Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the November 1856 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.
- Mrs Ben Moore ♢ Prudence Lee Moore married Benjamin Moore in the 1850's. They lived in the same house as his sister Mrs. Clara Moore Calkins.
- aunt Julia ♢ Julia had six step-children, being only seven years older than the oldest, Rice. Elizabeth, the youngest was only two when Julia came into the family.
- Mr. Getten ♢ Henry and Mary Elizabeth Churchill (1828-1910) lived near the West Bethany Baptist church, on Creek Road, between Ira Newton and Captain Elisha Smith. They had two children, Oscar (1849-1865) and Helen (1850-1899).
- Lorette Cole ♢ Lorette Cole, was a sister of Walter Cole on the south end of Putnam Settlement Road. She had married Mr. Kremer in October. Harriet Clark had married Mr. Wilken.
- Breckenridge ♢ John C. Breckinridge, born in Lexington, KY in 1821, was the youngest ever Vice President of the USA.
- aunt Julia ♢ Julia Powers Brainard, 34, was 21 years younger than her husband, Levi, and seven years older than her oldest step-son Rice.
- Presbyterian ♢ The new First Presbyterian Church in Batavia had just been completed earlier in the year.
- Mrs. Clair Calkins ♢ Clarissa Moore 28 was the wife of Sylvester Hackley Calkins; they lived in the same house as her brother Bemjamin Moore on Ellicott St Rd.
- elected President ♢ A Democrat, James Buchanan won the presidential election, with 174 electoral votes. All of New England, New York, and the upper Mid West voted for Republican John C. Fremont who gained 141 electoral votes. The American Party chipped in with eight votes for Fillmore.
- Mr Charles ♢ William Charles, 36, operated a blacksmith shop on the corner of Shepard and Ellicott St Roads. He also operated a Dry Goods store. His wife was Elizabeth Laramy, daughter of John and Elizabeth Laramy, who lived nearby. They were all born in England.
- Holdens ♢ Richard 42, operated a dry goods store on the corner of Main and Jackson streets, Holden & Thorn, in the Village of Batavia. When his son Hinman entered the business in 1880, the name was changed to R. O. Holden and Sons.
- Frisbe ♢ Alonzo Frisbee was 31 and had just married Egesta Smith, daughter of Gilbert and Polly Smith. Sumner Lawrence, 26, married Abbie Jane Lamkin in the early 1850’s, they did not have any children.
- six-penny dress ♢ Any guesses what this is?
- Asineth ♢ Asinath 31, the wife of Augustus Conklin of Middlebury and daughter of John Shepard’s sister, Phebe Shepard Hawley and her first husband, Alvin Hawley who died in 1846. In 1856, the Conklins had four children: Frank 11, Mary Jane 5, Charles 2, and Harriet, 1.
- north school house ♢ The north schoolhouse is the one located at the north end of Shepard Road.
- Clark Newton ♢ Clark C. Newton 21, was a son of Ira Newton and Mary Ann Loomis who had died at the age of 36 in 1839 and was buried in West Bethany Cemetery. It has been said that Clark's father, Ira Newton and his two brothers, Josiah and Barnabus, from Vermont passed through Genesee County on their way to defend Buffalo during the War of 1812, and thought the area so beautiful that they decided they would settle here if they survived the War. They did, and settled on Brown Mills Road in Alexander. Clark was with his sister, s Elvira Ann King 25.
- Sarah West ♢ Sarah West was a daughter of Warren West, who lived on Putnam Road next door to sisters Harriet and Laura Shepard lived.
- Hellen Hamilton ♢ Helen Hamilton, 27 was John Hamilotn’s unmarried sister; she lived at her parents home on Francis Road, Bethany.
- Israel ♢ Israel and Elizabeth Quance had one child, Lois born at the end of 1855.
- Our folks ♢ In 1856, there was no immediate communication available, other than a telegram.
- Azro Norton ♢ Azro Norton (1830-1920) was the oldest child and lived across from his parents on Francis Road, Tichenor Norton and Nancy Ball.
- Wm Johnson ♢ There were so many William Johnson’s in Genesee County, it is difficult to determine which one this is. Most likely it was William Johnson, a good friend of John Hamilton’s, who was the son of William Johnson and Harriet Favell of Francis Rd.
- Mr. Sprague ♢ Drayton Sprague (1821-1899) He was married to Cordelia Loomis, daughter of Sylvester and Susannah French of Alexander.
- Mrs. Bryan ♢ Belinda Shepard Bryan (1829-1891) was one of the oldest children of Lorette’s Uncle Andrew Shepard (1803-1848). She was married to Chancy Baldwin Bryan (1817-1882) by 1850 and lived in Cascade, Dubuque, Iowa.
- Uncle Andrew Shepard's girl ♢ Andrew Shepard was the oldest of Lorette’s father's thirteen siblings’ brothers. He married Lucy Whaley of Middlebury, Wyoming County in 1826 and they had three children there in Attica, Thankful, Belinda, and Almon. After Almon and Lucy died, Andrew moved to Ohio in 1834. That is where he met and married widow Eliza Norton Proctor, who had four children in Ohio from her first marriage, and then six children from Andrew – 13 siblings in all for Belinda.
- Mallison ♢ Ezra Mallison (1788-1861) and Thankful Whaley (1791-1857) Thankful was Belinda’s aunt, a sister of her mother, Lucy Whaley Shepard. Ezra settled in Middlebury in 1810 and was a soldier in the War of 1812. They are both buried in Dale Cemetery, Wyoming County, NY.
- Lorinda ♢ Lorinda Showerman Bride was four years older than her niece, Lorette.
- Charles Lamkin ♢ Charles Lamkin lived next door to Lorette's grandparents John and Elizabeth Showerman on Francis Rd, Bethany.
- Daniel ♢ Daniel Shepard, 21, was Lorette's cousin, son of James and Amanda Putnam Shepard.
- Walter Cole ♢ Walter Cole (1823-1899) was a cattle breeder on Putnam Settlement.
- schoolhouse ♢ Down to the schoolhouse meant the one on the corner of Francis and Putnam Roads.
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Read the November 1856 transcription.
