4/1/1857 Wednesday. Cold and snowed all day. Ma & I quilted all day.
JCH: Bought half a ton of hay of Osgood Putnam for four dollars. Drew it home. Went up in the south woods to cut a sill for the barn. It snowed fast in the afternoon.
4/2/1857 Thursday. Warmer. Ma & I quilted all day. Elizebeth helped us in the afternoon. John went to the Village, had his foot measured for a pair of boots.
JCH: Went down to Batavia to look at some plows thought I should get a new one. Exchanged my drag for a new one, by paying 10 dollars & a quarter.
4/3/1857 Friday. Beautiful day. Helen, Sarah & Elizebeth helped me quilt to day.
JCH: Went up in the woods and hewed out a sill and drew it home. A red elm. Went up to the school house to hear the boys practice pieces.
4/4/1857 Saturday. Mary Brainard visited here all day. Ma & I got the quilt off at night. John & I went up to an exhibition to schoolhouse. It was good.
JCH: Tilled out the grass in the orchard. Went up to the school house to an exhibition. A very good one. The house crowded. A yankee piece was very good.
4/5/1857 Sunday. Cloudy & rainy. At home all day. Daniel Shepard here to supper.
JCH: Some rain to day did not attend church. Went over on the Richmond place where Osgood Putnam & A. Webster were making sugar.
4/6/1857 Monday. A stormy day, snowed & blowed. We washed together.
JCH: Went down to the barn.
4/7/1857 Tuesday. Lorettes cow had a calf. John & I went down to Warren Putnams afternoon. They were sugaring off, have made now 1588 lbs of sugar.
JCH: Went up to Osgood Putnams to engage 15 bushels of corn at 6 shilings per bushel. Went down to Warren Putnams with Lorette. Had some more sugar.
4/8/1857 Wednesday. David Knowlton called, he & John went to Batavia. John got a new pair of boots, I put on my spread, Ma & I worked on it to day.
JCH: David Knowlton called here went down to Batavia with him. He had some bills printed for an exhibition at Bethany Center. Bought a new pair of boots. Rainy. Cool.
4/9/1857 Thursday. Ma & I at work on the spread. I expect some help tomorrow on it. Hellen Showerman called at night. I suppose that Grandmother Shepard & the girls are going to move to Corfu & set up a Milliner Shop.
JCH: Put up some leaches, sifted some grass seed. Heard that hay is over 17 dollars per ton in Batavia.
4/10/1857 Friday. Aunt Quance, Lucy, Sally, Elizebeth, Hellen, Sarah & aunt Roxanny helped me today on the spread.
JCH: Went up to Osgood Putnams to get the corn, did not get it. Picked out some seed corn, burned some brush in the orchard, bought 12 bushels of potatoes of Warren Putnam.
4/11/1857 Saturday. John went to an auction on the Center Road. Our folks went to the village. Ma got some oil carpeting for her bedroom. Elizebeth helped me a little while afternoon.
JCH: Went up to Osgood Putnams & brought home 16 bushels of corn, 6 shilling per bushel. Went over to Charles Lathrops to an auction on the Center Road. Wet & cool. 10 more pigs last night.
4/12/1857 Sunday. Cold & stormy. We all went up south to meeting. It was Charles Putnam’s farewell sermon. They are going to Phoenix. I saw the two brides Mrs. Clark Newton & Theodore Smith. It is very bad going. Mariah Judd married to day.
JCH: Went up south to meeting. Elder Putnam preached his farewell sermon. House full. Very muddy for the time of year. Had Henry Showermans buggy. Snowing some to day.
4/13/1857 Monday. A cold east wind. We washed together. Doing housework afternoon. Pa had help to put under some cross sills to the old barn.
JCH: Ten or a dozen in helping us put the sills under the barn. Pleasant most all day. Appearance of a snow storm to night. Harriet & Laura Shepard & their mother moved to Corfu today.
4/14/1857 Tuesday. Aunt Quance & Lucy, Sally & Elizebeth helped me on my spread. Pa & John are clearing away the rubbish around the old barn. We had another calf to day.
JCH: Clearing away rubbish around the old barn. Father Shepard went to the village this morning to see Mr. Thayer.
4/15/1857 Wednesday. Pleasant this forenoon, after it snowed & blowed very hard. Grandmother Shepard & Caroline Shaw visited here. Caroline helped me on my spread. A very tedious day.
