Transcription

Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton writings

Linda J Shepard

Linda J Shepard

Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

January 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the January 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. Footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within transcriptions.

 

  1. Henry & Hellen ♢ Henry 24 and his wife Helen Shepard 20, lived just south of Lorette’s parents on Batavia-Bethany Townline Road. Henry and Hellen often changed where they lived – sometimes at his parents (Peter and Roxanny Showerman) and sometimes with her parents (Asahel Shepard and step-mother Sarah Bartlett).
  2. Shepard ♢ Lorette’s cousins, children of twin brothers Martin and Marvin Shepard of Wethersfield, Wyoming County; Eugene 14, Malvina 11, and Cornelia 12
  3. Elizebeth ♢ Elizebeth Quance (1828-1883) is Lorette’s mother’s half-sister, a daughter of Grandmother Elizabeth Powell Powers and John P. Showerman. Her full siblings are Webster Showerman, Olive Showerman Powers, and Lorinda Showerman Bride. Lorette refers to her in the diary simply as Elizebeth, spelled with an e not an a.
  4. Myron Putnam ♢ Myron Putnam (1816-1895) lived at the south-west end of Putnam Settlement near Walter Cole with his wife Elizabeth Lord, four-year old daughter Betsey Etta, his widowed mother Phoebe Burroughs Putnam 68, and widowed mother-law Sally Hodson Lord 83. In 1850 George Bryan 15 also lived with the family, he was a son of George and Mary Bryan.
  5. Frank & Dan Shepard ♢ Frank 23 and Dan Shepard 21 were sons of Lorette’s Uncle James and Aunt Amanda Putnam.
  6. church ♢ West Bethany Baptist Church
  7. Webster Showerman & wife ♢ Webster Showerman 31 was Lorette’s mother’s half-brother. He and his wife Hilda lived in Freedom, Cattaraugus County, NY.
  8.  Elder Putnam ♢ Elder Rev. Charles Putnam 34 grew up on Putnam Settlement. He married Phoebe Hawley, Lorette’s cousin (a daughter of Sally Shepard and Nelson Hawley).
  9. Deacon Lovelace ♢ Deacon Alanson Lovelace 61 and his wife Patience Chaffee lived in Alexander.
  10. Nelson Hawley’s ♢ Nelson and wife aunt Sally Shepard, lived at the south-west end of Putnam Settlement, near Walter Cole. They had four children, Wallace 19, William 11, and Mary Dell 3; Ruana was deceased. In 1850 they lived with his parents Levi and Olive Paine Hawley in Lenawee Michigan, who had twelve children. Only brother Alvin came to Genesee County with Nelson, and he died in 1846, leaving Phebe Shepard Hawley a widow at age 39. Phebe then married 55 year-old widower Richard Covell.
  11.  Josiah Putnam ♢ Josiah Putnam(1801-1873) and wife Lydia Shaw (1816-1904) lived on Putnam Settlement, next to James Shepard. With his first wife they had ten children: Norman (1837-1895), Allen (1840-1910), Erwin (1841-1876), Edwin (1842-1876), Irving (1843-1876), Amelia Thomas (1845-?), Merritt (1847-1910), Julius (1848-1928), Laura (1849-1926), and Julia (1857-1937).
  12. melodeon ♢ A melodeon is a small affordable reed organ that would fit easily into a nineteenth-century parlor. Lorette played and gave Melodeon lessons to young women in the neighborhood.
  13. Julia Brainard ♢ Aunt Julia Powers Brainard (1822-1889) was the wife of Levi Brainard. She was a full sister of Lorette’s mother, Polly Powers Shepard; their full brother was Daniel W. Powers. After their widowed mother married John P. Showerman, they gained 16 half-siblings.
  14. Ben Moore ♢ Rev Benjamin Moore, a son of John & Clarissa Moore, was born in Berkshire, MA in 1820, living in Batavia by 1830.
  15. Mr Levings ♢ Rev Abel Levings 60, lived in Bethany and was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
  16. Center road ♢ This is Bethany Center Road, where John’s sisters, Harriet and Adeline lived.
  17. Mr. Lanes donation ♢ George W. Lane 43 married Harriet N. Franklin in 1839 in Leicester, Livington Co., NY. A donation was a fund raising event for the ministers.
  18. 21 degrees below zero ♢ It was so cold in New York City that the Bay of New York froze solid and people were walking across the ice between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
  19. Mr. H. Huggins boy ♢ Freddie Huggins is a son of Harrison J. Huggins 44 and his wife Betsey Clement 40 who lived in Eagle, Wyoming County during the 1850 census, but were living with his widowed mother Aleythea Taylor Huggins in Bethany by 1860. They also had a daughter Mary A. Huggins age 15.
  20. Mr Rogers school ♢ Schoolhouse No. 6 was located on the town lines of Batavia and Bethany, thus known as Batavia-Bethany Schoolhouse. It also served as a place of worship, religious education, and debates on Sunday afternoons, while Sunday “church” was held in the morning at the West Bethany Baptist Church.
  21. Uncle Covells ♢ Uncle Richard Covell (1793-1873) In 1848, Richard, a widower, married Lorette’s father’s widowed sister Phebe Shepard Hawley. They lived in Pavilion, NY. Richard’s first wife was Elizabeth Covell, his first cousin, they had the same grandparents, John Covell and Rejoice Smith. Richard and Elizabeth’s two children were Ichabod and George. They are all buried in Machpelah Cemetery, LeRoy, NY.
  22. Mrs. Walter Cole ♢ Sophronia Blanchard (1826-1921) married Walter Cole in 1844. Their daughter Cora was their second child.
  23. Mr Hawley ♢ Nelson Hawley was married to Lorette’s father’s sister, Sally. Nelson was a younger brother of Alvin Hawley, first husband of Phoebe Shepard.
  24. We were alone ♢ Lorette and John, married in 1855, were living with her parents and weren’t alone often.
  25. Jane Hawley ♢ Jane Hawley (1840-1918) was Lorette’s cousin, a daughter of Phebe Shepard and first husband Alvin Hawley.
  26. Wesley ♢ John Wesley Sweetland (1831-1884) a son of minister Lewis Sweetland and Drucilla Palmer, who lived on Ellicott Street Road, was born in Little Valley, Cattaraugus, NY and was planning on returning there to live.
  27. child ♢ Charles was the first child of Samuel Hawley 27, a son of Ann N. Hawley and a step-son of Gilliam Bartholf, and Phebe Stone who were married at the end of 1855 and shortly after moved to Illinois.
  28. Geo Moore ♢ George Moore (1832-1904) was a younger brother of Benjamin Moore and was living possibly in Detroit with his wife Adelia Mosher. Their son did not survive.
  29. melodeon man ♢ James (1798-1881) was born in England, and in 1827 he started a music store in Buffalo known as Jas. D. Shepard, Dealer in Pianos and Melodeons. His store was located on Main Street in Buffalo. In 1854 Hugh Cottier (1820-1878) joined Sheppard to form Sheppard & Cottier. The music store is still in business and known as the oldest existing business in Buffalo, The store sold melodeons and was also the first in the USA to sell Steinway pianos. (WNY Heritage. Winter 1997)
  30. visited here ♢ Wives were: Marvin Shepard and Persis Chaddock; Asahel Shepard and Sarah Bartlett; Dennis Chaddock and Polly Shepard; Nelson Hawley and Sally Shepard. Also Mrs Charles Putnam (Clorinda Hawley) and Franklin Putnam Shepard.

