hiram Hurty.
JCH: Chopped wood upon the new piece. We chopped four cords. Very pleasant and quite warm for winter. No snow yet, but froze up. Henry and Helen Showerman was here in the evening.
12/21/1855 Friday. Fine day. At home all day. Mrs. P. Showerman called. Peeled apples.
JCH: Chopped wood up south. Mr. Showerman helped us. We cut about two cords a piece. Pleasant and warm. No snow of any account yet.
12/22/1855 Saturday. Rained & snowed all day. Our folks went to the village. We all had an invitation to a wedding at Uncle James Shepards.
JCH: Went up to see Orrin Putnams lambs. Did not like them. Father and mother Shepard went down to the village. Had an invitation to Maria Shepards wedding.
12/23/1855 Sunday. Cloudy, rained. At home all day. Franklin Shepard here all day.
JCH: At home all day. Franklin Shepard here all day. Cloudy and muddy but no snow. Quite windy in the evening.
12/24/1855 Monday. Rather cold but no snow. Considerable housework. Made some pickles & apple sauce. Good.
JCH: Chopped some wood. Rather a cold day. Came home and read of Captain Wilkes Exploring Expedition.
12/25/1855 Tuesday. Pleasant but cold, about 4 inches of snow. At home all day until night went to Maria Shepard’s wedding - all of the connections there. Oyster supper. Had a high time. Uncle Marvin & Ira Shepard here all night.
JCH: Went up home and got my cutter and a load of wood. Went up to James Shepards to Maria’s wedding. Had a good time. She married Mr. Leonard. About sixty there. Snow.
12/26/1855 Wednesday. "Snowed & cold. Pa & John went up to uncle James, they had a jolly time with Mr. Leonard & Maria. Uncle Martin & aunt Alvira here all night.
JCH: Went up to James Shepards then up to Asahels. Got a hog to run with ours. Had a great time with Leonard with a young game. Martin Shepard was here in the evening sleighing with the new colt.
12/27/1855 Thursday. Snowed & cold. Uncle Martin & wife here all day. John & I attended a donation for Charles Putnam in the evening, on the committee. Hellen Hamilton went with us. $122 received.
JCH: Went down to Batavia and bought a Buffalo skin. Martin Shepard and wife was here. Lorette and I went up to the donation of Elder Putnams. Very stormy night.
12/28/1855 Friday. Cold. Martin left this morning for home, Ma sick all day. Considerable housework.
JCH: Drew wood for Grandfather Shepard. Martin Shepard paid me about six shillings. He used his colt. Cold and quite pleasant.
12/29/1855 Saturday. Snowed all afternoon. Went to Uncle Covell’s in company with Henry & Helen Showerman, Harriet, Laura, George & Lydia Ann Shepard. Eight of us staid all night. Had a high time.
JCH: Went to Pavilion to Aunt Phoebe Coville's. Had a first rate time. Eight of us stayed all night. Snowed very hard most of the day.
12/30/1855 Sunday. Cold and blustering. Came home from aunt Phebe’s. Called to Wm Hamiltons, they are quite well. Elizebeth sick to day, a little girl.
JCH: Came home from Pavilion. Stopped at William Hamiltons and got home about two oclock. Very cold and bluster.
12/31/1855 Monday. Pleasant. Good sleighing. Made sausages this afternoon. Visited P. Showermans in the evening. Uncle James Young folks, Harriet & Laura, Lydia Ann & Sarah West were there, good visit and this ends old 1855.
JCH: Drew eight loads of wood cut of the swamp. Went over to Henry’s in the evening. Pleasant part of the day.
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