2/1/1856 Friday. Very bad day blustering. Came home this morning. Milton & Olive came with us. Wm Johnson & Charlie Lamkin called.
JCH: Comes in like a lion. Came home this morning. Milton and his wife came home with us. Charles Lampkin and Wm Johnson was here. Lorinda was out from Albion. Blustering.
2/2/1856 Saturday. Very blustering all day. Ma & I have been baking most of the day. John went down to Mr. Sweetlands for some library books. Very cold.
JCH: Went down this morning and shoveled out the road. Brought home library books. Very cold and stormy. Went over to Mr. Showermans in the evening.
2/3/1856 Sunday. Very cold and blustering. Road very badly drifted. At home all day. Pa went to see Grandfather Shepard found him not as well as usual. Charlie is 6 months old to day weighs 20 ½ pounds.
JCH: Cold and at home.
2/4/1856 Monday. Very cold yet as usual. John has been breaking roads drifted very bad. Sewing in the evening. Jane Tabor buried yesterday, died of consumption.
JCH: Henry Showerman and I shoveled some on the road to day. Very cold and blustering. I was over to Mr. Showermans part of the day. 22 degrees below zero.
2/5/1856 Tuesday. Very cold and blustering. John & I visited to Peter Showermans. She visited here. Commenced making sheets.
JCH: Over to Mr. Showermans most all day. Thermometer at eighteen degrees below zero. No intermission to the storm for about a week.
2/6/1856 Wednesday. Warmer to day. Our folks were breaking roads. Sewing.
JCH: Out breaking roads to day. Quite pleasant. Went down to the village with Daniel Shepard. Roads very bad. Came back with Mr. Dascomb. Bought a new stove for the school house.
2/7/1856 Thursday. Pleasant and still warm. Ma & I visited to Elizebeths. Pa & John went to the village came over there and took dinner. John & I visited to Mr. Butlers in the evening, some young people there.
JCH: Went down to Batavia. Was down to the court house. About through with the session. Went up to Mr. Butlers in the evening had a good visit. Quite warm to day.
2/8/1856 Friday. Colder to day. Our folks went to the village. Ma presented me another table cloth making the third one. One year ago to day, Mr. Israel Quance & Miss Elizebeth Showerman were married at our house by Charles Putnam. John & I visited to P. Showermans. Charles Thompson, Franklin Lyman & Mr. Rolfe were there.
JCH: Father and mother Shepard went down to town. I was at home till evening. Went over to Mr. Showermans. Frank Lyman and Charles Thompson and Mr. Rolfe was there. Cold and snow.
2/9/1856 Saturday. Cold with some snow. Finished making my sheets & pillow cases to day. Sewing.
JCH: Went up to fathers and drew a load of wood. Mr. Showerman was here. Cold with some snow. Wheat drill, on account of the prospects of peace in the old countries.
2/10/1856 Sunday. Not very cold. John & I attended church up south, full house. Lydia, Laura Shepard & William Hawley called.
JCH: Attended church at the south Baptist Church in Bethany. Quite a pleasant day not very cold. A good many out to meeting. Mr. Hawley, Miss Lydia and Miss Laura Shepard called here.
2/11/1856 Monday Pleasant & thawing. Mr & Mrs Leonard here in the evening, also Henry & Hellen.
JCH: Drew two loads from fathers. Roads very rough. Broke a road through the big hill. The first time I ever saw it filled with snow. Mr. Leonard and wife was here in the evening.
2/12/1856 Tuesday. Very cold & blustering. Our thaw has taken cold. We made candles to day. Sewing this evening. Intended to have gone over to Wm Stewarts, gave it up, too cold.
JCH: Our folks made candles. Blustering and cold. Intended to go over to Stewarts but had to give it up it stormed so bad.
2/13/1856 Wednesday. Cold. Some Indians called this morning. Bought some baskets of them. John visited Mr. Rolfe’s school. Commenced piecing my bed quilt.
JCH: There was some Indians stopped here and we dug the drifts for them through to the Leicester Road. Called at school. Mr. Rolfe teacher. Cold and stormy.
2/14/1856 Thursday. Very cold. Heard this morning that Grandfather Shepard was dead. He died about ten oclock this morning. John started for Weathersfield to inform Martin & Marvin. Pa & Ma went to Grandfathers this afternoon. I staid with Hellen. Sarah Showerman here all night.
JCH: Learned this morning that Grandfather Shepard died at ten oclock. Started for Marvin and Martin Shepards in Weathersfield at noon. Arrived there at half past eight. Had a hard time getting there. Went all over the county.
2/15/1856 Friday. Little warmer, stormy. Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Smith, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Putnam visited here. I called to Grandfather Shepards. John came home about 7 ½ oclock this evening. Martin & Marvin came with him round by Warsaw. Had a hard time getting there.