 

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Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

February 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the February 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Frances Quance ♢ Lorette Quance (1845-1917) age 12, daughter of Lyman Quance and Sarah Ann Chaddock of East Road, Batavia.
  2. Mr. Calkins ♢ Sylvester (1824-1882) lived with his wife Clarissa Moore 29, on Ellicott Street Rd, Batavia, just south of Shepard Road.
  3. Myron Putnam ♢ Myron Putnam age 41 lived on Putnam Settlement with his wife of the same age, Elizabeth Lord. Her parents, both from Maine, were Enoch (1774-1850's) and Sally Lord (1780's-1864). Myron’s parents were Franklin and Phebe Putnam, and he had six siblings: Joseph (moved west), Amanda (wife of James Shepard), Daniel (of Putnam Settlement), Caleb (deceased), Lyman (moved west), and Charles (Pastor of Free Will Baptist Church).
  4. All the brothers ♢ The six brothers of Lorette’s father John Shepard (age 46) were: James 53, Asahel 51, Ira 44, and twins Martin and Marvin 43. Oldest brother and only one to leave western NY, was Andrew who died at age 41 in Illinois.
  5. Locke Amsdem ♢ Locke Amsden: Or, The Schoolmaster, A Tale is still available today, by Daniel P Thompson in 1847. It is a collection of works about early American history covering 400 years of people, places, religion, opinions, and events of that time.
  6. Mrs Hart ♢ Lucy Osborn Barnea Hart was born in 1799, a daughter of Jedediah Osborne and Ascenath Pike. She was first married to Nicholas Barnea and had four children: Benjamin, Seth, Lucy, and Nicholas. Daughter Lucy married James Quance in 1849 and they lived on East Road, Batavia. Nicholas died before 1840, and in 1848 Lucy married Samuel Hart of Monroe County.
  7. Thompson ♢ Charles, Leonard, and Mary Lorette Thompson were three of ten children of Joseph and Amanda Thompson. Amanda was a widow living on Bethany Center Road next to David Knowlton.
  8. Bostwick’s young folks ♢ Austin Bostwick and Mary Jane Lathrop were married in 1834 and had children: Harris Austin 21, Henry Olson 19, Noble Solomon 17, and Maria Arietta 14. They lived near David Knowlton on Bethany Center Road, Bethany.
  9. Frank Lyman ♢ Franklin Lyman was the 20-year-old son of Samuel and Charlotte (Williamson) Lyman of Ellicott Street Road, Batavia.
  10. William Waite ♢ William Henry Waite, 31, lived in Bethany
  11. Mr. Hathway ♢ Charles G Hathaway, 31 was a single man and a tuner who lived in Palmyra, Wayne County with his mother, Charlotte 71 and brother Henry 41.
  12. Browns ♢ Browns Mills in West Bethany
  13. blackguarding ♢ Blackquarding was an act by a person who is villainous at heart. (Vocabulary.com)
  14. she was gone ♢ Lorette’s cousin, Elizabeth Showerman Quance, age 29.
  15. Billy Ware ♢ William Ware was born in England in 1809. His wife was Elizabeth Warren. They lived on Ellicott Street Road in Batavia. They had a baby girl in 1857, Elizabeth, also known as Libbie. The couple had seven children in all.
  16. visited here ♢ Two daughters of John & Clarissa Moore: Sabra (1837-1921) with her sister Clarissa (1828-1921) with husbands Mortimer Judson and Sylvester Calkins.
  17. Ellen Lyman ♢ Ellen Maria Lyman (1836-?) was the oldest child of Samuel Lyman and Charlotte Williamson.
  18. Caroline Smith ♢ This could be Caroline Bristol Smith (1822-1899). She was a great aunt of Lorettes through the Powers family.
  19. Ellen & George ♢ Ellen and George Lyman, children of Samuel and Charlotte Williamson of Ellicott Street Road.
  20. Hellen ♢ Helen Shepard Showerman, 20, was the wife of Henry Showerman (Roxanny’s son).

