8/1/1856 Friday. Very warm. Our folks thrashing with Frank & Dan’s new machine. Frank is some better. Mother Hamilton and James were here to dinner. The first time that she visited us since we have been alone.
JCH: Pleasant and warm. Mother here. Thrashing. I had about six bushels for my part of the rakings. Lyman Quance used Mr. Jesse Brainards and James Showerman running Frank and Dan Shepards machine.
8/2/1856 Saturday. Very warm. They finished thrashing about 5 oclock. One of the teams were frightened after they started grazing to night. Done some damage. Charlie walked halfway across the room and got four teeth.
JCH: Wheat does not yield. Finished thrashing about five oclock. I went up to James Shepards. Frank is a little better but Daniel is worse. Warm and pleasant.
8/3/1856 Sunday. Cool & pleasant, a fine shower this morning. John & I attended church up south. Mr. Frisbee and Mr. Lawrence & their wifes called at night.
JCH: Went up south to meeting. Elder Winks preached. Mr. Frisby and Mr. Lawrance called here. We had a fine shower this morning.
8/4/1856 Monday. Cool & cloudy. Ma and I washed together. We picked currants in afternoon and made 8 lbs. of currant preserves. Pa sold 2 loads of wheat at 12 shillings a bushel.
JCH: Father Shepard drew two loads of wheat to Batavia. He got twelve shillings a bushel. I helped him clean it up. Cut some hay and oats.
8/5/1/856 Tuesday Hellen Showerman here all day, visited me this forenoon & Ma in afternoon. A good visit with her. She picked a few currants.
JCH: Went up to Mr. Quances to see James Shepards sheep. We would have bought them but we thought they had the foot rot. Cut some oats and grass and helped Mr. Showerman thrash.
8/6/1856 Wednesday. Pleasant. Grandmother Showerman & Elizebeth visited Ma. Wm Stewart & wife & Eliza visited here all day. Hiram Showerman & Phebe took tea here. Charlie quite sick all day, called in Dr. Baker at night to see him.
JCH: Helped Mr. Showerman thrash in the forenoon. Mr. Hiram Showerman and wife took tea with us. Israel Quance had his mare hurt by running a sharp stake into her thighs. Doctor Baker called here, Charley sick.
8/7/1856 Thursday Doing housework all day. Olive visited Ma this afternoon. Charlie is better.
JCH: Drew in some hay and oats, finished cutting grass, very good. Timothy seed. Gave father Shepard a note of 29 dollars.
8/8/1856 Friday. Cool & cloudy. I visited to Clarissa Calkins, good visit. Her sister Abby came there, also Ellen Lyman called there. John thrashed for Uncle Asahel.
JCH: Put up fence between the meadow and the corn lot. Thrashed for Asahel Shepard in the after noon.
8/9/1856 Saturday I visited to Peters this forenoon & to Elizabeths this afternoon. Ma visited Hellen Showerman all day. Pa & John helped Asahel thrash.
JCH: Finished thrashing for Asahel Shepard. He had two hundred and eighty bushel. Drew in the grass in the orchard. We drove father Shepards colt for the first time.
8/10/1856 Sunday At home all day. I wrote my letter to Lorinda. Sarah here this morning. Israel & Elizabeth called at night.
JCH: At home all day. Pleasant. Had two ears of green corn.
8/11/1856 Monday Warm & pleasant. We washed together. Charlie not well.
JCH: Made a stone boat this morning. Got up the sheep and checked their noses, drew stone in remainder of the day.
Their fleece will grow forever, and their pupils are rectangular (Fun Fact About Sheep You Might Not Know)
8/12/1856 Tuesday. Cleaned my floor this morning. John and I went to village. I got some knives & forks & spoons for $2.09 in all. Had it charged. Malvina Sweetland & Laura Short called at night.
JCH: Father Shepard and I dug up stone and drew them from the summer fallow. Lorette and I went down to the village. Father Shepard and I went up to Josiah Putnams to trade horses, did not trade.
8/13/1856 Wednesday. Cool pleasant. Ma & I visited to aunt Julia very good visit.
JCH: Finished cutting oats. Commenced cutting spring wheat. Rather light. Josiah Putnams here to trade horses. Appearance of rain. It sprinkled a little.
8/14/1856 Thursday. Ma & I visited to uncle Nelson Hawleys all day.
JCH: Frank Shepard is worse. Finished cutting wheat, dug potatoes, Lorette and Mother Shepard went up to Mr Hawleys. Dug my onions.
