4/1/1856 Tuesday. Very pleasant. Pa & Ma went to uncle Ira Shepards. Wm Stewart & lady visited here. John went to Middlebury for scions, brought Eliza home with him. Sarah Showerman here all day. I had a comfortable on quilting, they all helped me.
JCH: Went up to Middlebury at Mr. Conklins after some French russe scions, the apple they say will keep three years. Father and Mother Shepard went up to Ira Shepards. Warm.
4/2/1856 Wednesday. Thawed considerable. Eliza & I were alone all day.
JCH: Went up to fathers to see about tapping the sugar bush. Pleasant and warm. Washed the buckets and tapped a few.
4/3/1856 Thursday. Rainy & wet first rain since Christmas. John & I carried Eliza home. I took my quilt up there to quilt. John was tapping the sugar bush.
JCH: Went up to fathers. Lorette went with me. We tapped the sugar bush, about two hundred trees. Sap did not run very good. I never saw so much snow in the woods.
4/4/1856 Friday. Cold & snow. Olive Powers, Mrs. Azro Norton, helped me quilt. Went over to Mr. Marshes in evening had some warm sugar.
JCH: Gathered sap this morning six barrels. Cold and snow. Went over to Mr. Marshes in the evening. Had some warm sugar. Delora Marsh is a big round girl.
4/5/1856 Saturday. Thawing. Went out in the sugar bush. Hellen came home did not quite finish my quilt. Came home & left it. Very bad going.
JCH: Went out in the woods and syruped down the sap. Started to carry it up and spilled some of it. Sugared it off in the afternoon. Thawed some. Came home and brought some sugar.
4/6/1856 Sunday. Pleasant. At home all day. John went up home just night – to be there early tomorrow. Sarah Showerman staid with me.
JCH: Thawing some to day. Went up home in the afternoon, the boys gathered ten barrels of sap. I went out in the woods and stayed a little while. Stayed all night.
4/7/1856 Monday. Thawing. Put on a bed quilt. Went over to Elizebeths to help. Sarah Showerman here all night.
JCH: Went out in the woods before sunrise boiling sap. Charles Thompson was there and Daniel. Boiled in the evening. Went back with Charles. Pleasant and warm.
4/8/1856 Tuesday. Thawing. Mrs. P. Showerman & Sarah, Eunice & Elizebeth here helping me quilt. Finished it. Sarah staid all night.
JCH: Snow going fast. Frank went to school to Alexander. Out in the woods early. Sugared off about a hundred pounds. William Stewart, Charles Thompson, and Miss Benedict and our folks was in the woods. Pleasant, warm.
4/9/1856 Wednesday. Thawing. Commenced making a shirt for John. He came home at night.
JCH: Still sugaring off. Boiling sap 50 lbs. Came home in the rain and thunder.
4/10/1856 Thursday. Pleasant. Pa went to see Mr. Knowlton about fixing the house.
JCH: Put up a leach and cleared off the garden from trees. Father Shepard went over to Mr Knowltons to see him about repairing his house.
4/11/1856 Friday. Thawing. Sally's girls here all day, Elizebeth also, made soap. Marked my sheets. John went up to see about the sugar bush. Staid all night. Sarah here all night.
JCH: Sowed clover seed this forenoon, about a bushel to the acre. Went up home and gathered and boiled sap till eight oclock.
4/12/1856 Saturday. Rained hard this afternoon with thunder ended with a little snow. Pa went to the village with a cutter. John came home at night had made 210 lbs sugar. Finished one sheet.
JCH: Syruped down this forenoon. Commenced raining. Sugared off about fifty lbs. Came home in the rain and thunder.
4/13/1856 Sunday. Pleasant. Frank Shepard here all day. Leonard Thompson & Henry Bostwick here evening.
JCH: At home all day. Mr Thompson and Mr Henry Bostek called here. Frank Shepard here all day.
4/14/1856 Monday. Pleasant. Mr. Buel & Mr. Knowlton here & took the job of repairing the house for $75.00. Lorinda called saying she was married to Mr. Bride a week ago today.
JCH: Pleasant. Mr. Buel and Mr. Knowlton came here and took part of the job of repairing the house for seventy five dollars. Lorinda came here. She was married to Mr. Bride a week ago last Monday.
4/15/1856 Tuesday. Rained all day. Mr. Buel & his son came here to work. We cleared the two front rooms for them. John went up home.