 

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Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

March 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the March 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Mr. Lincoln ♢ There were several Lincolns in Bethany, but this could be Charles F Lincoln, an Elder in the Presbyterian Church at Bethany Center. He was a son of Sylvester Lincoln Jr., and Eleanor Wallace.
  2. Mrs. Reamer ♢ Elizabeth Debow (1805-1879) was second wife of John Reamer, and the youngest of ten children born to Andrew DeBow and Matina F. Alyea. They both are buried in Batavia Cemetery.
  3. Emaline Jackman ♢ Emaline Jackman The only Emaline Jackman found in the USA around Lorette’s age, was Emeline A. Jackman, born about 1838 living in Massachusetts.
  4. Mr. Buell ♢ Cyrus Buell (1806-1888) was a carpenter and joiner, lived in West Bethany with his wife Catharine Kromer and their five children.
  5. build the stairs ♢ This may have been the main stairway up to the second floor of the two-family John Shepard Jr home.
  6. Charles Putnams ♢ Charles 34 and his wife Phoebe Hawley (a daughter John Shepard’s sister Phoebe and her first husband Alvin Hawley) were moving to Phoenix, NY, a village just east Oneida Lake, where he would be a minister. Also there was Phoebe’s mother and her second husband, Richard d. Covell and her daughter Jane Hawley age 17.
  7. Milton Powers & Olive ♢ Charles Milton Powers 29 born in Trenton Falls, Oneida county, NY. He married Olive Showerman, daughter of John P Showerman and Elizabeth Powell Powers in 1852, and had on child, Edwin in 1853.
  8. Mr. Calvin Strongs ♢ Calvin Strong (1817-1895) Calvin married Emeline Putnam in 1843. They had three children, two were still alive. Philathaea died when she was only one. Florence Adel was12, and Augustus was 8. They lived at the corner of Putnam and East roads.
  9. south school ♢ Batavia-Bethany School House No. 6 at the corner of Francis & Bethany Townline roads.
  10. Mr Benton & wife ♢ George W. Benton (1821-1893) and his wife Anice (1822-1900) lived near John Hamilton’s parents on Francis Rd, Bethany. They had two children, George A. 12, Sidney 10 (if he was still alive), and Fremont 5. Joel Marsh Jr and his wife Louisa also lived on Francis Road.
  11. Asahel Shepard & wife ♢ Asahel Shepard’s wife was Sarah Bartlett (1818-1888). He married her after his first wife Jane Newcomb died in 1843; they had six children: George, Lydia, Helen, Alvin, Jannett, and Jane. He married Sarah about 1844, a daughter of Stephen Bartlett and Anna Nurse. Asahel and Sarah had five children by 1855: Agnes, Viola, Emma, Alice and Adell. One son and ten daughters.
  12. Charlie ♢ Charles E Shepard, Lorette’s brother, age 1
  13. visited ♢ Lorette’s grandparents, John Shepard Sr. and Catherine Wilson Shaw had three daughters, Fanny, Harriet, and Laura. Fanny married Clark Shaw in 1851. Clark was a son of Guy Shaw and Nancy Ellis of Alexander.
  14. Henry Bostwick & Jared Levings ♢ Henry Bostwick 19 was a son of Austin Bostwick, and Jared 17 was a son of Rev. Abel Levings Jr.
  15. Mr. Brainard folks ♢ Levi Brainard 56, and second wife Julia Powers 35, lived on Ellicott St Road. His living children in 1857 were Rice, Zachariah, Jesse, Mary, Zerah, and Elizabeth.
  16. Browns schoolhouse ♢ Browns Schoolhouse is the schoolhouse also known as SH No 12 and is located across from the West Bethany Baptist Church.
  17. Theodore Smith ♢ Theodore G. Smith was a son of Gilbert and Polly Smith of Alexander. He married Emily Bromley.
  18. Norman Putnam ♢ Norman Melvin Putnam (1837-1895) He was the oldest son of Josiah Putnam (1801-1872) and his second wife, Lydia Wilson Shaw (1816-1904). Josiah’s first wife was Olivia P. Lord who died in 1835. Most of their five children also died young; all are buried in Putnam Cemetery.
  19. Thompson bush ♢ John’s father’s property on Francis Road backed up to Mrs. Amanda Thompson’s property on Bethany Center Road. The sugar bush was probably between the two pieces of land.
  20. Mrs. Powers ♢ Lorette’s aunt Olive Showerman Powers lived on Francis Road with her husband, Charles Milton Powers across the road from John Hamilton’s parents; in the location called, “Parsonage Est.” on the 1854 Map of Genesee County.
  21. Mr. Marshall ♢ Joseph Marshall born in 1819 in Ireland, was a Grocer in Batavia.
  22. Frank ♢ John Hamilton’s brother, Benjamin Franklin Hamilton, would have been 20, and was returning to school at the Genesee Wyoming Seminary in Alexander.
  23. the woods ♢ Young people on Francis Road were in the sugar bush between Hamiltons and Thompsons in Bethany.

 