JCH: Got home from Weathersfield about half past seven in the evening. Martin and Marvin came back with me to attend the funeral. We came round by Warsaw. Stormy.
2/16/1856 Saturday. Warmer, thawed some. Attended the funeral. All the brothers and sisters were there, held at the school house. House was full. Elder Vrooman preached. Uncle Martin & Marvin staid here all night.
JCH: Attended the funeral of Grandfather Shepard's. Warm but snowing some. Martin and Marvin Shepard here all night. James and Daniel Shepard called here.
2/17/1856 Sunday. Snowed and blustered all day, cold. At home all day. Uncle Martin & Marvin Shepard here all day & night.
JCH: Cold and stormy. At home all day. Martin and Marvin Shepard here all day. Stayed all night. Blustering.
2/18/1856 Monday. Cold & stormy bad day. Martin & Marvin & Pa intended to have drawn wood for Grandmother Shepard, weather prevented them. Martin staid here all night.
JCH: Father went up to Grandmother Shepards to draw wood. It stormed so bad he gave it up. Martin Shepard came back and stayed all night. Very cold, road full.
2/19/1856 Tuesday. Cold. They drawed wood for Grandmother to day 10 loads. John visited the south school. Miss Hurty teacher. Hellen Showerman visited here. Mr. Guy Shaw called here. Made two table cloths.
JCH: Father went up and drew two loads of wood for his mother with four other teams. Cold. I went up to school stayed all day. Father Shepard traded horses with Daniel Shepard at twenty dollars.
2/20/1856 Wednesday. Not very cold. John and I went to the dedication of New Presbyterian Church in Batavia. Came home and found Mr. & Mrs. Hatch, Mrs Knowlton & Eliza & Jared Levings here. Pa went to the village. John wrote a letter for Ira tonight to send East.
JCH: Lorette went down the village to the dedication of the Presbyterian meeting house. The house full. Came home and found Mr. Hatch and wife some of our folks and Jared Levings at our house. Not very cold, roads bad.
2/21/1856 Thursday. Pleasant. Thawed a little, Uncle and Aunt Coville & Jane, Uncle Asahel & James & Nelson & their wifes & Maria Leonard were here all day, also Mrs. Wm Johnson & David Johnson here. Ma sick with a cold.
JCH: Uncle and Aunt Coville, Mr. & Mrs. Hawley and Jane Hawley, James and Asahel and their wives, & Maria Leonard were here to day visiting. Father went to the village. Thawing some.
2/22/1856 Friday. Beautiful day. Our folks drawed hay. John & I visited to Mr. Brainards in the evening, also Mr. & Mrs. P. Showerman & Mr & Mrs. Israel Quance.
JCH: Went up to fathers to get a load of hay. We got our load in the snow and Mr. Benedict took his team and helped me out. Very pleasant, warm.
2/23/1856 Saturday. Quite warm, thawed some. We went up to Father Hamiltons this afternoon. In the evening to Mr. Lamkins.
JCH: Went up this morning and got a load of hay, had no trouble. It snowed some during the day. Lorette and I went up home and stayed all night.
2/24/1856 Sunday. Colder to day. Came home this morning. Did not attend church. Mrs. P. Showerman called . Pa & Ma called to grandmother Shepards.
JCH: Came home this morning. Did not attend church, snowy some and cold. Father went up to his mothers in the evening he went up to meeting.
2/25/1856 Monday. Moderate. Washing. Our folks went to the village. Made Ma a head dress in evening. Charlie has a bad cold.
JCH: Chopped wood. Pleasant.
2/26/1856 Tuesday. Pleasant. Mr. Warren Putnam & wife, Aunt Quance & Lucy here all day. Went up to Wm Stewarts staid all night. Expected some young people there from this way.
JCH: Cold and cloudy. Went up to Stewarts.
2/27/1856 Wednesday. Cold. Came home this morning. Mrs. P. Showerman & Elizebeth here helping Ma with her dress. Charlie very sick last night & all day. Made my head dress in evening.
JCH: Came home from Stewarts this morning. Was down to the village most all day. Saw a pair of elk drove in the streets. Was at the court house. Cold.
2/28/1856 Thursday. Beautiful day. Thawed a little. Charlie some better. John & I visited to Mr. Lawrences, Wm & James Stewart & their wifes, also Mr. & Mrs. Markly. In the evening we went to Mr. Frisbee’s. Mr. Lawrence & wife with us, very good time all round.
JCH: Drew some beans to the village. Went up to Sumner Lawrences. Quite a company there. Went up to Alonzo Frisbee’s in the evening. Very pleasant.
2/29/1856 Friday. Pleasant. Ironed most of the time. Eunice Lyons called. Ma sick with a cold, gave her a sweat at night. Pa read a letter from the East last night.
JCH: Drew a load of hay down to the village. Sold it to the negro William Johnson for four dollars and a half. Afternoon thrashed some corn. Cold and cloudy.
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