JCH: Went up to fathers and gathered and boiled sap. Rained hard most all day. Mr. Buel and his son came to father Shepards to work.
4/16/1856 Wednesday. Pleasant. John came home having made 75 pounds of sugar.
JCH: Syruped down and sugared off seventy five pounds. Came home and grafted one tree out in the garden to fall apples.
4/17/1856 Thursday. Rainy. Pa & John worked in the house to day. Lorinda went back to Albion, she talks of going to Iowa to live.
JCH: It rained part of the day. Worked in the house. Cut two places for doors in the buttery, had a job of it. Lorinda Bride went to Albion to day. James Hamilton was here.
4/18/1865 Friday. Pleasant. Pa took down the cupboard this morning. Pa, John & Austin Buel went to the village this afternoon. Daniel took our calf.
JCH: Cool and cloudy. Drew rails for a cross fence next to the corn lot. James Showerman helped me. Went down to the village, Father Shepard bought things for his house. Sold my calf, 22 shillings.
4/19/1856 Saturday. Pleasant. Baking all day. Mr. B. Moore & Mrs. P. Showerman called. Mr. Buel & son went home to night.
JCH: Drew rails in the forenoon, grafted in the afternoon. The Buels went home tonight. Cool and cloudy the most of the day. Let 140 scions.
4/20/1856 Sunday. Cold east wind & cloudy. At home all day.
JCH: Did not attend church. At home all day. Cold and cloudy most of the day.
4/21/1856 Monday. Snow this morning. Rained all day hard. Mr. Buel & son came back this morning. Our folks took down the pantry, papering our buttery.
JCH: Bought a hog and pig of James Quance . Snow this morning. Drew some plank to make a staging. Took down a portal wall between the buttery and hall, had a job of it. All planked up. Rained most all day.
4/22/1856 Tuesday. Cloudy & rain. Ma called on Mrs. Osgood Putnam who has a little girl. Sarah Showerman here with me. Buel put on part of the cornice.
JCH: Helped make a staying. Grafted six trees in the orchard. Cool and cloudy. Mr. Buel put on most of the cornice. Looks very well. Pleasant.
4/23/1856 Wednesday. Pleasant, quite warm. Our folks took down most of the north room chimney, tore off the north end. Charlie creeps across the house. John & Austin Buel went to the village.
JCH: Grafted in the forenoon, took down a chimney in the afternoon. Dirty job. Went down to the village with Austin Buel in the evening. The gas lights looked very nice.
4/24/1856 Thursday. Rainy. Mr. Knowlton came on to work. Mr. Buel commenced putting on the frontice. John began ploughing. Mrs. Butler & Sarah Showerman called. Finished a shirt for John.
JCH: ploughing in the forenoon. Rather wet. After noon raining. Warm. A growing time. Mr. Knowlton came here to work to day.
4/25/1856 Friday. Pleasant. Went down to help Sally Putnam out on her spread. John went to Wm. Stewarts after spring wheat.
JCH: Warm, pleasant. Went up to Wm Stewarts. Called on the way and set a pear tree for Mr. Buel. Let some scions for Mr. Chaddock. Let 38. Came round by fathers.
4/26/1856 Saturday. Pleasant quite warm. Mr. Buell & Knowlton went home to night. Morris Putnam here to supper. John’s cow had a calf this morning.
JCH: Plowing for spring wheat. Warm and pleasant. The cow that I bought at Batavia came in this morning. Let over 50 scions in about an hour to day.
4/27/1856 Sunday. Heard that Hiram Hurty was very sick.
JCH: Did not attend church. The bridge by Captain Smiths is washed away by a freshet, with part of most of the bridge up as far as Linden.
4/28/1/56 Monday. Washed & put our clothes on the grass for the first time. Saw Hiram Hurty & Lorette pass by. Austin Buel here to work. Hellen Showerman called.
JCH:Mr Buel not here busy all day, plowed the garden.
4/29/1856 Tuesday Pleasant. Commenced making my pillow cases. John worked in the garden at night setting out onions, sowed lettuce. Mr Knowlton came back to work to day.
JCH: Sow some spring wheat. Mr Knowlton came here this morning. Pleasant. Austin here.
4/30/1856 Wednesday. Rather cold. We all went to the village got our paper for the house. Sarah took care of Charlie.
JCH: Was plowing most of the day. Sowed some spring wheat. Went down to the village bought some garden seeds. Cool but pleasant.
Read the Next or Previous diary transcription.
See the April 1856 footnotes.