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April 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the April 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Mary Brainard ♢ Mary Brainard (1839-1865) is a daughter of Levi Brainard and his first wife, Mary Morse, who died in 1842 in Freedom, NY.
  2. Daniel Shepard ♢ Daniel Shepard (1835-1909) is a son of James and Amanda Putnam Shepard.
  3. Richmond place ♢ The Richmond Place was property on Putnam Settlement, near East Road, owned by Leverett Richmond, who died in 1856.
  4. Osgood Putnam & A. Webster ♢ Osgood Putnam was a son of Peter Putnam and Prudence Johnson, and Aaron Webster was a son of Ann Dusenberry, widow of Constant Webster. to sisters Emily and Malvina Bryan.
  5. Grandmother Shepard & the girls ♢ Grandmother Shepard was with her unmarried daughters Harriet 27 and Laura 24.
  6. Charles Lathrops ♢ Charles Alfred Lathrop (1830-1873) lived with his parents Henry and Linda Rindge in Bethany.
  7. Mrs. Clark Newton/Theodore Smith ♢ Sarah E Lincoln married Clark Newton on December 23, 1856, and Emily Bromley married Theodore Smith on March 18, 1857.
  8. Mariah Judd ♢ Sarah Maria Judd (1836-1915) daughter of Luther Judd and Esther Odion of Stafford, NY, married John Chamberlin Gardner (1825-1893), son of Joel and Bathsheba Gardner.
  9. their mother ♢ Harriet and Laura were the unmarried daughters of Lorette’s Grandfather, John Shepard, Sr., who died in 1856, and Catherine Wilson Shepard.
  10. Caroline Shaw ♢ Caroline Elizabeth Gibson (1827-1893) was with her husband Horace Shaw's mother, Catherine Wilson Shaw Shepard (1791-1862). Horace was a son of Catherine's first husband, Daniel Shaw who died in 1823. They lived across from each other on Putnam Settlement. Grandmother was visiting before moving to Corfu with her daughters Laura and Harriet.
  11. Benjamin Lord ♢ Benjamin F. Lord (1822-aft 1905) was John Hamilton cousin; a son of Daniel Lord (1787-1859) and Amanda Chapman (1784-1847) of Colchester, CT.
  12. Israel & Lib ♢ Israel and Elizabeth Showerman Quance.
  13. James Watts ♢ James Howland Watts (1807-1857) was the oldest son of Ebenezer Watts and Nancy Delano of Rochester. Daniel Powers, Lorette’s uncle, lived with this family in Rochester when he was a young man.
  14. uncle Marvin ♢ Martin Shepard (1853-1857) had just turned four years old. His parents were Marvin and Persis Chaddock Shepard; they lived on Shepard Road in Wethersfield, Wyoming county. Martin was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Pike, NY.
  15. Ben Lord ♢ Benjamin F. Lord (1822-?) was youngest child of John Hamilton’s uncle Daniel Lord, his mother’s brother’s son from Connecticut.
  16. Martin & Malvina ♢ Martin and Marvin shepard each had sons around 1853-54 and named them after their twin brother; so Martin who just died was Marvin’s son and Marvin, Martin’s son, lived until 1865. That day Martin was with his 13 year old, only daughter, Malvina.

 

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May 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the May 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Norman Putnam ♢ Norman Melvin Putnam (1837-1895) was a son of Josiah & Lydia Shaw Putnam. He and John’s brother Frank (Benjamin Franklin Hamilton) were both born in 1837.
  2. Presbyterian Church ♢ There were three Presbyterian churches in the area - the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, built in 1856, the Presbyterian Church built in the 1820's on Ellicott Street Road near Route 20 in East Bethany, and the Presbyterian Church on Bethany Center Road, Bethany Center.
  3. Peter Putnam ♢ Peter Putnam (1785-1857) III lived on Putnam Settlement and was 71 when he died. In 1804 he married Prudence Johnson and they had seven children: Orrin 47, Warren 46, Philathetta who died in 1839, Osgood 38, Seymour who died in 1854, Emeline 33 who married Calvin Strong, and David (unknown). After Prudence died in 1844, Peter married Ann Dusenbury Webster, widow of Constant Webster III (1792-1842) of Orangeville, Wyoming County. Ann, had four children with Constant: Alfred 29 who lived in Michigan, Orrin 26 and Aaron 24, who were unmarried and lived with their mother on the Putnam farm, and two deceased daughter, Helen Adel and Mary.
  4. Mrs. Holters ♢ Mrs. Catherine Holter may have been the mother of Harriet Holter, born in 1856, who would grow up to have a successful milliner business in Batavia. Needs further investigation.
  5. orchard ♢ The orchard was on the east side of the Shepard homestead.
  6. boy ♢ The baby, Charles L., was a son of Calvin and Lydia Ann (Shepard) Loomis lived until 1901, when he was killed in a train accident.
  7. James Quance ♢ Israel Quance (1821-1900) lived near John and Lorette on Putnam Settlement near East Road, Batavia. In 1850 he married Elizabeth (1829-1883). Their daughter, Lois L., was born in 1851.
  8. daughter ♢ Edith Maria Leonard born May 9th in Pike, Wyoming County, NY.
  9. Ransom Shepard & Wallace Hawley ♢ Wallace and Ransom were Lorette’s first cousins, sons of James Shepard and Sally Shepard Hawley.
  10. Elder Davis ♢ Elder Davis often preached at the school house that was “down” north, located just east of Ellicott and Shepard roads.
  11. Mr. Shepard ♢ It is unknown if James D Sheppard, the original owner of Sheppard & Cottier music store in Buffalo, was related to Lorette.
  12. Nancy Hamilton ♢ Because Nancy came with John’s sister Eliza, it is assumed she is a Hamilton cousin.
  13. seine ♢ A seine is a large net that is held on both ends and lowered into the water to catch lots of fish.
  14. Mr. J. Keaton ♢ There were quite a few Keatons in and around Silver Lake, in 1860, like the John Keaton (age 43, born in England) family in Castile, south of Silver Lake.
  15. James Shepard ♢ David Andrews born in 1805, died the next day. He lived near the south end of Francis Road with wife Mary Polly Norton a daughter of Ira & Susannah Preston Norton. The couple had three children, Luther, Susan A, and Mary Emogene. The family lived in Bethany and were buried in Maple Lawn Cemetery.