8/15/1856 Friday. Aunt Quance, Lucy, Sally, aunt Roxany, Eunice & old Mrs. Thompson visited Ma. We went to a Millerite meeting at school.
JCH: Was gang plowing all day. I went up to James Shepards and we bought twelve sheep at fifteen shillings per head. They were yearlings. Frank was better.
8/16/1856 Saturday. Uncle & aunt Coville called. John & I visited to his fathers. Peter Showerman talks of selling his farm. George Kendall killed this morning.
JCH: Hot and dry. Finished getting in my oats and wheat. Went up to fathers from there to Mr. Levings to see about a drill. I heard that George Kendall was driving a load of wheat to Batavia, he had a fit his horses got frightened, ran away and he was killed.
8/17/1856 Sunday Pleasant. John & I attended church at the Center. Stopped at the 5 oclock meeting. Took tea at Mr. Rogers.
JCH: Went up to the Center to meeting. Thought that George Kendalls funeral would be held to day but was not. Went over to see Joel Rogers. Saw where George Kendall was killed. Stopped at the white school house.
8/18/1856 Monday Ma & I washed together. John & I staid with Eunice & Sarah all night.
JCH: Gang ploughing. Very dry dust flies finely. Mr Showerman talked of selling his place.
8/19/1856 Tuesday Pared all afternoon, it was much needed. I marked some.
JCH: Had the buggy bill paid. Finished plowing about ten oclock. But looks like rain this morning. Made a pair of quilt frames.
8/20/1856 Wednesday Cloudy & raining bad. I pieced out a bed quilt lining. Ma & I called to Peters.
JCH: Drew stone from the north lot by road. A good many stone on it. The lot looks better.
8/21/1856 Thursday Rained all day. P Showerman visited me, making my white table cloth Ma gave me.
JCH: Rained hard part of the forenoon. Commenced plowing in the lot north of the horse barn, it does not plough very easy. A Republican meeting at Batavia. Father Shepard bought a pair of steers of James Shepard for 57 dollars.
8/22/1856 Friday Cleared away quite quickly. Ma visited to uncle Asahels. Wm Hamilton & Laura, Harriet & Hellen visited here, I went up to Hellens, they sent for me.
JCH: Plowing all day. Wm Hamilton wife and Harriet Knowlton and Helen Hamilton was here in the afternoon. Father Shepard went to the village.
8/23/1856 Saturday. Considerable housework, Jennett Shepard here afternoon.
JCH: A shower this morning. It plows very well.
8/24/1856 Sunday. Pleasant & cool. Went up to school house but no meeting. Called to see Frank Shepard was some better. Heard that Mary Hurty was married, and that Mrs. Morris Putnam had got a boy 9 pounds weight.
JCH: Went up to see Frank Shepard. He is some better . Went over to the school house. The minister did not come. We had a sort of political meeting there.
8/25/1856 Monday. Quite cool. Ma and I washed together. Put on my star bed quilt afternoon.
JCH: Ploughing very stoney, broke a land side. Father Shepard painting.
8/26/1856 Tuesday We commenced quilting this afternoon.
JCH: Finished plowing in the north lot. Went down to Batavia with a grist, did not get it ground for want of water. Came back and went to dragging.
8/27/1856 Wednesday Ma & I quilting all day, had a water melon this morning. John went after the grist three bushels.
JCH: Wednesday. Dragging. Went down to Batavia and got our grist.
8/28/1856 Thursday Ma & I quilting all day. I asked some in to help me tomorrow. Pa helped Israel thrashing.
JCH: Finished dragging in the middle lot. Went to James and Asahel Shepards and got a roller and fanning mill. Went to raking. Father Shepard thrashing for James Quance, 200 bush.
8/29/1856 Friday. Sally, Lucy, Aunt Quance & Elizebeth, Eunice, Sarah & Aunt Roxany helped me on my quilt.
JCH: Finished rolling this morning. Fanned up some wheat with a Lyons Mill, carried it home and went over to Mr Levings and got his drill. Drilled some, worked nice.
8/30/1856 Saturday. We finished quilting my star bed quilt today. Mrs. P. Showerman here.
JCH: Finished drilling in the middle lot. Sowed about sixteen bushels and a half in it. Took the drill over to the Checkered Tavern. Let the drill for one bushel and three pecks of it.
8/31/1856 Sunday Pleasant out. We went down north but there was no meeting. Sarah Showeman here all day. Geo Shepard called at night.
JCH: Went down to the woods and met Mr. Lyman who said there was no meeting at the school house. Killed a squirrel this morning. Had him for supper.
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