1/1/1856 Tuesday. Pleasant. Fine sleighing. Our folks went to Albion to uncle Bradners & for a load of lumber. Henry & John bought some oysters, had them for supper. They staid all night.
JCH: A new year. Father and mother Shepard went down to Albion, after a load of lumber. Henry Showerman and I bought some oysters and had a good supper. Here all night. Pleasant.
1/2/1856 Wednesday. Pleasant. John went to the village alone most of the day. We went down to a spelling school. Mr. Lucius Rolfe the teacher. Alone all night.
JCH: Went down to Batavia and changed my rubbers. Went down to a spelling school at the school house. Very good spelling. Very fine sleighing and pleasant. Alone all night.
1/3/1856 Thursday. Blustering this afternoon. Called on Elizabeth Q, getting better. Our folks came home to night. John & I visited to Mr Gettens this evening.
JCH: Father and mother got back from Albion. Our old cat died last night. He was about ten years old. Went up to Mr. Gettens and had a sing. Pleasant the most of the day.
1/4/1856 Friday. Pleasant but very cold. Mrs. N. Hawley and grandmother Shepard here to day. Mr. Thompson & sister & our young folks here in the evening. Mr. Rolfe here all night.
JCH: Drew four loads of wood from the other place. Charles Thompson and sister and our young folks was here in the evening. Rolfe here all night. Very cold.
1/5/1856 Saturday Very cold. Considerable housework. Mr & Mrs Wm Stewart here this afternoon & all night.
JCH: Father drew wood. Wm Stewart was here all night. Went over to Mr. Showerman with William, very cold day. The thermometer stood at six degrees below zero.
1/6/1856 Sunday Cold but not as cold as yesterday which was 6 degrees below zero. We went up south to meeting. Mr & Mrs Leonard was there. A stranger preached. Pa & Ma called to Israel Quance.
JCH: Went up south to meeting. The house full. Leonard and his wife there. Not as cold as yesterday. A bible society agent preached to day. Sang the most of the evening.
1/7/1856 Monday Pleasant. Mrs. P. Showerman called this morning. Washing. John & Pa drawing logs.
JCH: Drew in logs all day. Pleasant. Mrs Showerman was here in the morning. Sung in the evening.
1/8/1856 Tuesday. Very cold & blustering. Worked on a delain dress for Ma most of the day.
JCH: At home all day. Father drew one log down from the woods, it was so cold he give it up. Winter has now set in in earnest, it snowed and blew all day.
1/9/1856 Wednesday. Very cold all day & stormy. Thermometer twenty degrees below zero at home all day hardly keep warm.
JCH: Still cold and stormy. Thermometer at twenty degrees below zero and still going down. Worked in the wood house in the forenoon and could hardly keep warm.
1/10/1856 Thursday. Very cold but not as cold as yesterday, 5 degrees below to day, sewing this afternoon.
JCH: Rather warmer to day. Thermometer at eighteen above zero but still the snow is flying. Wind in the west. In the house all day. Reading of the search for search for John Franklin.
1/11/1856 Friday. Some warmer to day. Ma & I quilted two skirts to day one for her & the other for myself. Pretty good days work.
JCH: Some warmer to day. Drew the oats into the old barn and thrashed them. Wind in the west. Clear this evening. Read the Presidential Message.
1/12/1856 Saturday. Pleasant. John & I went up to Father Hamiltons, found the roads drifted very bad. Ma went up as far as Grandfather Shepards. Made my quilt in the evening.
JCH: Lorette and I went up to fathers. The roads pretty well filled up but with pleasant prospect of more snow. Frank Hamilton got my papers and paid the postage.
1/13/1856 Sunday. Snowed and blowed all day, snowed about 18 inches last night, drifted very bad, at home all day.
JCH: Snow fell about two feet last night which with what was on the ground before will make about three feet. The roads are pretty well filled up. Mild.
1/14/1856 Monday Pleasant. Our folks were breaking roads all day, snow about three feet deep.
JCH: I was out breaking roads to day. Snow very deep. More than I ever saw at one time before in this state. Not very cold but snowing some. Wind in the west.
1/15/1856 Tuesday. Pleasant not very cold. Helped ma on her dress, delain. Our folks went to the village. John bought a cow, paid 30 ½ $ for her, good bargain he thought.
JCH: Went down to the village. Bought a cow of Mr. Winthrop for thirty dollars and a half. Borrowed seven dollars of father Shepard. In driving her home she fell in to a cattle gourd but got out. I think a good cow. Pleasant.