 

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Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

June 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the June 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Canada ♢ “Little Canada” as it is called, is a community located east of Bethany.
  2. the first ♢ Lorette’s cousin Malvina, 13, may have been Lorette’s first music student. She gave melodeon lessons for the next twenty years to young women in her neighborhood. Many of their parents also purchased melodeons during this era, which ranged in price from $45 to $350.
  3. John's birthday ♢ John C. Hamilton was twenty-four.
  4. Mr. Benedict ♢ William Guy Benedict (1818-189) and wife Alzina Pynchon (1820-1871) had four children, Henry 16, William 14, Helen 8, and Edwin who was born later in 1857. The Benedict family first arrived in Genesee County when William Guy’s grandparents, William Hall Benedict (1757-1836) and Ruth Peck (1752-1846) arrived from Connecticut in the early 1800’s and settled in southern Genesee County, New York.
  5. new home ♢ Samuel W. Lyman built a house on Ellicott Street Road across from the north end of Shepard Road. In 2008 this is the home of Donald Partridge.
  6. Our folks ♢ Lorette’s parents left for Uncle Marvin’s on May 12th to help him on his house in Wethersfield, Wyoming County, NY.
  7. tair ♢ Tares are weeds that resemble wheat
  8. Jerome Putnam ♢ Jerome was the son of Morris Putnam and Maria Lord, born in 1835. His full name was Morris Jerome Putnam. He married Martha J. Skinner of Michigan. There was a second Jerome Putnam born on the Putnam Settlement - a son of Josiah Putnam (1801-1873) and Olivia P. Lord (1802-1835). This Jerome, born in 1833, died on June 30 1835, about two weeks after his mother died.
  9. Somerset ♢ Somerset is a town in Niagara County, near Lake Ontario. Peter Showerman’s wife, Roxanny Powers, was a younger sister of Polly Powers wife of Gurdon Huntington of Somerset.
  10. Charlie ♢ Charles Edwin Shepard, Lorette's brother, was born in 1855, when Lorette was 19 years old. Lorette and John probably have lived with her parents, John and Polly Shepard, who moved from Wethersfield into their home on Shepard Road in 1847.
  11. Hamilton ♢ John Hamilton’s parents lived in Hamilton, Madison county, when they were first married; their oldest son William was born there in 1820.
  12. Wm Benedict ♢ This William Benedict may have been the 14 year-old son of William Guy Benedict as he was working with John Hamilton’s younger brother, James Hamilton 18.
  13. Sarah West ♢ Sarah West 22 married Orlando Wortendyke of west Batavia. She was a daughter of Warren West and Sarah Richmond who lived on Putnam Settlement. They lived with his parents after they were married.
  14. Philinda ♢ Amelia was a half-sister of Philinda Putnam, their father was Josiah Putnam (1801-1873).
  15. Martha Green & Maria Gardner ♢ This may have been Mary Ann Wales, 33, wife of Parley Gardner of Alexander. They were married in 1848 in Attica.
  16. Emily Bryan ♢ Emily Bryan 19 was a daughter of George Bryan (1806-1844) and Mary Ann Unknown (1806-1876). George was buried in Putnam Cemetery. Mary Ann married second John Stapleton in 1846. They lived in Newstead, Erie County, NY.
  17. Mr. Osborn ♢ This could have been Jefferson Osborne, 27, who was born in LeRoy, lived in Batavia in 1850 as a farm laborer and was in Nebraska by 1860.
  18. Philinda Putnam ♢ Philinda was the second oldest and the only child still alive of the five children born to Josiah Putnam and Olivia Lord of Putnam Settlement. Philinda and her mother and siblings Olivia (1802-183)5, Nathan (1823-1824), and Jerome (1833-1835) are all buried in Putnam Cemetery. Sisters Arvilla has not been found, and Mrs Olive Putnam Lathrop was buried in Fargo Road Pioneer Cemetery. Consumption, also known as Tuberculosis, was a leading cause of death in the 19th century. It was also known as the great White Plague because of the paleness of its victims. (Lung.org)

 

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July 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the July 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. watched ♢ Watching was commonly done in the 19th century, by a close friend or family. It was the earliest form of a Wake and done from the minute of death until burial. Often it was watched over to prevent burying someone who was still alive, to prevent rodents, and/or to keep a watch over the body’s soul until burial, and many other reasons in other traditions.
  2. Aaron Webster & Emily Bryan ♢ Aaron and Emily were two close friends of the Putnam family, and residents of Putnam Settlement. They married in 1862.
  3. Mr. Prestons ♢ Lyman O. Preston (1820-1899) was married to John Hamilton’s first cousin, Louisa F. Lord (1820-1901). The couple had two children in 1857, Norval 13, and William 11.
  4. Avon water ♢ Avon Mineral Springs as they were known, was compared to Saratoga Springs, NY, with springs with healing qualities. The Village of Avon had several high end hotels located in the vicinity. Read more about it at The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors website fohbc.org.
  5. pretty baby ♢ Edith Maria Leonard was born May 9, 1857 in Pike, Wyoming County, NY.
  6. Miss Stevens & her sister ♢ This could possibly be Emily Stevens 17, and one of her sisters. They were children of Abial and Betsy Norton Stevens of Bethany.
  7. Dennis Chaddocks ♢ Dennis Chaddock (1796-1868), married to Lorette’s aunt Polly Shepard (1809-1882) lived on Chaddock Road in the southeast corner of Alexander, just west of Linden, and next to his brother Luther Chaddock (1797-1874)
  8. Elder Madden ♢ Loren James Madden (1825-1868) was a Free Will Baptist minister, born in Hilton, NY and preaching in Byron, Middlebury, and West Bethany. In 1849 he married Catherine Perry (1826-1863) in Jackson County, Michigan.
  9. O. Putnam ♢ Orrin Putnam (1810-1894) was married to Sophia Huntington (1820-1905) and they had six children. He was the oldest son of Peter Putnam, who had recently passed away, and Prudence Johnson who died in 1844.
  10. Mr. Levings ♢ Abel Levings (1797-1867) and wife Sophronia Willard (1796-1872) lived on Bethany Center Road, across from their daughter Mrs. Laura Levings Hamilton.
  11. Will Stewart ♢ William Stewart was married to John's sister, Adeline Hamilton around 1849.
  12. Sarah Shepard ♢ Sarah A. Bartlett (1818-1888) was Asahel Shepard’s second wife and they married around 1844 and had five daughters. She was a daughter of Stephen Badger Bartlett (1774-1830) and Anna Nurse (1782-1878) of Monroe County.
  13. Mr. Charles ♢ William Charles (1820-1891) born in England and married to Elizabeth Laramy also born in England in 1825, ran a blacksmith shop at the north end of Shepard Road.
  14. ??? ♢ Hiram Hamilton first came to Genesee County in 1825 from Hamilton, Madison County, NY. He and his wife Lucinda Lord belonged to the West Bethany Baptist church where in 1839 they purchased a pew.
  15. Mrs. Marsh ♢ Louisa (1814-1886) married Joel Marsh Jr. about 1834. Their children were Delos 22, Orlando 19, Eugene 16, Delora 12.
  16. Sumner Lawrences ♢ Sumner Lawrence (1830-1877) was a son of Henry Lawrence (1799-1840’s) and Relief Foster (1805-?) of Middlebury, Wyoming County.
  17. Mr. & Mrs. Read ♢ “Here to dinner” meant at Lorette’s parents’ house, as she and John were still living with them. Henry Reed (1796-1877) and Laura Sumner (1795-1881) of Bethany, were the parents of Mary Reed (1831-1891) wife of Leumuel Lincoln (1824-1870) also of Bethany.
  18. Elder Emmons ♢ Elder William Emmons (1814-1866) was a Methodist minister who lived in Elba, NY with his second wife, Caroline. First wife Mary Babcock died after childbirth of their son Albertis in 1845.
  19. Mr. Green’s ♢ Lorette was with Mrs. Clarissa Moore Calkins (1828-1921) went they went to visit their other friend Martha Green (1834-1918), daughter of Shubael and Abigail Green on Ellicott Street Road.