JCH: Drew out manure in the forenoon. Snow in the forenoon. It blew & snowed hard all the afternoon.
4/16/1857 Thursday. John & I went up to his fathers with a gutter. Found Benjamin Lord there. He came home with us. Olive is sick, is a little better. We brought home the sugar making about 120 lbs.
JCH: Went up home to day. Found cousin Benjamin Lord there. He came home with us. Olive Powers quite sick. Brought home my sugar. Let J. Quance have 10 quarts of grass seed.
4/17/1857 Friday. Mr. Thayer came out to day to move the barn. I worked on my spread. Mr. Lord went away this morning. Israel & Lib called at night.
JCH: Mr. Thayer came here this morning to move the barn. The machine came at noon. Raised the barn & moved it off from the spot.
4/18/1857 Saturday. They got the barn on the spot about noon. Had good luck. I finished my spread today.
JCH: Moved the barn on to the spot & under pinned it. Had good luck with it. Five or six men helping us.
4/19/1857 Sunday. A stormy day of snow & rain. Our folks went up to see Olive, found her better. John & I went over to Israels to eat sugar.
JCH: Our folks went up to Mr. Showermans to see Olive. Lorette & I went over to J. Quance & had some warm sugar. Snowing to day.
4/20/1857 Monday. We put on Ma’s spread, John went to the village, also up to his fathers & got a load of straw. (Heard that James Watts is dead).
JCH: Drew down the machine to move barn with. Went up home & got a load of straw. Very muddy & snowing fast. Bought a new plow 8 ½, new drag 70 ¼.
4/21/1857 Tuesday. Ma & I helped Elizebeth on her spread. We went over in a cutter about 6 in afternoon. Heard that Mrs. Parmer is married to John Plato.
JCH: Snow fell since Sunday if it had not melted to make 16 inches, it stopped this afternoon. Was over to Mr. Showermans. Heard that a license law on liquor had been passed in this State.
4/22/1857 Wednesday. I helped Ma on her spread this forenoon & Elizebeth on hers afternoon.
JCH: Drew out manure all day. Snowing very fast. It looks like snow again to night. A man came up from the village to buy hay or straw, did not get any.
4/23/1857 Thursday. Elizebeth helped me on her spread. We received a letter from uncle Marvin that his little boy is dead. They feel very bad. His name was Martin.
JCH: Worked some in the barn. Went up to Osgood Putnams to get some corn. He asked 20 dollars per ton for hay. Hay is very scarce hardly any to be found. Some cattle dining up south.
4/24/1857 Friday. Pleasant. Ma had help on her spread. John’s cousin Ben Lord here all night.
JCH: Went up to Osgood Putnams & bought 5 bush of corn at six shillings per bushel. Drew stone & underpinned the sleepers & drew some for the bridge. Pulled down the old shed.
4/25/1857 Saturday. Pleasant. Ma had more help on the spread, we finished it.
JCH: Finished clearing up where the old barn stood. Drew some rails & burned brush in the orchard. Took a long pole fastened a chain about 6 feet from the end & raked them up.
4/26/1857 Sunday. Pleasant but cold. This is a backward spring. Uncle Martin & Malvina came here at night. She has come for the purpose of taking Music lessons.
JCH: It rained all the afternoon. Martin Shepard came here just at night with Melvina to stay with us all summer and take music lessons.
4/27/1857 Monday. Windy, stormy. Washing. Uncle Martin went home to day. Malvina took her first lesson to day, she likes it very well.
JCH: Martin Shepard went home left Melvina. She took one lesson to day. Drew out some manure. Rain & snow all day. Worked some in the barn.
4/28/1857 Tuesday. Sewing, making a pair of fine sheets. We all called to Peters at night.
JCH: Drew out manure all day. Father Shepard helped me in the afternoon. Pleasant.
4/29/1857 Wednesday. Malvina took another lesson to day. She gets along first rate. We visited to Elizebeths afternoon. Ma cleaning house.
JCH: Commenced plowing this morning for the first this spring, very late. Not very dry. Plowing in the west orchard. My new plow goes well. Not very warm.
4/30/1857 Thursday. Mother Hamilton & Helen visited here forenoon. Afternoon we all went over to Peter Showermans, very good visit. John sold our 2 calves yesterday for $7. they were 2 & 3 weeks old.
JCH: Plowing to day. Mother and Helen & more here to day. Pleasant with a prospect of rain. Cool.
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