Lorette's Diary

Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the February 1856 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.

1. Milton & Olive ♢ Milton Powers 30, married Olive Showerman in 1852. He was from Trenton Fall, Oneida County, NY, a son of Erastus and Lydia Powers (no relation to Lorette's Powers ancestors).
2. Mr. Sweetlands ♢ John Hamilton went “down” (meaning north) to the home of Rev. Louis Sweetland for possibly some inspirational books. He was a Methodist Minister who lived on Ellicott St Rd next to Seneca Short.
3. library books ♢ The first library in Batavia was established at a meeting at Abel Rowe's house. He is known to have purchased the first lot of land in the Village of Batavia around 1801.
4. Jane Tabor ♢ Jane 21, was the middle daughter of Clark Taber Sr. and Rebecca Peck of Alexander.
5. Mr. Dascomb ♢ Lewis 43 first came to America from England in 1849. He traveled out west and to Canada and spent his first night in Batavia at the American Hotel. His first employment was keeping a herd of cows for Mr. Ganson in a pasture on Liberty Street (then called Snipery St) in Batavia. In 1852 Lewis traveled back to England, married Mary A. Snow of Devonshire and returned to America, sailing for five weeks; they arrived in Batavia on July 4 th of that year. Lewis was 34 and Mary was 25 when they settled on their farm located on Ellicott St Rd, just west of the Village of Batavia line. One day, Lewis and Mary would become members of Lorette’s brother, Charles’ family.
6. school house ♢ John and Lorette lived in Batavia Bethany Joint School District No. 6, which consisted of Bethany and Batavia families living on Francis, Putnam, Shepard, and Townline roads. It was located at corner of Francis and Putnam Settlement Roads. In those days, each family sending a child to that school, had to provide 1/4 cord of firewood per student to the school, or pay the school the equivalent price
7. Mr. Butlers ♢ Sidney 43 and his wife Lucinda Hawes were living with his widowed father, Harvey Gottleib Butler on Francis Road, Bethany. They had five children: Sidney Jr. 14, Emily 12, Bryan 10, John 8, Martin 5, and Martha 3.
8. Franklin Lyman ♢ Frank 19, lived with his parents, Samuel and Charlotte Lyman on Ellicott St Rd near Shepard Rd.
9. prospects of peace ♢ "Prospects of Peace" was the headline of an article appearing in the February 16 th issue of the Spirit of The Times (Batavia). The article stated that news was favorable of peace resulting from the Crimean War in Europe. The news came with the arrival of the steam ship "Persia."
10. William Hawley ♢ William 18, was the oldest son of Samuel M Hawley (1815-1875) and Hannah M Glidden (1819-1887). The family actually spelled their name Holly and lived on Ellicott St Rd. Lydia Ann Shepard, 20, a daughter of Asahel and Sarah Shepard, was about to be married in March. Laura Shepard 23 was Lorette's half-aunt - a daughter John Sr. and Catherine Shaw Shepard Putnam Settlement Road.
11. Miss Lydia ♢ Lydia Ann Shepard, 20, was about to be married in March. Laura Shepard was John Sr. and Catherine Shepard’s youngest daughter, age 23. They lived on Putnam Settlement Road.
12. Mr & Mrs Leonard ♢ Ira Leonard 24 and Maria Shepard Leonard 25, lived in Castile, Wyoming County, NY.
13. Leicester Road ♢ Route 63 South out of Batavia was known in 1856 as Big Tree Road until the border of the Town of Bethany, from there the road was called Leicester Road.
14. Grandfather Shepard ♢ Born in Connecticut, third son of Henry Shepard and Esther Bundy, lived on one of seven lots he purchased from the Holland Land Office in 1821; the one he lived on was Lot 1, Section 11, Town 12, Range 1; it would appear the other lots were for his sons. He was married twice and had seven sons and seven daughters, all still alive except his oldest son Andrew and youngest daughter Delilah. His first wife, Asenath Marvin died around 1826, she was 41 years old. She died the same year their daughter, Delilah, age five died. Delilah was buried in Dale cemetery; there is no record or stone for Asenath, but it is believed that she was buried there also, along with her grandson, Almon Shepard, son of Andrew Shepard. Around 1827, John Shepard, Sr. married a second time to Catherine Shaw (1792-1862). She was the widow of Daniel Shaw (died 1823) with whom she had two children, Horace W. Shaw (b 1812) and Lydia Shaw. Catherine and John Sr. had three daughters, Laura, Harriet and Fannie.
15. Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Smith ♢ Gilbert 43 was the oldest of nine siblings, and married Polly Loomis about 1832, and they had four children who lived into adulthood. Gilbert’s family was related to the Shepards, through his grandmother, Delilah Prentice Bundy (1759-1846). a first cousin of John Shepard Sr. – his grandmother Delilah Prentice Bundy Smith (1758-1846) who was an aunt of John Shepard’s mother Esther Bundy Shepard (1752-1822).
16. Mr. & Mrs. Charles Putnam ♢ He was a Baptist minister from the West Bethany Baptist Church. He married Phoebe Hawley (1832-1895) in 1849. They had a son, Newell born in 1849, who was over ten months old before he was given a name.
17. Elder Vrooman ♢ Born in Schenectady, NY, Elder Vrooman attended the Hudson River Seminary, and lived in Middlebury with his wife Electa Everest (1795-1871).
18. funeral of Grandfather Shepard's ♢ There were about 200 descendants of John Shepard, Sr., who were still alive and could have been at that funeral. This does not include spouses, in-laws, nor friends. He was married twice and had seven sons and seven daughters, all still alive except his oldest son Andrew and youngest daughter Delilah. At least two of John’s sibling would have been still alive in 1856: William Shepard (1794-1863) and Lucy Shepard Bundy (1785-1879) both of Otsego County. John’s funeral was held at the Batavia-Bethany School House No. 6 located across from his house at the corner of Francis and Batavia Bethany Townline Roads. It was mentioned by family members in an 1876 newspaper report that John Sr. was buried in Putnam Cemetery along with his father, Henry Shepard who died around 1835. There are no head stones found in the cemetery today bearing their names nor do they appear on the Town of Bethany list of burials at the cemetery as that document had burned in the early 1900’s along with other early Bethany Town records. This diary and that newspaper article are the only record of the deaths of Henry and John Shepard, Sr. His first wife, Asenath Marvin died around 1826, she was 41 years old. She died the same year their daughter, Delilah, age five died. Delilah was buried in Dale cemetery; there is no record or stone for Asenath, but it is believed that she was buried there also, along with her grandson, Almon Shepard, son of Andrew Shepard. Around 1827, John Shepard, Sr. married a second time to Catherine Shaw (1792-1862). She was the widow of Daniel Shaw (died 1823) with whom she had two children, Horace W. Shaw (b 1812) and Lydia Shaw Putnam. Catherine and John Sr. had three daughters, Laura, Harriet, and Fannie Shepard Shaw (wife of Clark Shaw). They all lived on Putnam Settlement at the time of John’s death.
19. Marvin Shepard ♢ Marvin was named after his deceased mother, Asenath Marvin (1769-1827).
20. Miss Hurty ♢ Mary Margaret Hurty 26, was born in Lowville, Lewis County, NY, a daughter of John Hurty (1789-1865) and Elizabeth Bartels (1791-1876). Her parents lived in Cuba, Allegany County. Her brother Hiram married Lorette’s cousin, Lorette Frances Putnam in December of 1855. The south schoolhouse was located at the corner of Putnam and Francis Roads; John was an administrator of that school, hiring the teacher, finding room and board, making sure there was enough wood to keep the school warm, and regularly checking in on the progress of the students.
21. Guy Shaw ♢ Guy 62 and wife Nancy Ellis, lived in Alexander and had 10 children between 1813 and 1840. He was a son of Daniel Shaw (1760-1806) and Hannah Wells, and a brother-in-law of Catherine Shaw Shepard (Grandfather Shepard’s second wife). Guy fought in the Battle of Buffalo in the War of 1812. There was another Guy Shaw (1813-1896) who was Lorette's step-uncle, a son of Grandmother Shepard with her first husband Daniel Shaw. He married Emily Richmond (1818-1896) , a daughter of Robert Richmond and his first wife, Phebe Parmelee This Guy Shaw lived on Putnam Settlement but moved with his family to Lafayette, Monroe, Wisconsin by 1860.
22. twenty dollars ♢ Twenty dollars in 1855 is worth about $600 in 2020.
23. New Presbyterian Church in Batavia ♢ The new church on the corner of Main and Liberty Streets was built at a cost of $18,000; Rev. I. O. Fillmore was the first pastor. Prior to the new building, the Presbyterians met at a church in the Village of Batavia on Church Street (today is known as Jefferson Street). That building was razed in 1902.