 

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Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

August 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the August 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Lorinda ♢ Lorette’s half-aunt Lorinda Showerman Bride (1832-1859) married James Bride in 1856. They lived in Altona, Iowa.
  2. James Shepards boys ♢ Uncle James Shepard and wife Amanda Putnam, lived on Putnam Settlement and had five sons, Franklin 24, Daniel 22, Harlan 20, Ransom 18, and David 12.
  3. Quance women ♢ Possible women considered ‘Quance women” would have consisted of great-aunt Mehitable Powers Quance (1788-1878), Sarah Ann Chaddock Quance (1820-1862) and her daughter Lorett, Sarah Quance Putnam (1814-1965) and her daughters Eveline, Emeline, and Emerette Quance, Elizabeth Showerman Quance (1828-1883) and her daughter Lois age 2, and Lucy Barnea Quance (1829-1898) and her daughter Roselle. Most of them live on East Road, Batavia.
  4. Harlan Shepard ♢ Harlan James Shepard, age 20, was single and lived with his parents James and Amanda Shepard.
  5. Erysipelas ♢ Erysipelas is a bacterial infection, like streptococcal bacteria, that can enter the skin usually through cut or wound. Laura Levings 28 was married to John Hamilton’s brother, William.
  6. Eunice Lyons ♢ Eunice Lyons, 35, was taken into the Peter and Roxanny Showerman family when she was about 11 years old in Freedom, Cattaraugus County.
  7. Harriets ♢ Harriet 34, was John Hamilton’s sister, married to David Knowlton of Bethany.
  8.  Mr. Wm Nott ♢ William Nott (1786-1863) was born in England and lived with Polly in Bethany .
  9. Eveline Starges Cornwell (1820-1857)♢ Wife of Charles B. Cornwell (1820's-1900) who was born in CT; they had one daughter, Frances, age 4, and lived on Shepard Road, Batavia.
  10. Town ♢ Norman Town (abt 1800-1871) and his wife Sarah lived on Shepard Road earlier in his life.
  11. Harriet & Laura ♢ Harriet Shepard 27 and Laura Shepard 24 were half-sisters of Lorette’s father, John Shepard, Jr.
  12. Bilious fever ♢ A fever caused by excess bilirubin in the system often causing jaundice.
  13. Hiram Showerman’s wife ♢ Phebe Johnson 27 first wife of Hiram Showerman (1818-1884), was a daughter of William Johnson (1793-1852) and Harriet Flavell (1797-1888) of Francis Road, Bethany. She died in Wisconsin.
  14. Webster Showerman ♢ Webster Showerman was a step-brother of Peter Showerman; they had the same father, John Showerman Jr., but Peter’s mother was Catherine Niver who died in 1824 and Webster’s mother was Elizabeth Powell Powers Showerman who lived near Lorette. Incidentally, Peter’s wife, aunt Roxanny, was the youngest sibling of Asahel Powers who died in 1823.

 

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Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

