Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the September 1856 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.
- Odion girl ♢ Austin married Abigail Peck Odion, 17, daughter of Samuel Odion and Abigail Peck of Bethany.
- Orcutts farm ♢ This could have been Chester B. Orcutts farm. He was born in 1818 in Ontario County, New York. He and his wife Amelia lived in the Town of Batavia on Batavia Stafford Townline Road.
- Sally Putnams ♢ Sarah 42, wife of Warren Putnam, had four children: Monroe 17, twins Eveline and Emeline15, and Emerette 12.
- Harriet & Laura Shepard ♢ Harriet 26 and Laura Shepard 23, were Lorette’s single aunts who lived in the little red house on Putnam Road at Francis Road. They lived there with their recently widowed mother Catherine Wilson Shaw Shepard, 65.
- Charlie ♢ Lorette's baby brother, Charles Shepard, would have been one year old on August 3rd.
- Josiah Putnam ♢ Josiah 55 lived on Putnam Settlement, Bethany; his second wife Lydia (1816-1904) was a daughter of Daniel and Catherine Shaw. Josiah was a son of Peter Jr. (1758-1821) and Susannah Osgood (1766-1822) Putnam. Josiah's first wife was Olivia P. Lord (1802-1835). She and three of their children are buried in Putnam Cemetery: Nathan (1823-1824), Philinda (1825-1857), Jerome (1833-1835).
- Brook's speeches ♢ These would have been speeches by Erastus Brooks who was the American Party's candidate for New York State Governor.
- wife ♢ Elvira 36, was born in Attica, Wyoming County. She was a daughter of James Green (1802-1884) of Attica.
- Wm. Fuller ♢ John’s cousin 33, was a son of Truman Fuller and Matilda Lord Fuller. The family lived in East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut. Matilda, who died in 1848, was a twin of John Hamilton’s mother Lucinda Lord Hamilton.
- Mr. Prestons ♢ Lyman 36 lived in Hamilton, Madison County, NY in 1855. He was married to Louisa F. Lord, John Hamilton’s cousin. Their parents were brother and sister, William Lord and Lucinda Lord. Louisa was a sister to Orrin Lord, George Lord, and Lydia Lord Dunbar.
- Mr. Filmore preached ♢ Isaac O. Fillmore 40, had been the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Cambridge, Washington County, NY before he came to Batavia earlier this year. He and wife Julia only stayed in Batavia a few years, as he moved on to Syracuse by 1860.
- Uncle Marvin Shepard ♢ Marvin 42 was married to Persis Chaddock (1821-1910) and they lived in Wethersfield, NY. Marvin and brother Martin were twins and lived most of their adult lives living next to each other.
- All the children ♢ All of the children of John Shepard, Sr at that time was: James, Asahel, John Jr., Ira, and twins Martin, Marvin; and daughters: Phebe (Alvin) Hawley, Polly (Dennis) Chaddock, Sally (Nelson) Hawley, Fannie (Clark) Shaw, Harriet, and Laura. His oldest son, Andrew died in 1848 in Illinois, and youngest daughter, Delliah died in1826 at age 5 in Middlebury, NY.
- Cousin Dunbar ♢ Lydia Maria Dunbar from Hamilton, Madison County, NY, was John Hamilton's first cousin, a daugher of William Lord and Clarissa Brainard.
- Plato farm ♢ John 54 owned land on Creek Road, Batavia, but lived on Clinton Street in the Village of Batavia.
- William Stewarts ♢ William H. Stewart John’s brother-in-law was celebrating his 32 nd birthday.
- Fremont ♢ John C. Fremont was the Republican candidate for the upcoming Presidential election on November 4th. John’s inclination was for Millard Fillmore, the American Party candidate. Millard was born in Cayuga County, NY and married his schoolteacher, Abigail Powers in 1826. Abigail was Lorette’s 4 th cousin 1x removed (they had the same 4 th grandfather, Walter Powers 1639-1708).
- Mariah ♢ It was popular in the nineteenth century to pronounce the name Maria as Ma-ri-ah, as evidenced by John’s new spelling of Maria Shepard Leonard’s name.
- Mrs Hawley ♢ Sally and Nelson Hawley lived on the Ellicott Street Road area near Bethany Center Road. Their names do not show up on any maps as they rented their lodging. As years progressed, their name “Hawley” became “Holley” by evidenced in1910 in the same location.
- Mr. Nott ♢ Several Notts in the Bethany vicinity: William (1786-1863), John (1812-1889), and Francis (1813-1896).
- shillings ♢ A shilling was one twentieth of a United Kingdom pound; worth about twelve pennies.
- Mr. Morgan ♢ Edwin D Morgan became the 21st governor of New York State.
- Beecher ♢ Henry was a protestant minister and a splendid speaker from the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. Through his oratorical ability he was able to tell Americans what the new Republican Party stood for - Christian morality and the non-advancement of slavery in the developing West. The trustees of his church granted him a leave of absence to campaign throughout New York State during the late summer and fall of 1856 for Presidential candidate, John C. Fremont. An interesting note about the Beecher family - Henry's brother, Dr. William H. Beecher, served as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia from 1839 until 1843. Apparently Henry Ward Beecher never showed up for the political gathering he was expected at in Batavia that day.
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