1/16/1856 Wednesday. Rather blustering & cold. We all visited to James Quance’s, Pa & John were thrashing beans there, commenced making up more factory sheets and pillow cases.
JCH: Went down to James Quance’s and thrashed some beans. Went over to Mr. Showermans in the evening. Some blustering and cold.
1/17/1856 Thursday. Pleasant & some prospects of a thaw. Expected to go to the village but our folks went to breaking roads. Sewing on factory.
JCH: Father and I went down to Mr. Quance’s and brought home our beans. In the after noon we broke roads. Not very cold.
1/18/1856 Friday. Pleasant. We all went to the village hard traveling. Ma got her glass ware to day, also some table cloths for me & other things. John & I visited to Mr. Lymans in the evening.
JCH: Friday. Went down to Batavia. Rather poor traveling. Mother Shepard bought some things for Lorette. Traded at Mr. Thorn’s. Very pleasant. Went down to Mr. Lymans in the evening.
1/19/1856 Saturday. Colder to day no prospects of a thaw. Grandfather & wife & Olive here all day. John & I visited to uncle Asahel Shepards in the evening.
JCH: Mr Showerman and wife and Olive Powers was here.
1/20/1856 Sunday Cold & snowy. At home all day.
JCH: Did not attend church to day. At home all day. Cold and snow. Marriage at the Methodist church at Batavia.
1/21/1856 Monday. Rather pleasant. Mr. Wm Johnson & Aaron Webster, Miss Hurty, Sarah West, Mrs. Mary Putnam, Henry, Hellen & Sarah Showerman here in the evening
JCH: Monday. Did nothing to day of any account. Was over to Mr. Showermans to see Henry about going up to Weathersfield. Concluded to go to morrow. Some snow but pleasant.
1/22/1856 Tuesday Very cold. Started for Weathersfield this morning. Henry went with us. Went beyond the Lick, found the roads drifted full. Went back to Wm Stewarts & staid all night.
JCH: Started for Weathersfield. Commenced storming very hard. Went about a mile and a half beyond the Lick where we found the roads so bad we turned back and went to Wm Stewarts.
1/23/1856 Wednesday About as cold as yesterday. We were there most all day. Came down to D Knowltons, staid all night. Thompsons folks there in the evening.
JCH: Was at Stewarts most all day. Storms very bad. Went down to Mr. Knowltons and stayed all night. Mr. Thompsons young folks were there, had a good time. Henry Showerman was with us.
1/24/1856 Thursday. Cold & blustering. Came home about noon. Had good luck in getting home. Henry tipped over in a snow drift.
JCH: Started from Mr. Knowltons about eleven oclock. Henry upset his cutter in a snow drift but we got home with out much trouble about half after twelve. Drifted very bad. William Stewart gave me a rooster and pullet.
1/25/1856 Friday. Sewing on a gingham apron. Ma went to Elizebeth Quances but found her gone.
JCH: Was at home all day. Cold and clear most of the day. Father Shepard drove his colt in his new harness up to James Shepards. He gave sixteen dollars for his harness.
1/26/1856 Saturday. Very cold. Went down to Batavia. Changed a table clock that Ma got for me for smaller one. Mrs. P. Showerman here all day.
JCH: Went down to Batavia with Lorette, paid for my Buffalo skin. Cold day.
1/27/1856 Sunday Very cold. John & I went to Batavia to church to the Methodist house. Pa & John went up to school house, no meeting.
JCH: Went down to Batavia to meeting for the first time at the Methodist Church. Cold and snowed some through the day. Went up to the school house. No meeting.
1/28/1856 Monday. Some warmer to day. Finished my apron. John drawed one load of wood from his fathers.
JCH: Went up to fathers and got a load of wood. It thawed a little to day, and snowed some. Snow very deep in the woods. James Shepard called here. He has bargained for some land.
1/29/1856 Tuesday. Showed. Pa, Ma & I went up to Grandfather Showerman on a visit. John drawed wood from Fathers. Making pillow cases.
JCH: Went up after wood at Fathers. Father and Mother Shepard and Lorette went up to Mr. Showermans. I drew three loads out of the woods and one home. Snowing.
1/30/1856 Wednesday Very bad day, blowing & snowing. Israel & Elizabeth Quance here all day. Sewing.
JCH: It snowed and blew very hard to day filling the roads all up again. Israel and wife was here most all day. Not very cold.
1/31/1856 Thursday. More pleasant. Ma went over to Peter Showermans. Sarah and Lorinda Showerman visit up here.
JCH: Quite pleasant again to day. Out shoveling the roads. Lorinda and Sarah Showerman was here. We went up to Mr. Showermans and stayed all night. Roads bad.
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