September 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the September 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Mr. Moore ♢ John Moore (1784-1857) John Moore was a widower, his wife Clarissa Sparks died in 1850. They lived on Shepard Road across from Lorette’s parents farm. John once owned Sparks Iron Works which he moved to Batavia from Massachusetts. Clarissa had eleven children, all still alive in 1857. They are both buried in Old Batavia Cemetery.
  2. Elder Fillmore ♢ This may have been Glezen Fillmore of Clarence who was 68 years old. He was an itinerant Methodist circuit preacher until the Fall of 1858. Or it may have been Isaac Otis Fillmore, who became the first pastor of the newly built Presbyterian church in Batavia.
  3. balloon ♢ The balloon ascension was saved for the last day of the Genesee County Fair; however it had been cancelled early in the day due to the inability to inflate the balloon. That year Chester E. Orcutt of Batavia was President of the Genesee County Agricultural Society and Nelson Parker and Leander Douglass of Stafford were Vice Presidents, Thomas Yates of Batavia was Secretary, and Henry T. Cross of Batavia was Treasurer. Representatives on the Town Committee were: Alexander - A. North, Batavia - Gad Worthington, Bethany - Charles Kendall, Stafford - T. J. Leonard, Darien - Walter Hyde, Elba - Henry Monell, Pembroke - G. W. Wright, LeRoy - B. F. Cash, Byron - Weaton Miller, Bergen - Samuel Richmond, Oakfield - Clitus Wolcott, and Alabama - Wm. McComber.
  4. Mr. Woodard & Mr. Leonard ♢ Ira Leonard, spouse of Maria Shepard, was an attorney in Batavia, and was with Hon. N. A. Woodward that day.
  5. funeral ♢ Adeline M. Brown married Carlos West son of Warren West and Sarah Richmond of Putnam Settlement around 1848. In 1850 they lived with her parents, Edward and Almira Brown in Alexander. Adeline’s first child Flora died three months after her birth in 1849, and her second child Irving died less than one year old in 1851. Adeline died just five days after giving birth to her third child, Ira J. West; he died thirteen days later. They are all buried in Putnam Cemetery.
  6. Plato farm ♢ John F. Plato (1802-1870) owned land on Creek Road, Batavia but lived on Clinton Street in the Village.
  7. Mrs. Julia Patterson ♢ Julia Powers Patterson (1823-1914) She was a daughter of the infamous Batavia Olive Branch Mason, Blanchard Powers (1769-1849), who was indicted for participation in the mysterious disappearance of William Morgan in 1826 but also awarded a medal for his long service of the order. He had four wives and 23 children. Julia’s mother was Ruth Hayes (1790-1829) wife number 3. Blanchard married wife number 4 a month later, Louisa Chadwick who was still alive in in Batavia in 1857. Julia was married to William Patterson (1820-1852) and had three children with him, Mary, Ruthann, and Cathren. In 1854 she married John Ferris of Batavia and had two children, Albertine in 1858 and Caroline in 1860.
  8. school house ♢ Asahel Shepard lived on Francis Road next to Batavia-Bethany School House No. 6.
  9. little girl ♢ Adell Shepard, youngest child of Asahel and Sarah Bartlett Shepard, would have been 18 months old.
  10. George Shepard ♢ George Asahel Shepard was the oldest child of Asahel Shepard, aged 23.
  11. Billy Green’s ♢ William Green (1794-1865), a bachelor, lived with his unmarried sister Jerusha Green (1797-1882) on Ellicott Street Road near Shepard Road. He was also a brother of Shubael Green (1799-1874).
  12. Ordelia Shepard ♢ First cousins, Helen Shepard Showerman 20 and daughter of Asahel Shepard, and Ordelia 15, a daughter of James Shepard.
  13. Elders Perry ♢ Rev Perry was the Pastor of the West Bethany Free Will Baptist Church on and off from 1852-1857.
  14. Oliver Johnson ♢ Rev. Oliver Johnson (1809-1881) lived in Bethany. He was a son of seven children born to Isaac Johnson and Ruth Baldwin Brown, and a descendant of the West Bethany Brown family. Oliver received his license to preach in 1837 and married Louisa Francis about 1830 and they had seven children by 1856.
  15. Mr. Horace Walker ♢ Horace E Walker (1834-1886) was a teacher and oldest son of Obadiah Walker (1794-1885) and Apphia Ewell (1806-1875) of Bethany.

 

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Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:29

October 1857

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the October 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

 

  1. Mr. Marshall ♢ Delora Marsh (born 1845) was a daughter of Joel (1800-abt 1865) and Louisa (1814-1886) Marsh. They lived on Francis Road, near John Hamilton's parents.
  2. Mr. Weed ♢ Joseph Weed (1783-1862) Joseph and Mary Clough of New Hampshire, lived on a farm next to Daniel Putnam near Lorette’s parents. They had children: Mary, Joana, Harvey and Sarah.
  3. Nancy Denton ♢ Nancy Stewart Denton (1832-1857) Nancy was the only daughter of David Stewart (1790-1832) and Elizabeth Unknown Stewart Powers (1796-1881) of Bethany. In David’s Will he stated that his youngest child will probably be born after his death; Nancy was born a month after he died. Her parents are buried in Maple Lawn Cemetery, Bethany Center.
  4. Mariah ♢ Lorette and Helen Shepard Showerman were visiting their cousin Maria Shepard Leonard, daughter of James Shepard. Maria’s husband Ira Leonard was an attorney who was going to move to Wisconsin.
  5. Mary Knowlton ♢ Mary A. Knowlton was the eleven-year-old daughter of David and Harriet Hamilton Knowlton.
  6. John Moore ♢ This was John Moore Jr., whose father had just died in September; his mother Clarissa died in 1850. They are both buried in Old Batavia Cemetery. John Jr., 33, and his wife Emily Calkins (sister of Sylvester “Vet” Calkins) had three children by in 1857: Agnes, George, and Ida.
  7. Miss Houghton ♢ Annette M Houghton (1830-1865) was a daughter of Horace and Marcia Trask Houghton of Alexander.
  8. every bank ♢ This was called the panic of 1857. It started with an embezzlement that caused a failure in the New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company which forced them to default on five million dollars in loans. The resulting public loss of confidence combined with other worldwide calamities put the country in a financial crisis causing nearly every bank in the country to close their doors. It took several years for the financial system to fully recover.
  9. suspended ♢ Lorette's uncle Daniel Powers who owned the Powers Bank in Rochester, was said to have "held steady and made it through" the tough times caused by the financial panic of 1857.
  10. Phebe & Maria ♢ Oldest children of James and Amanda Shepard, Phebe Mae (1829-1900) and Mrs. Maria Shepard Leonard (1831-1921).
  11. Dr. Northrup’s daughter ♢ Dr. Charles A. Northrup and his wife Julia A. Gibbs had a daughter Julia Mary who was about 15.
  12. earthquake ♢ It was reported in the Republican Advocate: "The shock of an earthquake which is spoken of in the Buffalo papers, and which was severe enough to crack walls and plastering in that city, was also sensibly felt in this locality, several persons in this village having noticed it. It was also felt along the south shore of the lake, and in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties."
  13. Mr. Wales ♢ Merinda, 24, married William Wales; she was a daughter of Tichenor Norton and Nancy Ball who lived on Francis Road, Bethany.
  14. Mr. Benton's ♢ George W. (born about 1818) and Annis (born about 1822) Benton lived next to Lorette's grandparents, John and Elizabeth Showerman on Francis Road in Bethany. They had two children, George A. born about 1845, and Freemont E. born about 1852. The "too hard times" John referred to was a result of The Panic of 1857; it had a major impact on everyone in the country.
  15. daughter ♢ Little Harriet Stewart was named after her mother Adeline’s sister, Harriet Hamilton Knowlton. They were John Hamilton’s sisters.
  16. Miranda Norton ♢ Merinda Norton 24, a daughter of Tichenor and Nancy Norton of Francis Road, married William Wales.
  17. Horace Shaw ♢ Horace Shaw (1812-1876) was a son of Daniel Shaw (1790-1823) and Catherine Wilson (1791-1862). In 1852 he married Caroline Elizabeth Gibson (1827-1893). They lived at the fork of Putnam Settlement and Francis Road, Batavia. They had one child, Alice A. Shaw born in 1852.
  18. George Huntington & wife ♢ George A. Huntington was a son of Gurdon Huntington 74 and Polly Powers 67. Polly was a sister of Lorette’s maternal grandfather Asahel Powers who died in 1823. George and his wife Abigail were both 26 and lived next to his parents in Sommerset, Niagara County, NY.