24. Mr. & Mrs. Hatch ♢ Dwigjt. 26. was a son of Orrin and Eveline Hatch of Owasco, Cayuga County, NY; his wife Lucia Levings was John Hamilton’s sister-in-law, wife of his brother William. Dwight and Lucia, married in 1853, lived in Gainsville, Wyoming County, NY.
25. Mrs Knowlton & Eliza ♢ John Hamilton’s sisters, Harriet 33 and Elizabeth 21
26. Ira ♢ John Shepard Jr's brother, Ira 43 lived on Dry Bridge Road, Alexander, near the Buffalo and New York City Railroad.
27. Jared Levings ♢ Jared Levings 16, was a younger brother of Laura and Lucia Levings. He was with John Hamilton’s two sisters, Harriet Knowlton 33, and Eliza 21.
28. Mrs. Wm Johnson ♢ Harriet 59 was the widow of William Johnson (1793-1852)and lived on Francis Road with her son William Johnson 23.
29. David Johnson ♢ David F. Johnson 31 had been living in Wisconsin with his wife Ellen Garfield (a daughter of William Garfield and Mary Marshall of Alexander) until Ellen died about 1854, possibly in childbirth. Ellen’s mother Mary may have left her family in Alexander when her daughter died, to take care of her young children, and ended up dying out in Wisconsin.
30. here to day visiting ♢ All of the company were John Shepard’s siblings: Phoebe Shepard HawleyCovell (Mrs Richard D.) with Phoebe's daughter from her first marriage, Jane Elsana Hawley 16; Sally Shepard (Mrs Nelson Hawley) James and wife Amanda Putnam with daughter Maria Shepard Leonard, and Asahel Shepard and wife Sarah Bartlett.
31. Mr. Brainards ♢ Levi Brainard lived on Ellicott Street Road with his second wife, Julia Powers, a sister of Lorette’s mother, Polly Powers Shepard. Also with them was Mrs Peter ( Roxanny Powers) Showerman, and Polly’s half sister, Elizabeth Showerman (Mrs Israel Quance).
32. Mr. Benedict ♢ William Guy Benedict 38, lived in Alexander with his wife Alzina Pynchon and their two children Henry 15 and Helen 7, and mother-in-law, Mary Pynchon.
33. Mr. Lamkins ♢ Charles B. Lamkin 20, lived on Francis Road, across from the Hamilton homestead.
34. grandmother Shepards ♢ Catherine Wilson Shaw Shepard66. was a widow now, after almost 30 years married to John Shepard Sr. She still lived in the small red house on Putnam Settlement Road across from Francis Road, with her two unmarried daughters, Harriet 26 and Laura 23.
35. meeting ♢ Father John Shepard Jr went up to his step-mother's Catherine Shaw Shepard's on Putnam Settlement Rd. Every Sunday in addition to church in the morning, there was a religious educational “meeting” at the schoolhouse in the evening.
36. Charlie ♢ Lorette’s only sibling, Charie was seven months old. Lorette and John lived with her parents and brother in the house on Shepard Road.
37. Mr. Warren Putnam ♢ Warren Putnam 55 and wife Sarah Quance (1814-1865) , sister of Israel Quance, lived on East Road, next to Sarah’s mother Mehitable Powers Quance.
38. pair of elk ♢ The Livingston County News reports, “And would you also believe that wild elk once inhabited most of what is now New York State including the Finger Lakes Region and Southern Tier?” by John Adamski, Oct 6, 2018.
39. Mr. Lawrence & wife ♢ Sumner Lawrence 26 and Abby Jane Lamkin 27 were married in the early 1850's. Abby who grew up on Francis Road near John Hamilton. Her sister Marriette Lamkin 23 was also there with her husband John Markely 28. Sumner was the son of Henry S. Lawrence of Groton, Middlesex, Mass, an early pioneer of Genesee County. Also, at Sumner’s house that night, were John Hamilton’s sister Adeline and William Stewart, and brother James Stewart and his wife. Later that evening they all went over to Alonzo Frisbee’s house. Alonzo had just recently married Egesta Smith a daughter of Gilbert S. Smith and Polly Loomis, and a granddaughter of Captain Elisha S. Smith, all of Alexander.
40. William Johnson ♢ William Johnson (1815-?) William and his wife Sarah born in New York, lived in Batavia with their fifteen-year-old daughter Sarah J. and six-year-old son William H. In 1850, Eve Smith 83 also lived with the family.

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