 

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Page 1 of 8

1857 Diary Summary

John 25 and Lorette 21 settle into their second year of marriage. They live with her parents who are remodeling their house on Shepard Road, Batavia, NY. Baby brother, Charles is 3 and Lorette helps with his care. Daily they see their relatives and friends marry and have children. Lorette gives music lessons to neighbors and attends singing school and weekly sees her best friend and half-aunt Elizabeth Showerman Quance who lives around the corner on East Road with her husband Israel. John attends a debate club, reads a book on spiritualism, moves his barn, goes fishing, raises sheep, makes maple syrup, and plays baseball. Life is filled with dinners, picnics, attending various churches, deaths and marriages, and a lot of visiting.

1857 Surnames Mentioned

Andrews, Ashley, Benedict, Benton, Bostwick, Brainard, Brown, Bryan, Buell, Burt, Calkins, Chaddock, Charles, Cole, Cornwell, Cortez, Covell/Coville, Cummings, Davis, Denton, Dorman, Emmons, Farnham, Fillmore, Fister, Green, Hamilton, Hart, Hathaway, Hawley, Holden, Holter/Holton, Houghton, Huggins, Huntington, Jackman, Johnson, Judd, Judson, Keaton, Knowlton, Lamkin, Lane, Lathrop, Lawrence, Leonard, Levings, Lincoln, Loomis, Lord, Lovelace, Lyman, Lyons, Madden, Marsh, Marshall, McMillen, Moore, Newton, Northrup, Norton, Nott, Olin, Parmer, Patterson, Perry, Phelps, Plato, Powers, Putnam, Quance, Read, Reamer, Rogers, Rolland, Sale, Shaw, Shepard, Showerman, Skinner, Smith, Sprague, Stevens, Stewart, Strong, Sweetland, Thayer, Thompson, Town, Waite, Walker, Wales, Ware, Watts, Webster, Weed, West, Wilkenson, Woodward, Wortendyke

Life as Lorette

Life as Lorette presents the journey from diary discovery to revealing pioneers of Genesee County, New York.

World Events of 1857

  • An earthquake hit Tokyo and about 107,000 died
  • Frederick Laggenheim took the first photo of a solar eclipse
  • H. Sichel & Sohne, the producers of the popular Blue Nun white wine, was founded in Germany
  • The SS Central America sinks to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, cargo includes 43 bars of gold

National Events of 1857

  • In Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court rules that a slave is not a citizen
  • James Gibbs of Virginia patented a chain-stitch single-thread sewing machine
  • The California gold rush town of Columbia burned down in a fire that was blamed on a Chinese cook; the miners soon evicted all Chinese from the town
  • Mormon leader Brigham Young called out the Nauvoo Legion to fight the U.S. Troops if they enter Utah Territory
  • Lithographers Nathaniel Currier and Charles Ives become partners
  • Count Agoston Haraszthy founded the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, California
  • Paul Broca discovered that particular regions of the brain are specialized for particular functions
  • The first US coin to be called a nickel was the copper and nickel one-cent piece

New York State Events in 1857

  • The first passenger elevator is installed in a New York City store
  • Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead and architect Calvert Vaux won the competition to develop New York City's Central Park
  • New York City's Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company branch fails, precipitating a financial panic; 4,932 U. S. firms fail
  • John Alsop King takes office as the first Republican governor
  • The American Chess Association organized. The first major US chess tournament was held in NYC

Local Events in 1857

  • Treaty with the Seneca Tonawanda Band was signed restoring about 8,000 acres of land to the Seneca Nation
  • The Genesee River floods carrying away buildings on Rochester's Main Street Bridge
  • Susan B. Anthony and William Lloyd Garrison speak at an Abolition meeting in Corinthian Hall, Rochester
  • Le Roy's Ingham Collegiate Institute is chartered as Ingham University
  • Belva Lockwood graduates from Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in Lima, NY; she later runs for U.S. President in 1884 and 1888
  • Polly Hoag Frisch's second husband, Otto Frisch, deserts her in the same year that two more of her children die in the Town of Alabama. Relatives, neighbors, and friends are suspicious
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